Philadelphia

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.

• Director:Jonathan Demme
• Genre:Drama
• Runtime:120 minutes

Cast

Tom Hanks : Andrew Beckett
Denzel Washington : Joe Miller
Roberta Maxwell : Judge Tate
Buzz Kilman : Crutches
Karen Finley : Dr. Gillman

The film tells the story of Andrew Beckett (Hanks), a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. Although he lives with his partner Miguel Álvarez (Antonio Banderas), Beckett is not open about his homosexuality at the law firm, nor the fact he has acquired AIDS. On the day he is assigned the firm’s newest and most important case, one of the firm’s partners notices a small lesion on Beckett’s forehead. Shortly thereafter, Beckett stays home from work for several days to try to find a way to hide his lesions. While at home, he finishes the complaint for the case he has been assigned and then brings it to his office, leaving instructions for his assistants to file the complaint in court on the following day, which marks the end of the statute of limitations for the case. Beckett suffers an AIDS-related attack[clarification needed] at home and is rushed to the hospital. Later that morning, while still at the ER, he receives a frantic call from the firm asking for the complaint, as the paper copy cannot be found and there are no copies on the computer’s hard drive. However, the complaint is finally discovered and is filed with the court at the last possible moment. The following day, Beckett is dismissed by the firm’s partners, who had previously referred to him as their “friend”, but now question his professional abilities in light of mis-placed document.

Beckett believes that someone deliberately hid his paperwork to give the firm a pretext to fire him, and that the firing is actually as a result of his diagnosis with AIDS. He asks several attorneys to take his case, including personal injury lawyer Joe Miller (Washington), with whom he had been involved in a previous case. Miller, who is admittedly homophobic and knows little about Beckett’s disease, initially declines to take the case and immediately visits his doctor to find out if he could have contracted the disease through shaking Beckett’s hand. The doctor explains the methods of AIDS infection. The doctor then offers to take a sample of Miller’s blood, suspecting that Miller was asking about AIDS because he suspected he had contracted it and was trying to hide it. Miller dismisses the request by laughing it off, thinking it a joke. Unable to find a lawyer willing to represent him, Beckett is compelled to act as his own attorney. While researching a case at a law library, Miller sees Beckett at a nearby table. After a librarian announces that he has found a book on AIDS discrimination for Beckett, others in the library begin to first stare and then move away, and the librarian suggests Beckett retire to a private room. Disgusted by their behavior, Miller approaches Beckett and reviews the material he has gathered. It is obvious he has decided to take the case. Upon receiving a summons by Miller, the head of the firm, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), worries about the damage the lawsuit could do to his business and reputation, although one partner (Ron Vawter) unsuccessfully tries to convince them to settle out of court with Beckett. Read more

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