IMDB Rating: 7.10, 35591 votes |
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Viktor Navorski, a man from an Eastern European country arrives in New York but after he left his country; war broke out and because of that Navorski is a man without a country that the U.S. cannot recognize, thus he is denied entrance to the U.S. However, he also can't be deported so he is told by the Security Manager that he has to remain in the airport until his status can be fixed. And also Navorski doesn't speak English well, so no one can talk to him and he can't talk to anyone. But he somehow adapts and sets up residence in the airport, which makes the man who placed him there unhappy cause, it seems he is line for a promotion but Navroski's presence might complicate that. So he tries to get Navorski to leave but Navorski remains where he is. Navorski makes friends with some of the people who work in the airport and is attracted to a flight attendant he runs into whenever she comes in.Actors
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3 Comments
Boring
Tom Hanks Does it Again
It could be my respect for Stephen Spielberg, my respect for Tom Hanks, or both of them combined that propelled my happiness with their collaborative piece, ‘The Terminal’.
Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, a misplaced traveller from eastern europe, whose country erupts in war while he is travelling- thus leaving him without a home and preventing him from legally entering the United States. He is consequently stranded at JFK airport in New York City with little knowledge of the English language and a few food vouchers given to him by airport personnel.
Stanley Tucci plays the head of JFK operations, who is a by-the-book type of guy on the verge of being promoted to the higher tier. He knows that Viktor cannot walk on US soil without a valid passport, which he can’t do without a county- thus unravelling the foundation to this story.
I wouldn’t say that Stephen Spielberg is a feel good movie type of director (I can’t think of anyone who felt bright and sunny after watching ‘Schindler’s List’), but his movies do tend to have a man-helping-man theme, and this theme is continued into his latest venture.
In this particular instance, Tucci’s character becomes the antagonist, a man who wants Viktor out of his airport and off of his conscience, while Viktor knows that the right thing to do would be to stay in the airport until his country’s problems are resolved. This causes other airport personnel to want to reach out and help Viktor- including a janitor, a baggage handler, and a maintenance man. It also draws the viewer into the movie and onto Viktor’s side, thus completing the circle.
A great supporting cast helps to add humor to the storyline- though little known, the give a very genuine feel to this movie.
My one complaint about this movie is dealing with Catherine Zeta Jones, who plays a stewardess. What is it about stewardesses that propell husbands to cheat and weary travellers to fantasize? Her character in this movie sums up what I feel most stewardesses do- and I know I’ll catch flak for this and a loogie in my next on-flight beverage. I feel that her character could have been written completely out- I don’t know why she’s there, unless it’s to take our minds off of the fact that Viktor has been living in an airport and still has the capacity to fall in love. I do feel, however, that this movie would still benefit greatly even without her character.
There are moments of humor, moments of triumph, and also a few moments of tension. Though the movie is two and a half hours long, it’s easy to forget that your ass is asleep when you are completely enveloped in another person’s world.
This movie is one of the year’s must-see films. With not much promise on the horizon for summer blockbusters, ‘The Terminal’ offers a welcome reprieve.
Hanks, Speilberg, the set, the music are all good.
The supporting cast is good also. This is almost "Capra-like" in its story and execution. Character driven as well as story driven. Funny, sad, and dramatic all at once. You’ll remember it a lot longer than those other comedies now playing.