Like It's Main Character, This Movie Is Stuck In Limbo

Rating: 9/10 (1 July 2007)

Behind the production were the names of director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. The story was rather simple, a foreign man traveling to New York City for an unknown reason becomes stuck inside the international terminal at New York's JFK airport, and he begins to develop a relationship with the people around him as he waits to be able to leave. With such men behind the film and such a simple story, the expectations were different for all sorts of people. Film critics expected a Oscar worthy drama with some sophisticated comedy with realism in the development of its characters and plot. The average popcorn flick audience was expecting more of an entertaining slap stick humor movie. However, this is where the film succeeds and the people unwilling to compromise miss out. Steven Spielberg has created a light, heartfelt comedy that blends the perfect mix of slap stick and sophisticated comedy, with a plot that develops characters, yet takes twists and turns that, although sometimes over-the-top, keep the audience entertained and a movie with such a simple plot and setting interesting. The acting from Hanks is again noteworthy as well as the other members of a very well formed cast, and the moments the film has to offer can bring tears of joy and tones of laughter. The most impressive part of the film is the set, an entire airport terminal designed so realistically, that not one person viewing the film should be able to tell it is a set. This movie is an achievement for Spielberg and for cinema. Like its main character, the film is stuck in limbo, neither a comedy full of unintelligible humor, or a film striving to impress the Acadamy. It is a film that will entertain viewers who don't have expectations. You will never have more fun in a terminal.