Interesting premise is handled amiably

Rating: 7/10 (5 July 2004)

This is loosely based on a real event and it makes for a fascinating story but even though I do recommend this film there are several things that just don't work. Story takes place at the JFK Airport in New York City where Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) has his passport taken away after his country Krakozhia is involved in a civil war and the United States fails to recognize it. This means that Viktor is allowed to stay in the terminal until things get better in his country but he is not allowed to set foot outside the terminal doors. Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) is the new security chief and doesn't know what to do with him and slowly he gets irritated by Viktor's dilemma. Viktor roams the terminal and gets to know everyone that work in all the businesses and meets a stewardess named Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who is dating a married man.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
Viktor helps a baggage handler romance INS Officer Torres (Zoe Saldana) and becomes friendly with the head janitor Gupta Rajan (Kumar Pallana). He also starts a flirtatious relationship with Amelia until she finds out what his real situation is and she becomes disenchanted by men in general. Frank keeps asking people what is in the peanut can that Viktor carries with him and eventually it is learned that he is trying to get the autograph of jazz artist Benny Golson.
Steven Spielberg can be both praised and blamed for this film and it does possess both the best and worst of his talents. The cinematography is by the great Janusz Kaminski who not only supplies the shots of the terminal but makes the audience believe that this is actually someone's home, which it has become. Spielberg had the set of the terminal built on a sound stage by Alex McDowell and it's one of the most impressive things about the film. Hanks while not completely believable does give a good performance and even when he doesn't do much in a scene you can't take your eyes off of him. If that's not star power than I don't know what is! The best thing about this film is watching how Hanks character manages to survive living in a terminal and this part of the story is fascinating to watch. Also, there is a very good performance by Pallana as the janitor who makes the best of a rather small and quiet role. But there are several things that just don't work in this film and one is the so-called romance with Zeta-Jones who in reality would not give Viktor a second look. Also, the romance with the baggage handler and Saldana is completely unbelievable and are we really suppose to buy the fact that a hot chick like Saldana would be a Trekkie? And then they get married in the terminal? The script lays the sentiment on pretty thick as we learn about Viktor's peanut can and that he's in America for his dead father. Tucci's character could have been a much more interesting but the script just wants him to add the adversity for the film. The film ends with no emotional payoff but I still do recommend this effort by one of the great filmmakers in history and starring one our finest actors. It could have been a much more fascinating film but what we do get is more than enough.