Not as bad as everyone keeps saying...

Rating: 7/10 (30 January 2005)

I had heard mixed things before watching this movie, and I was fully prepared to hate it despite my loyalty to Tom Hanks. I was thoroughly surprised, not just because of my low expectations, but because it's a rare thing to see a movie this tenderly crafted as well as acted.
Tom Hanks' brilliance goes without saying. He obviously has mastered his character and it shines through every scene. An excellent counterpart to him is the devious Stanley Tucci who provides a surprisingly small amount of antagonism. Much of the film's conflict comes from other sources, such as the employees at the airport, Hanks' relationship with the stewardess (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones), or Hanks' simple techniques for surviving within the terminal.
While it would have been very easy for the writers/filmmaker to become trite and boring, the film is masterfully shot and every scene feels important. Not only are the scenes visually beautiful, but there is an emotional resonance contained within them as well.
In conclusion, there were a lot of different clichéd paths this film could have taken which easily could have ruined it. It didn't play up the touchy-feely aspects, it didn't overly pursue the love interest or make it become unrealistically pertanent towards the end, and it concluded the film with quiet satisfaction. Unfortunately, movie-goers are programmed to expect something big at the end of a film, and when something quiet and human concludes a film, it is looked at as boring and anti-climactic. This is anything but the case.
Definitely worth renting and watching, at least once. If for nothing else than the expert cinematography and Hanks' performance.