short but accurate review of "The Terminal"

Rating: 7/10 (11 June 2004)

I saw this movie yesterday for free so I'm not complaining but yes it IS a sappy love story between Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Hanks.And an unbearably whimsical,unplausible and contrived dramedy that really tested my patience.
What is it with Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg in recent years?It seems as if they are taking a vacation from doing their usual serious and worthwhile films and turning to lightweight mainstream commercial projects.I mean,first year's "Catch Me If You Can" of two years ago and now this.
Apparently,there really was and still is a man stuck in Charles de Gaulle airport.Read the article written last year in the NY Times if you want to find out about it because this is the sentimentalized,bare bones of the original story,love interest thrown in Hollywood version.
Victor Navorski is a tourist from Krakozhia coming to NYC for a reason not revealed until the end.(Throwback to the time films,especially the Marx brothers ones used to invent countries so not to offend anyone)The government in his country is overthrown while he is inflight and as the U.S doesn't recognize the new one,he has a passport from nowhere and can neither step on American soil or go back(is this possible?)He is ordered to stay inside the JFK terminal and one of the frustrating things about this movie is that he could actually leave anytime he wanted to.I mean,even the obligatory bureaucrat running security for the airport(Stanley Tucci)just wants Victor to run away,solving everyone's problem.
In short,the premise doesn't hold water.And yes,he meets a beautiful but troubled flight attendant.And yes,the airport staff is assembled of colorful ethnic funny characters(paranoid Indian janitor,love-struck Mexican,black family ma,tough young black female security officer,sympathetic cops,etc.)And yes,the mean man ruining everyone's fun is ultimately defied and left screeching at the cameras as Victor marches out,followed by a cheering crowd.
There is one good reason to see this movie,though,and one reason why I'm ultimately giving it a thumbs up:Tom Hanks.I'm a giant fan,always have been and this is one of his best performances.Some people may complain that he is once again playing his usual Everyman character or question the authenticity of his portrayal. As a person with Slavic immigrant parents,I can attest that there are men exactly like this in the world.Hanks hits all the right notes as an alien in a strange country who doesn't know English and has to communicate with body language.He captures all the mannerisms and quirks of a Victor Navorski.What a great actor.