The Terminal

Plot synopsis:
Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at JFK International Airport, but finds that he is not allowed to enter the United States. While he was en route to the US, a revolution was started in his home nation of Krakozhia. Due to the civil war, the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation and denies Viktor's entrance to the US. Unable to leave the airport or return to Krakozhia, Viktor instead lives in the terminal, carrying his luggage and a mysterious Planters peanut can.Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Head Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) wants Navorski removed from the airport. Navorski collects money for food by retrieving vacant baggage trolleys for the 25-cent reward from the machine, until Dixon prevents this. He then befriends a catering car driver named Enrique (Diego Luna) who gives him food in exchange for information about a female Customs and Border Protection officer (Zoë Saldana), who Enrique is infatuated with. With Viktor's help, Enrique and Dolores eventually marry each other. He meets flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who asks him out to dinner, but he tries to earn money in order to ask Amelia out instead. He finally gets an off-the-books job as a construction worker at the airport earning $19 an hour.Viktor is asked to interpret for a desperate Russian man with undocumented drugs for his sick father. Viktor claims it is "medicine for goat," barring the drug from confiscation and resolving the crisis. Under pressure and the watchful eye of the Airport Ratings committee, who is evaluating Dixon for an upcoming promotion, Dixon has a falling out with Viktor. Though Dixon is advised that sometimes rules must be ignored, he becomes obsessed with getting Viktor ejected from the airport. An airport janitor, Gupta Rajan (Kumar Pallana), exaggerates the "goat" incident to his fellow co-workers and as a result, Viktor earns the respect and admiration of all of the airport staff.One day, Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York is to collect an autograph from the tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. It is revealed that the peanut can Viktor carries with him contains nothing more than an autographed copy of the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph. His late father was a jazz enthusiast who had discovered the famous portrait in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958, and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph. He succeeded in obtaining 56, but died before he could finish his collection.A few months later, the war in Krakozhia ends, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her 'friend' actually a married government official with whom she had been having an affair to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the US, but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process.To make matters worse, Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to remain in the United States, but refuses. He instead blackmails Viktor into returning to Krakozhia, or he will have Enrique fired for allowing Viktor into the restricted food preparation area and deport Gupta back to his native India, where he is wanted for assaulting a corrupt police officer. Upon hearing this, Gupta runs in front of Viktor's plane and asks Viktor to go anyway. The plane is delayed, giving Viktor enough time to go into the city and obtain the autograph. With the blessing of the entire airport staff, Viktor leaves the airport after receiving a uniform coat from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Port Director and hails a taxi. Dixon, watching Viktor leave the airport, decides not to pursue him. As Viktor prepares to take the taxi to a Ramada Inn where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He has a short conversation with the cab driver, telling him how to avoid traffic on the way to the hotel and that he is from Krakozhia. The driver tells Viktor that he is from Albania and arrived earlier that week. He attends the show and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver, "I am going home."

Tags: comedy, boring, dramatic, psychedelic, humor, romantic, entertaining

Review:
Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg, two of the biggest names in Hollywood, two people who could literally make any film they wanted to, and instead they settle on a feel-good dramedy...
It's funny how Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, two of Hollywood's most powerful men, who could literally do any movie they want, end up making something like The Terminal.
It's funny, it's cute, and it always keeps you interested.Tom Hanks leads an exceptional cast as Viktor Navorski, a man stranded in JFK airport, not welcome in the U.S. and having no country to come home to.
The film begins with a cool look (green and blue), because Spielberg doesn't think of Immigration as a warm place to be for the few minutes it takes to clear a passenger and get him on his way So all the cool tones are evident until Viktor starts to settle into his new home He is going to be stuck in New York's JFK airport for an unspecified amount of time From this moment we see Viktor stuck, trapped, unable to enter United States and that's the fun of this film Tom Hanks is really so calm, so likable, so emotional, so funny and so real in what he does Here, he's a very dignified person who is extremely trusting and always full of positive hope You couldn't insult him if you try It's very hard to hurt his feelings He finds the bright side of every angle problem he faces and finds a way for him to live with the situation He has the virtue of patience, and the testament to hard work, perseverance, and humility He loves people, and he experiences the culture in an odd way Hanks plays a Krakozhian capable gentleman whose name is Viktor Navorski who finds himself without a passport and a visa once both are taken from him by the powers-that-be at the terminal, because his visa no longer counts, since his country is no longer in existence, and his passport is no longer valid Catherine Zeta-Jones brings vulnerability and insecurity to her unhappy character She plays the gorgeous flight attendant Amalia Warren, a very sensible woman who's always looking for love, trying to find the person that will be her prince She really wears her emotions on her sleeve and is lonely She wants some strong relationship in her life Viktor and Amelia have oceans of things in common and it ends up playing itself out and that's a nice thing to play The story leaves a lot for reflection, and in some ways, Viktor's stillness allows him to be a mirror for the people working in the airport to meditate on their own lives "The Terminal" is a charming film It looks beautifully and elegantly, but realistically.
