Philadelphia (1993)
87%RT Audience Score: 89%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Philadelphia indulges in some unfortunate clichés in its quest to impart a meaningful message, but its stellar cast and sensitive direction are more than enough to compensate
Philadelphia is a movie that will make you laugh, cry, and feel all the emotions in between. It’s not perfect, but it’s a classic for a reason. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington give incredible performances that will leave you in awe. Plus, it’s a great way to learn about an important moment in history. So grab some tissues and settle in for a movie that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
Production Company(ies)
Chartoff-Winkler Productions,
Distributor
TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
1993
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.78 : 116:9 HD
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Runtime:2h 5m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1993 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2002
Genre(s)
Drama/Lgbtq+
Keyword(s)
starring Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, Joanne Woodward, Mary Steenburgen, directed by Jonathan Demme, written by Ron Nyswaner, drama, LGBTQ+, box office performance, budget, reviewed by David Ansen, Todd McCarthy, Janet Maslin, Keith Uhlich, PG-13, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, produced by Jonathan Demme, Edward Saxon, Dolby, Stereo, SDDS, Surround, Flat (1.85:1), Andrew Beckett, Joe Miller, Charles Wheeler, Miguel Alvarez, Sarah Beckett, Belinda Conine, discrimination, AIDS, homosexuality, law firm, lesions, lawsuit, tolerance, justice, prejudice, misconceptions, heartbreak, emotional, meaningful message, stellar cast, sensitive direction, legal inaccuracies, medical inaccuracies, political inaccuracies
Worldwide gross: $77,446,440
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: $77,446,440
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Denzel Washington – Joe Miller
Jason Robards – Charles Wheeler
Antonio Banderas – Miguel Alvarez
Joanne Woodward – Sarah Beckett
Mary Steenburgen – Belinda Conine
Jonathan Demme – Director/Producer
Edward Saxon – Producer
Ron Nyswaner – Writer
Director(s)
Jonathan Demme
Writer(s)
Ron Nyswaner
Producer(s)
Jonathan Demme, Edward Saxon
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Original Song Winners, Oscar Winners
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (14) | Fresh (45) | Rotten (12)
Philadelphia is a heartbreakingly mediocre movie. It’s dishonest, it’s often legally, medically, and politically inaccurate, and it breaks my heart that I must say it’s simply not good enough and I’d rather people not see it at all.
June 3, 2022
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Philadelphia may not be the film Demme’s fans expect–its emotionalism is unfiltered by cool. But it has the power to open more than a few blinkered hearts.
March 13, 2015
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
[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.
October 10, 2008
Todd McCarthy
Variety
TOP CRITIC
Safe and apolitical it may be, but Philadelphia succeeds as a deeply affecting humanist drama.
June 24, 2006
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
In the guise of piety, Philadelphia panders to a perceived straight-male majority.
November 6, 2004 | Rating: 2/4
Keith Uhlich
Slant Magazine
TOP CRITIC
“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.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Philadelphia is hardly a movie milestone, but it’s actually quite limber for a film that has to carry such a heavy load on its shoulders.
August 29, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Every actor’s contribution to the film is noteworthy, especially when Demme chooses to bestir them with intrusive camera angles and lingering scenes of emotional poignancy.
September 24, 2020 | Rating: 9/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme does an absolutely superlative job of establishing the film’s various characters and their urban environs…
December 5, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
An important film not just from a cinematic perspective, but from a cultural one, bringing the AIDS crisis to the masses in a deeply human way, confronting and dispelling prejudices and misconceptions with major stars.
August 7, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Hanks and Washington (in a role that’s unexpectedly comic) have rarely been better and use their considerable star power to obscure some of the movie’s flaws.
January 30, 2019 | Rating: 3’4
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News
Philadelphia, apart from having talented actors delivering remarkable performances, is a piece of history that anyone with a heart and a sense of justice can understand.
June 9, 2018
Indra Arriaga
Anchorage Press…
Plot
The gang, 5 raging alcoholic, narcissists run a failing dive bar in south philly. The gang make up some scheme for sex, money, fame or for any other terrible reason you could think of. It always goes south however, as the gang (sometimes literally) have their plans blow up in their face.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of Philadelphia includes Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jason Robards, and Antonio Banderas.
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