The last time I watched this was 20 years ago. It´is still one of the most powerfull movies, not only of its time, but in general. You can´t be nothing but impressed by Hanks performance for which he rightfully got an Oscar. I dare say this is the kind of movie Hollywood has forgotten how to do. Original content, great actors and sending a massage not by ramming it through your skull but by telling a compassionate story.

It’s absolutely a movie by straight people, for straight people, about gay people. But taken in that context and the context of the time, it’s still a good drama. It’s two greats in Hanks and Washington, and a director like Demme. It couldn’t not be. Hank kills the opera scene, and Washington in the aftermath says so much with his eyes alone. It’s not completely Demme’s fault the film feels sanitized- the executives kabashed a lot of the intimate scenes between Hanks and Banderas. But that doesn’t keep Hanks from being a paragon, when it seemed at the start they were painting him in a more complex, almost opportunistic light. It results in the film being a morality play. But it’s a well made morality play, one effective in its time, and if we hadn’t grown past it, I’d be worried. If it feels antiquated to me, that’s only a sign of our progress and whatever influence this film had, however small, in getting us there.

Tom Hanks in one of his life roles, where he showed his talent for drama, not just comedy. The film's subject matter has soared to the shelf of classics that tried to fight the world around us.

> "We're standing here in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, the birthplace of freedom, where the founding fathers authored the Declaration of Independence, and I don't recall that glorious document saying anything about all straight men are created equal. I believe it says all men are created equal." This movie broke me by the end. It starts off pretty slow and halfway through I was wondering if it was going to be a typical David vs Goliath case but it really does hone in on people just wanting to be treated like humans. This had great performances all around.

At first, I thought it was based on a true story, and the final scene feels like real footage of the character’s prototype. Simple and profound, calm as an ancient well. Apart from a moment in the courtroom where the defendant’s lawyer speaks, and a scene where two people share a moment of connection by the fire with music playing in the background, the film doesn’t rely on dramatic editing. It’s more like a documentary, faithfully recreating the scene. The two protagonists, in terms of skin color and sexual orientation, each have their advantages but also face challenges. This setup gives their later empathy and reconciliation a sense of legitimacy. The film carries a strong Enlightenment spirit. The Enlightenment believes that cultivated reason can overcome innate passions and that the progress of ideas can promote reconciliation between different social groups. The influence of this film and the trends in later societal development prove its correctness.