Another Classic Hanks Performance

Rating: 8/10 (11 November 2004)

Tom Hanks has a knack. Somehow he can take the most inane sounding plots and make them work. In Forest Gump, he made the story of a slow, idiot savante memorable. In Castaway, he spent an hour and a half on a desert island with nothing but a volleyball, and yet we sat through it. Now, he takes a story which takes place entirely within JFK Airport and makes it very enjoyable and entertaining.
This movie is not perfect, mind you. As much as I appreciated it, about 3/4 of the way through I definitely noticed that the movie had slowed. Not unpleasantly so, but noticeably.
Also, as much as this movie was billed as a Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones movie, it really wasn't. Tom Hanks was amazing, and while he was certainly enamored of her, there wasn't much screen time or much screen chemistry between them. Instead of sitting there wishing they could finally be together, you may find yourself wondering why he's even bothering. Yes, she's certainly beautiful, but what else is there?
All in all though, I really enjoyed the movie. All the actors turned in solid performances, and it was well scripted. Stanley Tucci and Hanks worked well off of each other and the supporting characters kept the movie flowing. The movie teaches you to have a little optimism in life, and make the most of a situation. Navorski gets a quarter for every luggage cart he returns and manages to have his own private feast from his rewards.
One final remark for Hanks. Nobody else could have played that role. Any other actor would have either lost our attention from the beginning, or overacted it like a high school Shakespeare production. Kudos to Tom.