Philadelphia

Ah, the City of Brotherly Love. I've always wanted to visit the city. Home of Fresh Prince Will Smith and unbeknownst to many, the home of many St. Domingue refugees of African descent in the early 19th century. The history of black Philadelphia runs deep since the city always had a large black population. The city obviously has a deep history that would make someone like myself go crazy.

However, the Philadelphia I'm thinking of right now is the film, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. Denzel was flawless as usual and the movie was interesting but I couldn't help thinking that the ending was cheesy. Of course I agree that Andy Beckett's character should not have been terminated because of AIDS and his sexual orientation, but I don't think that the film broke new ground. Using stars like Hanks and Washington to expose a wider audience to the problem of AIDS was a great move on Jonathan Demme's part, who also directed Silence of the Lambs. So I guess I would agree with Roger Ebert and give this movie 3.5 out of 4 stars. Strong performances from Hanks and the beautiful scene in which Denzel's character finally sees the humanity in Andy is stunning. I don't want to ruin the movie for y'all, but it is a rarity to see something so well made in film.
3.5 stars out of 4