‘Philadelphia’

Although the air of do-goodism hangs like a pall over last year’s much-discussed film, it is still a milestone. Tom Hanks (pictured) won an Oscar for his affecting performance as an attorney dying of AIDS. As directed by Jonathan Demme from an original script by Ron Nyswaner, the movie fits comfortably into the pattern of such mainstream socially conscious Hollywood films as “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” Denzel Washington portrays the initially homophobic, but sharp, lawyer who represents Hanks in his lawsuit against the firm he believes fired him because of his illness (Showtime Saturday at 8 p.m.).