No one would take on his case... until one man was willing to take on the system.
Overview
Two competing lawyers join forces to sue a prestigious law firm for AIDS discrimination. As their unlikely friendship develops, their courage overcomes the prejudice and corruption of their powerful adversaries.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.3/10
IMDb: 7.7/10
Letterboxd: 3.94/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Metacritic: 66
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Jonathan Demme
Production
TriStar Pictures, Clinica Estetico, A Luta Continua
Cast
Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, Antonio Banderas, Ron Vawter, Robert Ridgely, Charles Napier, Lisa Summerour, Obba Babatundé, Andre B. Blake, Robert W. Castle, Daniel Chapman, Roger Corman, Ann Dowd, David Drake, Karen Finley, Charles Glenn, Peter Jacobs, Paul Lazar
Where to watch
Hulu
Curator Review
Verdict
A polished, emotionally direct courtroom drama that helped mainstream a conversation about AIDS discrimination while anchoring it in star performances and accessible storytelling. It can feel cautious by modern standards, but its sincerity, craft, and historical significance still land.
Best for
viewers who like prestige legal dramas
audiences interested in LGBTQ+ cinema history
fans of emotionally earnest 1990s dramas
people who want strong star performances with social relevance
Skip if
you want a more radical or formally daring queer film
you prefer courtroom stories with lots of procedural complexity
you’re looking for something lighter or less emotionally heavy
you’re sensitive to 1990s mainstream treatment that can feel cautious or sanitized
Overview
Philadelphia is one of those studio dramas that knows exactly how to move an audience, and it does so with unusual grace. Jonathan Demme keeps the film humane and observant rather than flashy, letting the performances carry the emotional and political weight without turning the story into a lecture.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is the combination of urgency and accessibility. It was a major mainstream intervention in the early AIDS era, and even if some of its choices feel restrained now, the film still has real force as a portrait of prejudice, fear, and the possibility of empathy.
Bottom line
The courtroom material is solid, but the movie’s deeper achievement is how it turns a legal case into a story about dignity. It is earnest, sometimes conventionally so, but the sincerity is part of its power: this is a film that wants to be understood by as many people as possible, and largely succeeds.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (4.5★) · 2034 likes
I wish Denzel played a lawyer in every movie
Sally Jane Black · 1384 likes
Understand that any film we credit with changing the world is a distraction. Films don't change the world. They react to changes in the world. They reflect changes. There are films that can be shown to have had impact, especially in individual circumstances, but for the most part, films are a reflection of the times they are made. The reason for this is that most films, especially big studio films, rely on the financial backing of the ruling class. Some… more Understand that any film we credit with changing the world is a distraction. Films don't change the world. They react to changes in the world. They reflect changes. There are films that can be shown to have had impact, especially in individual circumstances, but for the most part, films are a reflection of the times they are made. The reason for this is that most films, especially big studio films, rely on the financial backing of the ruling class. Some… more
Sean Fennessey · 1078 likes
I would watch a wisdom tooth extraction, if it were directed by Jonathan Demme.
Logan Kenny (5★) · 978 likes
as a queer man, this ripped my fucking heart out and made me cry harder than i can even describe. i can't even say how affecting and how perfect this is, i don't have the words for it. saw it for the first time about 5-6 years ago, when i was a child and not aware of my sexuality, my queerness, and it broke me completely, i sobbed over it for days. and seeing it now, as an openly bisexual… more as a queer man, this ripped my fucking heart out and made me cry harder than i can even describe. i can't even say how affecting and how perfect this is, i don't have the words for it. saw it for the first time about 5-6 years ago, when i was a child and not aware of my sexuality, my queerness, and it broke me completely, i sobbed over it for days. and seeing it now, as an openly bisexual… more