And what it did was bring the issue of AIDS to mainstream public consciousness. That, in the end, makes up for its many flaws.

Watching the movie today, it's easy to see that this is just an overrated melodrama. The characters are written so unrealistically. The Hanks character is one step short of a saint. The villains couldn't be more obvious if they were twirling their mustaches. The worst offender is the big speech by he father, played by Bob Castle. This was clearly written by a gay man with the character saying what he WOULD have liked his father to say, not what most father of gay men WERE saying at the time.

The movie won tons of awards -- it resonated with the political correctness of Hollywood at the time. Even the film's hit soundtrack, except for Peter Gabriel's "Lovetown", is plodding. However, it has dated badly and there's no reason to watch it today. IMHO, this prevented a Best Picture Award for Steven Spielberg and Best Actor Award for Hanks for "Saving Private Ryan", a VASTLY superior film. Check that out instead.