Philadelphia

Philadelphia (1993)

  • 77% of critics liked it
    (47 reviews)

  • 87% of users liked it
    (158,742 ratings)

At the time of its release, Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia was the first big-budget Hollywood film to tackle the medical, political, and social issues of AIDS. Tom Hanks, in his first Academy Award-winning performance, plays Andrew Beckett, a talented lawyer at a stodgy Philadelphia law firm. The… More

Play Trailer

PG-13,
Directed By
Written By
Ron Nyswaner
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Dec 22, 1993 Wide
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    [An] extremely well-made message picture about tolerance, justice and discrimination is pitched at mainstream audiences, befitting its position as the first major Hollywood film to directly tackle the disease.

  • Geoff Andrew, Time Out

    Safe and apolitical it may be, but Philadelphia succeeds as a deeply affecting humanist drama.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    "Philadelphia" mostly succeeds in being forceful, impassioned and moving, sometimes even rising to the full range of emotion that its subject warrants. But too often, even at its most assertive, it works in safely predictable ways.

  • Rita Kempley, Washington Post

    It's less like a film by Demme than the best of Frank Capra. It is not just canny, corny and blatantly patriotic, but compassionate, compelling and emotionally devastating.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    The story is timely and powerful, and the performances of Hanks and Washington assure that the characters will not immediately vanish into obscurity.

Read all 14 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • John M


    Hanks and Washington shine. This was a great movie and it came out at the right time.

  • Chris W


    Upon its release, this was a very important and groundbreaking film since it was the first major Hollywood effort to deal with the medical, social, and political issues of AIDS. The story revolves around lawyer Andrew Beckett who is fired (he is told) for incompetence. He thinks the… More

  • Jeff "


    Philadelphia is a superb drama starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Jonathan Demme crafts a solid film that brought to light the issue of AIDS. The plot of the film is terrific and director Jonathan Demme crafts a memorable film with stunning and memorable picture that is a must… More

  • Jens S


    A brave film for its time, this movie touches the aspects of how AIDS and homosexuality as they are being viewed by the majority of the uniformed mass and weaves it all into a compelling court drama. While the great opening sequence with Bruce Springsteen's instant classic tune… More

  • Matthew S


    This movie was made for a specific audience that no longer exists. As a fictional story it doesn't really narrate an honest tale as much as set up moment after moment to preach about prejudice, homophobia and AIDS. These lessons are now obvious 20 years later, and the… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Also available on

UltraViolet Retailers

Other Retailers

Subscription Services

Not Available
Not Available
Not Available

Cast

See more (54)

Trailers & Clips