The Terminal

Released 2004
Stars Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d'etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles. Now, he's landed at Kennedy Airport, where he meets a beautiful stranger, Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But with a passport that nobody recognizes, Viktor is quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him. Is he doomed to live in "no man's land" forever?

Summary by www.netflix.com

I rented this light comedy for my wife, and she liked it, so mission accomplished. I didn't expect much for myself, but I must say I expected more. Hanks is very good in his role, but the whole movie was a little too silly for me. Mind you, the premise was inspired by (but not based on) a true story, so it's not a completely outlandish idea. What made it over the top was Viktor becoming a hero within the airport and the two silly romantic subplots. Also, one of the things that's important to me in a flick like this is the villain. Initially, I had high hopes, because it looked like Dixon (Stanley Tucci) was going to be a sensible bureaucrat interested in his advancement but reasonably compassionate. This changed when Viktor helped with the Russian immigrant, and that was when the movie became less of a fable and more cartoonish. To the film's credit, though, I was pleasantly surprised that Viktor and Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) didn't end up together at the end. I'm sure Spielberg shot that ending, and it probably took all of his willpower to avoid that cliche. --Bill Alward, December 17, 2004