An Eastern European (Tom Hanks) from a fictional country literally gets stuck at JFK Airport in New York after his landing coincides with the point at which a war causes his nation to no longer exist.
The Terminal is an incredible fairy tale of a movie-it's quietly captivating, rich in interesting colorful characters and superbly acted and directed.Tom Hanks as Victor Navorsky is quite simply entrancing to watch.
It is an unusual movie that really isn't either a straight comedy OR a straight drama-it perhaps falls through the cracks of genres but I'd call this mostly a heartwarming and completely absorbing character study of one man's attempt to make a life for himself in an airport terminal.
Anyway, I have now watched it and I liked it.I thought the first half of the film was absolutely fantastic, the humor, the acting, the character development - they were all good.
I thought the second half of the film suffered a little from becoming a bit over emotional, the love story seemed out of sorts and the way the entire airport staff seemed to know every thing about everyone else was a bit far fetched, I worked in an airport for many years and knew virtually no-one from outside the people I worked with on a daily basis, but maybe that's just me!
'The Terminal' is the latest Hanks/Spielberg collaboration, and though it's not quite as good as 'Catch Me if You Can' or 'Saving Private Ryan' it still makes for a fun watch.
The plot, as everyone already knows, is about Krakozhian (sp?) immigrant Victor Narvorski (Tom Hanks) whose home country  the fictional land of Krakozhia (think Russia or Czechoslovakia)  is torn apart in war while he is in a plane headed for New York.
What Dixon doesn't know is that Victor is an honest man, and he will obey the rules and stay in the terminal until he's allowed to leave.The character of Victor Narvorski is one of those classic movie characters who has no conceivable flaw (other than a minimal understanding of the world around him  and an accent) and dose everything he can to help everyone else.
All of these characters are dim-witted, but great people who put their own lives on hold to help their friends.Some of these friends include Airport worker Enrique Cruz (Diego Luna), who Victor helps get hitched with a beautiful security guard (Zoë Saldana) and Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones) a nice, flighty flight attendant who Narvorski inspires to get out of a troubled relationship with a married man.The Hanks and Zeta-Jones characters strike up a little romance, but luckily its not too overblown, it's more of a subplot than anything.It takes sometime but soon Narvorski is accepted into a small group of Airport workers including Cruz, kindly Joe Mulroy (Chi McBride) and janitor Gupta Raja (Kumar Pallana), who at first thinks that Narvorski is a federal agent out to get him.
I think the ending is a very important part of any film, and this one was  in a way  ruined.But, no movie is perfect, and I have no problem accepting this as a lighthearted picture with a few interesting characters.
While patiently living in Gate 67 for a long period, Viktor survives, learns English by himself, makes new friends among the employees of the airport and falls in love for Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones).
A great premise for a movie, loosely based on the true story of the immigrant who was stranded at Paris airport due to diplomatic bureaucracy, however Spielberg reduces the whole story to implausible sugary mush.No doubt the director, famed for his heavy-handed and childlike emotional manipulation, thought he was improving the drama by adding a love interest in the shape of Catherine Zeta-Jones, but no one in their right mind could believe that such an attractive and well-groomed woman would ever fall for the shabby, caricature Russian immigrant as played by Tom Hanks.
You have mixed 1000 languages, For example, Tom hanks is speaking at the guy with the "pills" in pure Bulgarian language, mixed with Russian accent, the other guy responds in Russian...total mess....If you want to make movie involving other nationalities, that Mr. Spielberg learn something about them or spent some money on language assistants!!!
And since this is the movie's main function (with the  "entertainment"  part hopefully taking care of itself under the auspices of popular showmen like Spielberg and Hanks), it should really come as no surpise that the airport-set is awesome.
