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Philadelphia (1993)
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Overview
Tagline:
No one would take on his case... until one man was willing to take on the system.Plot:
When a man with AIDS is fired by a conservative law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit. full summary | full synopsis (warning! may contain spoilers)Plot Keywords:
moreAwards:
Won 2 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(6 articles)
Movie Reviews: 'Resident Evil: Extinction' (From Studio Briefing. 21 September 2007)
Hanks Made Academy Vice President (From WENN. 26 August 2005)
User Comments:
Gay Men Are Macho Too moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | Tom Hanks | ... | Andrew Beckett |
 | Denzel Washington | ... | Joe Miller |
 | Roberta Maxwell | ... | Judge Tate |
| Buzz Kilman | ... | Crutches |
| Karen Finley | ... | Dr. Gillman |
| Daniel Chapman | ... | Clinic Storyteller |
| Mark Sorensen Jr. | ... | Clinic Patient |
| Jeffrey Williamson | ... | Tyrone |
| Charles Glenn | ... | Kenneth Killcoyne |
| Ron Vawter | ... | Bob Seidman |
| Anna Deavere Smith | ... | Anthea Burton |
| Stephanie Roth Haberle | ... | Rachel Smilow (as Stephanie Roth) |
| Lisa Talerico | ... | Shelby |
 | Joanne Woodward | ... | Sarah Beckett |
 | Jason Robards | ... | Charles Wheeler |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
125 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColour:
Colour (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreCertification:
South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Mexico:C | Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:10 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 (re-rating) | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PGMOVIEmeter: 
1% since last week
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Fun Stuff
Trivia:
According to a 1994 Entertainment Weekly profile of Ron Vawter by Stephen Schaefer, Philadelphia (1993) director Jonathan Demme had to convince TriStar Pictures to hire Vawter to play Bob Seidman. TriStar wanted Demme to hire someone else because Vawter was HIV-positive and the insurance company covering the film refused to extend coverage to him. Demme managed to convince TriStar to allow the hiring of Vawter anyway, both because Vawter was the actor that Demme wanted and because refusing to hire an actor because of his HIV-positive status would have been particularly ironic in the context of a movie that is premised on the injustice of a lawyer being fired because he is HIV-positive. moreGoofs:
Crew or equipment visible: Crewman reflected in hospital door as Joe Miller opens it, after the trial. moreQuotes:
Joe Miller: Have you ever felt discriminated against at Wyatt Wheeler?Anthea Burton: Well, yes.
Joe Miller: In what way?
Anthea Burton: Well, Mr. Wheeler's secretary, Lydia, said that Mr. Wheeler had a problem with my earrings.
Joe Miller: Really?
Anthea Burton: Apparently Mr. Wheeler felt that they were too..."Ethnic" is the word she used. And she told me that he said that he would like it if I wore something a little less garish, a little smaller, and more "American."
Joe Miller: What'd you say?
Anthea Burton: I said my earrings are American. They're African-American.
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "Saturday Night Live: Patrick Stewart/Salt-N-Pepa (#19.12)" (1994) moreSoundtrack:
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen moreFAQ
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Message Boards
Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Philadelphia (1993)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Pro Gay or Against? | In-a-Haze |
| Gays | game_wiz_mike |
| The most powerful scene... | paixalice |
| Did I see Rocky? | mike-5281 |
| Gay | AriBreck |
| Saddest Movie | Selinaberry |
Recommendations
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Philadelphia is a truly amazing movie and a touching story. Tom Hanks plays a lawyer who has been stricken with a horrible disease. He plays a convincing role as Andrew Beckett, a man who knows the meaning of justice and knows what exactly his rights are. What Mr. Hanks also accomplishes with this role is he breaks free from the stereotypes society has dictated on the average gay man. Andrew Beckett is not feminine in any way, he does not have a flair for shoe shopping or hold his arms limp-wristed or talk with a lisp. For these reasons, it has been said that Tom Hanks was not believable as a gay man. I strongly disagree. Andrew Beckett is a normal man who enjoys smoking cigars and takes joy in the law. Who would think he was gay? This is precisely the point the movie is trying to make. A gay man may be walking among you, every day you may see him at school, may play raquetball with him at the gym, may work late hours with him at the office... but yet you'd never suspect he is gay because he does not wear loafers decorated with tassels and he has a low-pitched voice. Men are men, whether gay or not, and should be treated as such -- gays do not deserve special treatment but they deserve equal treatment. Because in most areas, gay men are just like straight men. I commend Tom Hanks for showing the world that gay men can be just as manly as any other. His Oscar was well-deserved and the movie was amazingly ground-breaking.