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While Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is in the air, on his way from his small
Eastern European country to New York, war breaks out in his country. By the time he
lands at JFK airport, his country no longer exists—and his passport is no good. Frank
Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the promotion-hungry head of customs, tells Viktor that he’ll have
to stay in the terminal until everything is cleared. To Viktor Navorski, America is
closed. Dixon hands Viktor a $15 food voucher and sends him on his
way.
But Viktor’s paperwork doesn’t arrive. Hours turn to days…days turn
to weeks…and weeks turn to months. Viktor takes up residence in JFK, befriending the
staff (and the flight attendants, like Amelia Warren, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones),
finding ways to make money for food, and generally bothering Dixon—who would like nothing
more than to have Viktor break out of the airport so he can be someone else’s
problem.
The Terminal sits on the fence between comedy and drama.
Hanks plays Navorski with expertise, as can be expected—he’s completely at-home in the
role of the lovable outsider. And the supporting cast (especially Gupta the janitor,
played by Kumar Pullana) adds to the fun. At the same time, however, The Terminal
is a heartwarming drama that may even bring a tear or two to your eyes. And though the
end falls a little short (one of the people I was watching the movie with voiced my
feelings exactly when the credits rolled and he said, “That’s the end?”), it’s a movie
that will satisfy a wide variety of movie-lovers. (And I was just glad that Viktor
didn’t find himself a volleyball to start
talking to…)
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