There's money to be made, and burgers to be sold.As for the other aspects of the movie -- you know, the stuff we usually talk about, like the direction, photography, acting, story, and so on -- only the most pedestrian efforts are exerted from the principals  (Spielberg, Hanks, Zeta-Jones).
In the acting category, Stanley Tucci tries his damnedest to give an honest performance as the head of security at the terminal, but the script betrays him by making his character, for no clear reason, more villainous as the movie wears on.
The Terminal is a good movie with a well developed storyline and a great cast.I have certainly come to expect better from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks,both easily some of the most talented men in Hollywood,and if their previous work together (Saving Private Ryan and Catch Me If You Can) is any indication,this movie should have been a classic,and I understand that they were taking a risk and were doing a very unique movie,it just didn't turn out as well as it could have.Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones scenes together are certainly the movies highlights,there is great chemistry between them and seeing Tom Hanks deliver one of his most unique performances was fun to watch.I felt the movie could have been better with a funnier script,it had many funny parts,but for a film that is considered a comedy,it is very dramatic.Nothing outstanding but still an enjoyable two hours,I would recommend the Terminal if you ever see it on television and are looking for a decent comedy or drama,but don't go out of your way to see it.
Mr. Hanks - a good actor -being helped by the script and the Director portraits this man like a mentally challenge person, making this film extremely condescending towards Easter European people and foreigns in general.
Another problem is the Director wants us to believe that Mr. Hanks is an Easter European citizen only because he speaks with an accent; they should have made this movie with an unknown good foreign actor.
It's a Hollywood obsession to change interesting stories to make then more "American," making this last word sounds like more "stupid." Just to make things even worst, the only female character in the film is a flight attendant portrayed nicely by Catherine Zeta Jones; but in this film the character is having a relationship with a rich married old man another stereotype for the "whore" flight attendant it's just too much.
Boy oh boy, what a disappointment.That someone could be stranded in an airport and stay nine months, building a wall, sleeping in one of the waiting rooms night after night without being thrown out, that an airport manager could do the things that Tucci does in this film...well, I can't believe that anyone could buy the story of The Terminal.
Something tells me he had too many yes-men handing him praise, as well.The plot is very, very, VERY loosely based on the true story of Nasseri, and I'm sure whenever he gets to see the film as it plays on the free TV in Terminal 1, he'll be quite disappointed.His story was already made into a French film in 1993 named "Tombés du ciel." I haven't seen the original but from the plot description on IMDb it sounds far more factually accurate.Okay, so, you want to know my real problems with the Spielberg remake?
It was truly embarrassing (and I felt ashamed for Spielberg) when he spends ten minutes following Viktor's adventure to buy a hamburger from Burger King.The message is nice - if you're an illegal immigrant and can't afford anything, just get jobs no one else wants like cleaning toilets or collecting luggage carts and earn minimum wage so you can buy a greasy hamburger from some pock-marked self-absorbed teenager who probably spat in your food.I hate to sound really bitter and all (I'm truly not this bitter in real life - usually) but there's something about this movie that just struck me as too nice.
and it turned out to be a terrible mistake !I've never watched such a predictable movie, Tom Hanks gave the lamest impression since "Big" (Which was quite funny, compared to this one) - He acts as if people from Eastern-Europe are brain-dead (or even worse).
The forced feeling of everything that happens around Tom Hanks from the unlit flame of Catherine Zeta-Jones, to a fallible in-flight wedding, to even the corny climax when a character decides to play chicken with the plane, it doesn't seem to work.
The movie deals about Viktor(Tom Hanks) is an Eastern European traveller converts a resident of N.Y. airport terminal when occurs a coup state in his country.The war breaks out and is denied entrance to the United States .The Security chief(Stanley Tucci) says him that he has to remain the terminal until his situation can be modified.Meanwhile he has many trouble,he doesn't speak the language so nobody can talk to him .But he makes friends and falls in love with an alluring flight attendant(Catherine Zeta Jones).The picture blends comedy,love story ,a little bit of drama with a lots of fun.It's an entertained film with exceptional and sensible interpretation by Tom Hanks.He makes a magnificent acting as the essentially decent foreign who finding isolated early makes friends.They are a quirky and misfits group magnificently played by Chi McBride,Barry Shabaka and Diego Luna who's deeply enamored of Zoe Saldana.In the film appear the ordinaries Spielberg's technicians as the sensational cinematographer Januz Kaminski,film edition by Michael Kahn and of course the prolific John Williams who makes a lively and jolly music and those years made four excellent scores(Memoirs of Geisha,Starwars,War of the worlds and Munich).Besides an elaborately recreated production design by Alex McDowell reflecting an entirely convincing terminal built for the film.Stunningly direction by Steven Spielberg making an extraordinary camera movement filming small details in close-up as general shots when Hanks to be in the limelight until moves to be in the background .
