(The Streets of) Philadelphia
It’s kind of a travesty that I hadn’t seen Philadelphia all the way through yet. When you ask most people to name a cultural touchstone that combines the themes of LGBT and Philly, OutFest usually isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, so in a sense perhaps it should be required viewing for every Philadephia queer. On the other hand, I feel like it’s become so dated, and kind of a hackneyed example of gay narrative; people only remember it at the expense of other, better films because it has Tom and Denzel. Still, I figured it deserved another chance, as I hadn’t seen it since the eighth grade.
My initial thoughts were varied. First, I can’t stand the damn Springsteen song. I’ll say it. It’s saccharine, and overplayed, and my dad played it so many times while I was growing up that I can’t even listen to it without hitting the mute button. Second, the montage of street scenes was really cool – I kept jumping up and down shouting “omg I know where that is!” – but really, a lot of it is pretty different now. (No Comcast Center?) (I do the same thing when watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, for the record.) Third, I think everyone in the movie is listed in the opening credits. EVERYONE. There’s only five or six we really care about, so do we have to know who plays the guy who hits on Denzel in the drugstore before we’ve even seen the beginning? But then, as you get into the meat of the film, once Tom Hanks starts being all suave and energetic…
…well, it’s really not a very good movie. A lot of people swear up and down that it’s the cornerstone of gay-themed cinema, that it’s solid gold all the way through, and I agree that it was an important, landmark film for it’s time, but from a cinematographic point of view, it’s pretty awful. Half of the shots are extreme close-ups of things like, I don’t know, Antonio Banderas’ very INTENSE FACE, or the random friend of Tom Hanks walking towards the bathroom with A CONCERNED EXPRESSION when he hears puking, a friend whom we don’t see for the rest of the movie. And the acting. Oh, the acting. Aside from Tom Hanks – who was very good, and was entitled to the Oscar – and Denzel Washington – who wasn’t perfect, but had his moments – by and large most of the cast was wooden, and those that weren’t had far too little screen time (e.g. Jason Robards). Antonio Banderas was very pretty, but aside from adding his Spanish Intensity to the scenes, he didn’t do much; Mary Steenburgen’s opening to the jury in the courtroom scene is a snoozer. A lot of the dialogue seemed to be taken from a junior-high afterschool special on AIDS; given the climate in 1993, I can understand why audiences might need to be educated in this way, but 15 years later, it’s one part of the movie that definitely hasn’t held up. Does anyone watching this not know how HIV spreads?
The best parts are where timeless emotions associated with the epidemic come through: Denzel’s awkwardness in dealing with Tom Hanks, simultaneously wanting to defend him and not wanting to breathe near him. The moment in the courtroom where Denzel holds up the mirror to show Tom his own lesions. The infamous, “ARE – YOU – GAY!?” scene. (And hell, even Antonio gets a good moment when he breaks down in the hospital.) It’s those uncomfortable emotions, not those extreme closeups, that are pertinent to a contemporary audience – and it’s weird to say that, since 15 years, when you think about it, isn’t that long a time. I suppose it’s a testament to how far we’ve come in our education. Spending time saying, “Well, duh, everyone knows you can’t spread it from a baseball cap” lets us devote more interest to those rawer feelings we all still share.
One more thing bugs me, though. This film didn’t need to be set in Philadelphia. Sometimes, you can’t even tell that it’s Philadelphia (aside from geographic references, like when Jason Robards talks about “those sleazy bars on Chestnut Street”). I’m glad it was, but at times I wonder why; is it just because it means “brotherly love”? Is that really it? Corny. It was fun, though: “OMG Denzel is at 4th Street Deli! OMG Denzel lives in QUEEN VILLAGE!”
At least the opera scene was good. Oscar material right there, Tom.
~~ PQ
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