PHILADELPHIA

                              ANDREW
                         (full of emotion)
                    Thanks, Dad. I love you guys. How
                    about you, Randy?

                              RANDY
                    Hey. You're my kid brother, Andy.
                    That's the bottom line. I mean,
                    what are those bastards going to say?
                    You're gay? Shit, I knew that
                    when you were five years old.

Everyone LAUGHS. Andrew and Randy high five.

                              MIGUEL
                    Wait a minute...
                         (to Andrew)
                    You're gay?

More laughter. But Jill speaks seriously:

                              JILL
                    What about you, Andy? You're not a
                    militant type. You've always
                    been so private.

CLOSE ON ANDREW:

                              ANDREW
                    I guess... I don't have time for
                    that any more.

                              SARAH
                    Jim? Will you lead us in a
                    prayer?

Everyone bows heads, holding hands in a circle.

                              REVEREND JIM
                    Dear Lord. Sometimes it is
                    difficult to remember to be
                    grateful...

CAMERA PANS THE CIRCLE, THE PRAYING FACES.

                              REVEREND JIM (CONT.)
                    To remember, in our times of
                    sorrow and confusion, that we
                    have You to turn to, and each
                    other. Bless and keep Andrew
                    and Miguel, dear Lord, deepen
                    and strengthen their love as
                    they face the struggles that lay
                    ahead. Bless and watch over all
                    of us, fill us with Your love,
                    Your light, and Your peace,
                    which passeth all understanding.
                    In Jesus' name, we pray...

                              EVERYONE
                    Amen.

ROMANTIC MUSIC CROSSES CUT TO:

BECKETTS' LIVINGROOM, SEEN THROUGH THE VIDEO CAMERA (DAY) ...

A local entertainer (GUIDO PAONESSA) launches into a
standard, accompanied by a single guitar player, and Bud and
Sarah begin to dance, surrounded by family and friends.

                              GUIDO
                    "After all the days of Spring
                    have flown..."

VIDEO CAMERA PANS: RELATIVES eating cake, KIDS chasing each
other, a GRANDMOTHER in a wheelchair holding a NEWBORN,
watching silent, video home movies.

CAMERA FINDS Andrew and Niguel eating anniversary cake
(Andrew barely touches his). Playing for the camera, Miguel
dips his finger into icing and smears it onto Andrew's nose.
Andrew tries to reach the icing with his tongue.

CAMERA PANS WITH ANDREW as he comes forward to dance with his
mother, while Jill dances with their father.

CAMERA RETURNS TO MIGUEL. MATT (behind the camera) says:

                              MATT (OS)
                    Hey, Miguel, can you imagine any
                    two people being together for forty
                    years?

ZOOM IN CLOSE ON NIGUEL (who's watching Andrew):

                              MIGUEL
                    Yes. I can.

VIDEO CAMERA PANS to Andrew dancing with his Mom, lingering on
this IMAGE...

                              JOE (VOICE OVER)
                    Forget everything you've seen on
                    TV, and in the movies...

                                                  CUT TO:

HELICOPTER SHOT, REVEALING ALL OF PHILADELPHIA (DAY) ...

TITLE: "Eight months later."

                              JOE (OS) (CONT.)
                    There won't be any last minute,
                    surprise witnesses...

                                                  CUT TO:

A MAN LOOKING INTO CAMERA: HE'S YOUNG, CONFIDENT, ALL
American, a Marine (INT./DAY) ...

TITLE: "Opening statements."

The MARINE is a JUROR. CAMERA PANS others: a BLACK LADY
SCHOOLTEACHER, a POSTAL WORKER, an ASIAN COLLEGE STUDENT.

                              JOE (OS) (CONT.)
                    No one will break down on the stand
                    with a tearful confession...

REVERSE ON JOE, ADDRESSING THE JURY.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    You are presented with a simple
                    fact: Andrew Beckett was fired.
                    You will hear two explanations for
                    why he was fired. Ours. And
                    theirs...

Joe crosses the courtroom, coming to stand in front of...

ANDREW, whose appearance has changed: thinner, paler than we've
ever seen him, some blisters on his lips. But the most disturbing
thing about his appearance is the way he moves, slowly, like a
much older man. He's taking notes (which he will do
relentlessly throughout the trial.) And he has a cane at his
side, which he'll use throughout the trial.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    It's up to you, to sift through
                    layer and layer of truth, and
                    determine for yourselves the
                    version that sounds the most true.

