Philadelphia

Jonathan Demme’s last good film offers hope that he may yet come back from his recent slump. This may be studio product but it’s high quality, well put together from start to finish, from Bruce Springsteen to Neil Young, from Tom Hanks to Denzel Washington, from Joanne Woodward to Jason Robards, on and on. Sure it reeks of liberal pieties, but hey, I’m a pious liberal. There are better depictions of gay life and the impact of AIDS (Longtime Companion for one), but this film does strike a blow against homophobia. But what really gives it weight is its depiction of and affection for various kinds of love, from personal to familial to professional. (1993, TCM/T, r.) *8*