Tom Hanks plays guileless eastern European character who defeats New York airport security through sheer charm.Projects a self-serving image of foreigners as hysterical naifs, whose emotional incontinence adorns them with a human warmth that calculating Americans ostensibly have lost.Spielberg pays a patronizing homage to the Slavic temperament by scoring some vaguely Slavic-themed music and by having Hanks utter a few lines in a charming but unintelligible gibberish dialect that's about as authentic as Taco Bell.Very sentimental in a highly manipulative way.
While not some of his best work, John Williams' score is pleasantly understated and slick without over-emphasising the mood.Of the performances, which mostly are good, Tom Hanks makes a valiant effort in the title role and does an excellent job on the most part and Stanley Tucci clearly enjoys himself as Dixon.
This is clearly one of the worst movies you will ever have the misfortune to see that stars a masterful actor (Tom Hanks) and was turned out by a respected and fantastically successful director (Steven Spielberg).Here the ridiculous premise is populated with the usual suspects: government officials that are either evil, incompetent, or both; workers who are just too stupid to be believed; spoiled and uncaring Americans.
The Terminal is charming, feel-good and sweet, directed by Stephen Spielberg and starring Tom Hanks so really, how can you go wrong?
What really makes this movie though is not so much Hanks or Viktor but all the people he meets and becomes involved with while in the airport.The secondary characters here are fantastic; Stanley Tucci as the airport boss and bad guy -love to hate him, the baggage handlers (Chi McBride) & (Diego Luna) and (Zoë Saldana) as an immigration official.
I wished the American "silent majority" that seems to support the current U.S. President - in his current efforts for a second term - could watch this movie and try to understand the beautiful humane message that Spielberg, with the support of a fantastic cast (Tom Hanks and Stanley Tucci are superb!) tried to transmit to all of us.
This is a good comedy drama starring Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorsk, an Eastern European visitor to the United States who becomes stranded at a New York airport terminal because war broke out in his home country, voiding his passport and putting his immigration status in limbo.The plot of Navorsk getting mixed up in government bureaucracy while the state of his home country remains unknown provides a good source of suspense and intrigue, making the viewers wonder what would become of the man.
The developing relationship between Navorsk and U.S. airline flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones) provides a good subplot, adding intrigue and drama to the movie.Steven Spielberg provided solid direction to the cast, whose acting I thought was pretty spot-on, including Tom Hanks' European accent.
There are a number of things that prevent "The Terminal" from being an all-time classic, but the performance from Tom Hanks and the "guy trapped in an airport" premise is enough to make for a very entertaining movie.For a basic plot summary, this film focuses on Viktor Novorski (Hanks), who is trying to get from his home country of Krakosau into the United States (New York City, to be exact).
While patiently waiting for a resolution to his situation, Viktor meets a number of friends, including a potential romantic interest (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman he greets every day trying to get his status validated (Zoe Saldana), and a number of other airport workers who help him be as comfortable as possible in such a strange situation."The Terminal" is a charming movie mainly because you'll probably never watch a film quite like it.
This film has Tom Hanks as an Eastern European visitor to New York who winds up having to live in the Airport Terminal for months due to a revolution in his homeland causing his visa to be cancelled.
Catherine Zeta-Jones was wasted in this film and as for Tom Hanks he was completely mis-cast and his performance more embarrassing than anything else.
With Steven Spielberg directing it and 'big' actors as Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones starring in it, I hadn't expected otherwise, yet I was still very much impressed by the movie.
And, as great as Catherine Zeta Jones was in this film, Jones had almost uncanny expressions like those used by Meg Ryan in all of the movies the her and Hanks were known for.
After watching 'The Terminal', Spielberg's 3rd collaboration with Tom Hanks, maybe i feel the magic could be coming back.