Charles Wheeler, Walter Kenton, Bob Seidman, Kenneth Killcoyne
sit BEHIND their lawyers, Belinda Conine and Jerome Green, and
SEVERAL ASSISTANTS at the defense table.

JUDGE GARNETT presides from his bench.

Among the spectators, Miguel sits next to Sarah, and
Andrew's sister Jill. AIDS ACTIVISTS in the background.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    There are certain points in our
                    version, that I must prove to
                    you... Point number one: Andrew
                    Beckett was... is a brilliant
                    lawyer. A great lawyer. Point
                    number two. Andrew Beckett,
                    afflicted with a debilitating
                    disease, made the legal,
                    understandable, personal choice
                    to keep the fact of his illness
                    to himself... Point number three:
                    His employers discovered his
                    illness. And ladies and gentlemen,
                    the illness I'm referring to, is
                    AIDS...

Joe pauses, letting that sink in.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    Point number four. They panicked.
                    And, in their panic, they did what
                    most of us would like to do with
                    AIDS... Get it, and the people
                    who have it, as far away from us
                    as possible.

Joe walks away from Andrew.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    The behavior of Andrew Beckett's
                    employers may seem reasonable to
                    you. It does to me. After all, AIDS
                    is a deadly, incurable, disease...

CLOSE ON MEMBERS OF THE JURY.

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    But however you come to judge the
                    behavior of Charles Wheeler and
                    his partners in moral, ethical,
                    human terms... When they fired
                    Andrew Beckett because he had
                    AIDS, they broke the law.

With a swift, direct glance at the Judge, Joe speaks with
considerable power and emotion:

                              JOE (CONT.)
                    And, when lawyers break the law,
                    when this society loses respect
                    for the law, when that day comes,
                    our cherished institutions will be
                    burned to the ground, and our
                    children and grandchildren will
                    live like savages.

                                                  CUT TO:

BELINDA CONINE ADDRESSING THE JURY (INT./DAY) ...

                              BELINDA
                    Fact. Andrew Beckett performed
                    at a consistently mediocre
                    level. Fact. He made a grievous
                    error on a multi-million dollar
                    lawsuit... Fact. He claims he is
                    the victim of lies and deceit.
                    Fact. Andrew Beckett lied to his
                    employers, going to great efforts
                    to conceal his disease from them.
                    Fact. He was successful in his
                    duplicity. The partners at Wyant
                    Wheeler did not know Andrew
                    Beckett had AIDS when they fired
                    him...

Belinda pauses in front of the plaintiff's table

                              BELINDA (CONT.)
                    Fact. AIDS is a tragedy...

Andrew looks directly at Belinda.

                              BELINDA (CONT.)
                    Fact. Andrew Beckett is dying.

Joe watches Andrew for his reaction.

                              BELINDA (CONT.)
                    Fact. Andrew Beckett is angry.
                    Because his "lifestyle," his
                    reckless behavior, has cut short
                    his life... And in his anger, his
                    rage, he's lashing out. And he
                    wants someone to pay.

                                                  CUT TO:

ON THE WITNESS STAND: A SOLIDLY BUILT EXECUTIVE FROM A
large insurance company, MR. LAIRD (INT./DAY) ...

                              JOE
                    Andrew Beckett represented your
                    company in a lawsuit in 1990, is
                    that correct?

                              LAIRD
                    Wyant Wheeler represented us.

Andrew glances toward the jury box: the MARINE JUROR writes in a
tiny notebook.

                              JOE
                    But, Andrew Beckett was in charge of
                    litigation for the suit.

                              LAIRD
                    That's correct.

                              JOE
                    Were you pleased with his work?

                              LAIRD
                    We were satisfied.

Joe and Andrew exchange a LOOK -- Laird's response surprises and
disappoints them.

                              JOE
                    Were you satisfied, or were you
                    pleased?

Laird glances toward Charles Wheeler before answering.

                              LAIRD
                    We were satisfied.

Joe refers to legal documents.

                              JOE
                    Mr. Laird, when I approached you
                    about being a witness at this
                    trial, and you agreed, you gave
                    sworn testimony in a deposition.
                    Is that correct?

                              LAIRD
                    That's correct.

                              JOE
                    According to the deposition, you
                    said you were "thrilled, impressed,
                    overwhelmed" by the quality of
                    Andrew Beckett's work. Do you
                    remember saying that?

