Thursday, October 30, 2014

Philadelphia

One of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, and homophobia, as well as one of the roles that presented Hanks as a serious actor and one of Washington's breakthrough performances. Andrew Beckett (Hanks) is an exceptional senior associate who is suddenly fired. His employers say it is due to attitude and incompetence—two traits Beckett is not known for—while he claims their reasons are lies and that he was really terminated because they had learned of his orientation and/or HIV-status. Beckett hires Joe Miller (Washington), a homophobic personal injury lawyer who he had worked a previous case with, for representation. Excellent performances all around, with a plot that keeps you hooked from beginning to end (which can be somewhat unusual for some courtroom dramas). Despite the well-developed characters played by very talented actors, the sad scenes never really touch you. Based on events of attorneys Geoffrey Bowers and Clarence B. Cain.

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