Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"The Young Philadelphians" begins on an odd note. A lady marries--only to have her new hubby say that he CAN'T consummate the marriage! I THINK this was implying he was a homosexual--but it was so vague you wonder if the man just didn't have a penis. All I know is that she stormed out--and later that night he killed himself. In the time between, she met with her old boyfriend (Brian Keith) and I THINK they implied they had sex. And, if we are to believe this odd build up, she became pregnant that night. The lady's brand-new mother-in-law wants to take the child and raise him herself--but the mother vows to do it without her dead husband's family's money. Years pass and the child is now a good looking college student (Paul Newman) who works for Keith (who you assume is his biological father). All this vagueness thanks to 1950s standards--which, in the case of this film, tended to weaken the narrative. I just wish they'd been a lot more explicit and this is by far the worst aspect of the film.As for the rest of the film, it's very, very good. It's all about Newman and his rise as a lawyer in Philadelphia--and his dealings with the city's elite families. Much of the film simply chronicles his life events--his first love, his attending law school, military service and his rise through the ranks in the legal field. Despite this sounding rather pedestrian, it isn't--Newman did a great job and the script is very well written and with excellent dialog.Later in the film, Newman has finally worked his way to being a very well-respected and successful lawyer. He has a chance to go into politics, marry a gorgeous women from the best of families and he has every reason to be happy. However, out of the blue, a new case comes along--one that could upset all of his plans. What's he to do? Overall, it's a film that is very, very good but with a small re-write it could have been a lot better. Either making the first portion tighter would have helped or simply eliminating this soap opera-like plot would have made the film stronger. But, looking past this, the film is still a very good and often overlooked Newman vehicle.By the way, a few final points. My daughter saw this film with me and said that the small portion that takes place at the University of Pennsylvania looks like it was filmed at the school--as she recognized some of the buildings. Although IMDb doesn't say it was filmed there, it does say that the filmmakers did a good job making it look right. Also, to my knowledge, it's the only film I've ever seen about a tax attorney--and I'll have to tell my friend, Terri (a tax lawyer) about it! Finally, although I sometimes have disliked Billie Burke in films as she sometimes dominated the film too much with her ditsy act, here her bit part was fantastic--and used very effectively. I loved her in the film.

No need to detail a convoluted plot that basically involves Newman's character finding a moral compass and himself amid Philadelphia's upper-class. Aside from flat b&w photography (Technicolor seems more appropriate) and stilted direction, the screenplay tries to do too much with too many characters drifting in and out. Too many threads appear and then inexplicably lapse. For example, Anthony (Newman) is dropped into Korea as an officer for one scene, and then back to civilian life in the next, both without explanatory context, leaving me perplexed, to say the least. I suspect the screenplay's one of those adaptations from a lengthy novel that proved just too unwieldy to digest on film.And dare I say it—except for the opening blue- collar scenes, Newman delivers a flat, uninteresting performance. Maybe the upwardly mobile Anthony was intended to be a dull character, but either way, many lesser actors could have managed the same colorless turn. Frankly, Newman's high society attorney left me yearning for the lower-class charms of Hud, Hustler, and Cool Hand Luke. Then too, the upper-class types here are very upper-class, while the working class folks are very ethnic. Not a lot of subtlety or thought there. Also, looks to me like the women come off best, especially a spirited Barbara Rush, a nuanced Alexis Smith, and a pixilated Billie Burke, while on the male side a young Robert Vaughn gets the showy role. All in all, the cast is definitely better than the turgid material.Anyway, the film comes across as one of those steamy popular novels that Hollywood figures has built-in box-office, and all other factors be darned. And darn the material they did.

Rising young lawyer faces ethical and moral issues as he tries to defend a college buddy charged with murder. The movie wanders on too long, feeling like a season's worth of a soap opera condensed into a feature film. As soap opera, it's neither very absorbing nor deliciously trashy, but instead occupies the ho-hum middle ground. Newman is by turns earnest, ambitious, bitter, greedy, and noble. He heads a large cast featuring familiar faces, but the acting is uneven. With its episodic construction, the climactic courtroom scene is rather poorly executed and seems more like something that has been tacked on instead of something that the film builds towards.

Building a Hollywood resume as outstanding as he did, actor Paul Newman selected roles which in one way or another tapped his enormous talent. This movie is a prime example of that legendary persona. The Film is called " The Young Philadelphians " and is the story of Anthony Judson Lawrence (Paul Newman) who is born into an upper social class family. Although raised as an up and coming Laurence, his mother Kate (Diane Brewster) and father (Brian Keith) keep from him a dark family secret which involved his biological father (Adam West). Having graduated from a prestigious Ivy league school, believes he can contribute to his family name. However ambitious he is, there are several outside influences which seek to bar his success. There is a young lady (Joan Dickinson) whom he wishes to marry, but who's father (John Williams) is against it. Then there are the In-laws who believe Lawrence's mother is a disgrace by fathering an illegitimate child. In addition, there are faltering friends like Chester Gwynn (Robert Vaughn) who calls on him when charged with murder. Then there are influential millionaire friends like Mrs. J. Arthur Allen (Billie Burke) who is impressed with Lawrence's ability to succeed when put in real jeopardy. This happens when he is chosen as defense counsel for his friend Chester in a real life drama which endangers his family, his friends and himself if he should fail. All in all, this is one film not to be missed by fans of Paul Newman. The end result is another milestone and a definite Classic for his career. ****