                              LAIRD
                    I may have said something like
                    that. But that's not how I feel at
                    this moment.

Joe takes on a street-tough tone:

                              JOE
                    Okay, Mr. Laird. Explain this to
                    me like I'm a four year old: Did
                    Andrew Beckett win your lawsuit
                    for you or not?

                              LAIRD
                    We won.

                              JOE
                    Did that thrill, impress and
                    overwhelm you?

                              LAIRD
                    It satisfied me.

Joe STARES at the guy.

                              JOE
                    It's a long way between being
                    overwhelmed and being satisfied.
                    A cheeseburger may be satisfying
                    whereas caviar and champagne and
                    roast duck and baked Alaska for
                    dessert might be considered
                    overwhelming. Do you agree?

                              LAIRD
                    I might.

                              JOE
                    Five months ago you characterized
                    Andrew Beckett as caviar and now
                    you're calling him a cheeseburger.
                    Your standards have shifted a
                    great deal, and I'd like to know
                    why you've changed your mind.

                              LAIRD
                    Since that time I've devoted more
                    thought to the subject, and that's
                    how I feel now.

                                        QUICK CUT TO:

JEROME GREEN CROSS-EXAMINING LAIRD (INT./DAY).

                              JEROME GREEN
                    Partner Robert Seidman was the
                    supervising attorney for your
                    lawsuit?

                              MR. LAIRD
                    That's right.

                              JEROME GREEN
                    Does the supervising attorney guide
                    the litigating attorney during
                    the trial?

                              MR. LAIRD
                    Often, he does.

                              JEROME GREEN
                    As far as you know, in the handling
                    of your lawsuit, Andrew Beckett was
                    simply following orders.

                              LAIRD
                    That's a fair assessment of the
                    situation.

Andrew glances over his shoulder: at Robert Seidman, who
meets his gaze.

                                                  CUT TO:

SPECTATORS STREAM OUT OF CITY HALL INTO THE HUBBUB OF TWO
DISTINCT GROUPS SHOUTING AT EACH OTHER (EXT/DAY): GAY RIGHTS
ACTIVISTS in T-shirts with pink triangles, denouncing
discrimination; BORN AGAIN ACTIVISTS waving placards citing AIDS
as God's punishment for homosexuality; POLICEMEN keeping them
apart; A MEDIA CIRCUS getting it on videotape.

Joe and Miguel FLANK Andrew, who walks weakly. with a cane.
Sarah and Jill follow close behind, running the gauntlet of
ACTIVISTS and REPORTERS.

Andrew's POV on a placard: "We Die - They Do Nothing!"

Jill's POV on a placard: "AIDS Cures Homosexuality!"

A TV CREW shines HOT LIGHTS on Andrew.

                              TV REPORTER (ANGELA MEDINA)
                    Do you see this as a gay rights
                    issue?

                              ANDREW
                    I'm not political. I just want
                    compensation for being fired.

                              REPORTER MEDINA
                    But you are gay, aren't you?

IMAGE: ANDREW SEEN ON A TV SCREEN (INT./NIGHT):

                              ANDREW
                    "I don't see how that's any of
                    your business...
                         (a smile)
                    But yes, I am."

WIDE ANGLE: WE'RE IN A SPORTS BAR WHERE JOE WATCHES THE SIX
O'CLOCK NEWS WITH FILKO, A LOCAL COP, OTHERS (INT./NIGHT) ...

ON THE TV SCREEN: A microphone is shoved at Joe.

                              REPORTER MEDINA
                    "Do you believe that homosexuals
                    deserve special treatment?"

                              FILKO
                    Hell, no!

                              JOE (on TV)
                    "Angela, we're standing in
                    Philadelphia, the City of
                    Brotherly Love, the birthplace
                    of freedom, where our Founding
                    Fathers authored the Declaration
                    of Independence. And I don't
                    remember that glorious document
                    saying "All straight men are
                    created equal." I could have sworn
                    it says, "All men are created
                    equal."

                              CHARLIE THE COP
                    Give me a goddamn break!

ON THE TV SCREEN: The REPORTER wraps up her story.

                              REPORTER MEDINA
                    "This case is sending a cold chill
                    through the legal community. One of
                    Wyant Wheeler's key clients, the
                    Grace Foster Foundation, which
                    supports several AIDS charities,
                    has taken its business to another
                    firm until this matter is
                    resolved..."