Philadelphia - 12th July 2012

I would normally start the weekly Film Night blog with a bit of alliteration, I think this week's movie is beyond the facile choice of words and deserves a modicum of sobriety. Having never seen the movie at all since it's release (1993), it's content, although known, was a bit of an enigma.

Tonight we watched;

Philadelphia

Couple of points to make about Philadelphia, firstly we had this video'd from years ago, when we first had cable TV installed. We had free movies for 3 months and this was the only film, at that time, that was worth seeing. We kept that VHS tape for years, literally years. In fact DVD and Blu-Ray have superceded the VHS medium since we taped it and we still never watched it!

Secondly, it has been suggested that the reviews that I post for Tuesday Night is Film Night, are always favourable, never harshly critical of the films that we see. This is true, but then we tend to watch films that we think, we are going to like.
So what of Philadelphia? Is this going to be a favourable review?

You betcha! It was brilliant!

The one disappointment is, that we didn't dust off that VHS tape and watch the film years ago.

I have always said, and I will continue to say, until proven otherwise, that Tom Hanks has never made a bad movie (that I have seen). Philadelphia is no exception.

The synopsis of the film, if you don't know, is that a successful up and coming (and gay) lawyer; Andrew Beckett (Hanks), gets fired by his law firm, on the premise of bad performance in a recent high brow case.
Whereas Beckett cites discrimination based on the recent revelation that he has AIDS.

After approaching several law firms to represent him, Beckett finds Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), a lawyer who advertises his litigation services on TV. Miller clearly displays homophobic tendencies towards Beckett, but nevertheless, eventually takes on the case.

This is when Philadelphia turns into a gritty, but sometimes witty courtroom drama. Probably the best courtroom drama I have seen since the film JFK.

Picking up on a point I made earlier re. Tom Hanks and never seen a bad movie that he is. Well, this is true of Philadelphia yes, but I don't think Hanks is necessarily the best actor, no. I think that prize must go to Denzel Washington. He absolutely steals it.
Although Hanks won the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar in 1994 for Philadelphia. I think the role played by Washington, may have been overlooked somewhat.

Having said that, there is no denying that Tom Hanks isn't absolutely sublime in this film. In the latter stages of the film and therefore the latter stages of the illness, there some very poignant scenes where Hanks is tremendous.

I guess the ending is feelgood in a way, although ultimately tinged with sadness.

There is also a fabulous soundtrack to the movie, which provides drama, poignancy and pathos.

Philadelphia is one of those films that draws you in, you become involved and engrossed, hanging on every word, emotion and expression. It is brilliantly written, directed and acted.

It certainly is right up there with the best films we have seen.