Philadelphia Movie Review

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PHILADELPHIA The movie Philadelphia makes a strong statement about homosexuality and AIDS. Throughout the movie, Andy Beckett (Tom Hanks), is fighting his former employer. He claimed he was fired because he gay and had AIDS. His former law firm, Wyant & Wheeler, claimed he was terminated because he had uneven performance and lost an important brief. This sets the stage for the trial that the movie is centered around. The message Philadelphia sends is that discriminating against homosexual people with AIDS is illegal. It also conveys that judging people as stereotypes is wrong and understanding comes with time, if you take the time to get to know the person. Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) was an ambulance chasing lawyer who Andy has fought against in court. Andy asked Joe to represent him in his lawsuit against Wyant & Wheeler. Andy admitted that he has asked nine other lawyers and been turned down by them all. No one wants to go against the powerful Wyant & Wheeler. In fact, Joe initially refused to handle the case based on his homophobia and his fear of catching AIDS and passing it to his daughter. Eventually he agreed to take Andy’s case. Over time Joe recognized Andy as a person and sees him as an individual that deserves respect and compassion. Through the developing relationship between Joe and Andy, the movie conveys that there is more to a person than whether they are gay or not. During the movie, I could identify with Andy, because I have been teased for my love of animals. I could empathize with how he felt when he was ostracized. But like Joe, I must admit, that I am a bit of a homophobe. It provokes a lot of thought about my position on this matter. Philadelphia was a difficult move to watch, because you know Andy is going to die. I enjoyed the movie. Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington were believable in their

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