A delightful surprise

Rating: 10/10 (12 May 2009)

"The Terminal" is a delightful little comedy from Steven Spielberg's directorial chair. It centers on the plight of Victor Navorski (Hanks), who becomes stranded at the airport when his country erupts into a bloody civil war, where he meets Amelia Warren (Zeta-Jones).
I found the movie's plot to be fascinating, full of interesting possibilities. Tom Hanks delivers a top-notch performance, and he really has some fantastic chemistry with Zeta-Jones. But when it comes to Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), I really have to give the writers a hand here. What a temptation there would be to make Dixon a sadist, an unsympathetic caricature of corruption, bent on Hanks' elimination from "his" airport. But no. Dixon insists Navorski must break the law. "I'm not gonna lie" he says, "especially to get rid of someone like Viktor Navorski." He's a man so caught up in bureaucracy, he's become completely indifferent to the immigrant's plight, evidenced when he refuses to let a Russian man take medication home to save his ill father, because the man hasn't got the proper forms. Critics have focused almost exclusively on "The Terminal"'s romance between Viktor and Amelia, but when examining the movie a little closer, you can see that it is in reality a scathing political commentary by Steven Spielberg in the guise of a light romantic comedy. It critiques how, as a society, we have forgotten about the immigrant's plight in place of stricter, xenophobic security.
Of course, now I'm making it sound as if this film were not funny at all. Au contraire! The situations Viktor gets into at the airport are hilarious, Spielberg's comic relief working overtime. A true Hollywood rarity this is: a comedy with thought behind it. After the dreadful toilet humour "comedies" of late (such as the "American Pie" or "Austin Powers" films), we can take relief in the quirky humour "The Terminal" has to offer. I sincerely believe this film has the chance to become a classic.