'Philadelphia' (1993)

Philadelphia is featured in nearly every top 10 HIV movie , and for good reason. Like it or not (yes, there are people who love it), this is without a doubt the movie that reshaped the social landscape at a time when the anger gushing out of the Reagan / Bush administration was reaching its boiling point.

Based on the impressive performance of Tom Hanks, the film made an undeniable impact in 1993, with a box office that exceeded $ 200 million and won two Academy Awards.

Yes, the movie is as unequivocally safe and manipulative as only Hollywood "theme movies" can be. Yes, it sounded more like a Frank Capra movie than an insightful social drama.

And yes, some of the scenes are still noteworthy. (Seeing Denzel Washington's character explain homophobia to his wife on screen is a special jaw.)

But those caveats aside, Philadelphia was a movie that made people sit in their chairs, and that alone makes it worth watching.