Honestly not a good movie

i agree. there is no insight nor nothing. also this is the way the studio would've ordered it to be made not giving two hoots about the writer or directors vision. i liked it at the time, but now it looks nothing more than a tv movie. what i meant about the studio i got that from watching "what just happened" you should see it it's quite good.

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Yeah, I was bored out of my mind and almost got into a fight in the theater. I was only in high school and on a date in this movie. I nearly went to sleep. I was wakened when the verdict was announced. I heard a loud "YESSSSSSSS" in unison across the theater. I said... " Goodness, it sounds like steam escaping!" There were a few turned heads; I should have known better to see it the first weekend :)

But I do like Denzel.... Hanks was alright but at least he was passionate about the role. Antonio Banderas; always a plus when he is in the movie :)


"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." - Albert Einstein

I watched it today after not having seen it since I saw it on the original release. I cried like a baby...

Denzel deserved an Oscar just as much as Tom Hanks did..

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I could not disagree more. Philadelphia is Hanks best movie role ever, he shows the dignity of a man that no hope of a future. The writing was great, most of the acting is great except Washington who seemed to chew through scenes. It was 5 years after my brother died of aids before I could watch this movie, it is heartbreaking and it is mostly the truth about Aids and gay men.

My general reaction to this film is somewhat mixed. Although I support equality of all persons, I agree that the script veers into advocacy and the firm's partners a cut-out villians, which does not make for convincing drama.

I have most problem with the direction. Demme employs close-ups constantly, and I mean CONSTANTLY (I just rewatched and was struck by the degree to which this is true). I cannot recall any other film in which it was done to this degree, and it strikes as incredibly artificial, unimaginative, and weak. The bottom line is, though, that it simply doesn't work. If the viewers of drama are meant to "sink into the dream", this overuse of the close-up repeatedly jerks the viewer out of it.

The acting. On the whole, it was excellent. Denzel Washington was perfect for this role and gave a flat-out stellar performance. Hanks was also excellent, but more uneven in my view, and I absolutely adore Hanks and will watch ANYTHING he is in (I actually sat through turkies the Bonfire of the Vanities) just to see his performance. There are points in the film where his performance just doesn't ring true for me. Like when he was arguing with Miguel and says "You are worried we don't have much time left.", his deliver was like a screeching violin in the middle of a concerto (I admit, this is a subjective view). Also, I remember when the film came out, I was shocked to read a review by a gay man who was out and out LIVID by this film as simply being another trite reworking of worn-out stereotypes. One point he made that I later noticed when watching the film was that there was ZERO romantic chemistry between Hanks and Banderos (another reason why Hank's performance is not top-notch). The guy playing his brother who breaks down when saying goodbye gave a very effective performance in a small role.

The music was maudlin and just felt to me like the effort was to wring as many tears as possible from the audience.

Despite my criticisms, I still consider this a very good film.

I guess you missed the Opera scene. It was so intense, the dialogue perfect, the performances tingling, the camerawork superb and the direction spotless. I had watched the movie a few years back and now every time someone mentions it, I still get goosebumps remembering this scene.
Only good movies have such sequences that remain etched in your memory.