Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks) is a homosexual senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia. He lives with his lover Miguel Alvarez (Antonio Banderas) and hides his homosexuality and AIDS status from other members of the law firm. When they learn he is infected, he is fired because of fear they might contract the disease. Beckett sues his former law firm with the help of admitted homophobic lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington). During the court battle, Miller sees that Beckett is no different than anyone else, overcomes his homophobia, and helps Beckett with his case before AIDS overcomes him. In court Beckett testifies that he was planning to tell his partners that he was gay, but he changed his mind after hearing them tell homophobic jokes in the sauna of a health club. Beckett collapses in court shortly after finishing cross-examination. During his hospitalization, the jury votes in his favor, awarding him back pay, damages for pain and suffering, and punitive damages. Miller visits Beckett in the hospital after the verdict and touches Beckett's face. After Beckett's family leaves the room, he tells Miguel that he is ready to die. Immediately afterwards, Miller is informed that Beckett has passed away. The movie ends with a reception at Beckett's home following the funeral where many mourners, including the Millers, view home movies of Beckett as a healthy child.
This was the second Hollywood movie to tackle the AIDS epidemic, and it signaled a shift in the early 1990s for mainsteam films to have more realistic depictions of gays and lesbians. The movie won Oscars for Best Music, Song (Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia") and Best Actor (Tom Hanks). In an interview for the documentary "The Celluloid Closet", Hanks said some scenes showing more affection between him and Banderas were cut, including a scene showing him and Banderas in bed together. Howard Shore composed the original music. Ron Nyswaner wrote the script, which was inspired by the story of Geoffrey Bowers, an attorney who in 1987 sued the law firm Baker & McKenzie for unfair dismissal in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases. Jonathan Demme directed.
