Viktor Navorski is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d'etat exploded in his homeland, leaving it in shambles, and now he's stranded at Kennedy Airport, where he's holding a passport that nobody recognizes. While quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him, Viktor simply goes on living – and courts romance with a beautiful flight attendant.
Tom Hanks
Viktor Navorski
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Amelia Warren
Stanley Tucci
Frank Dixon
Chi McBride
Mulroy
Diego Luna
Enrique Cruz
Barry Shabaka Henley
Thurman
Kumar Pallana
Gupta Rajan
Zoe Saldaña
Dolores Torres
Eddie Jones
Salchak
Jude Ciccolella
Karl Iverson
Corey Reynolds
Waylin
Guillermo Díaz
Bobby Alima
Rini Bell
Nadia
Stephen Mendel
Steward First Class
Valeriy Nikolaev
Milodragovich
Michael Nouri
Max
Ana Maria Quintana
Government Inspector
Bob Morrisey
Government Inspector
Sasha Spielberg
Lucy
Susan Slome
Woman with Cart
Mik Scriba
Transportation Liaison
Jim Ishida
Yoshinoya Manager
Carlease Burke
Brookstone Manager
Stephon Fuller
Swatch Manager
Dan Finnerty
Discovery Store Manager
Anastasia Basil
La Perla Employee Julie
Lydia Blanco Garza
Burger King Employee
John Eddins
CBP Officer
Kenneth Choi
CBP Officer
Cas Anvar
CBP Officer
Conrad Pla
CBP Officer
Danette MacKay
CBP Officer
Ian Finlay
CBP Officer
Janique Kearns
CBP Officer
Eddie Santiago
Man on Phone
Kevin Ryder
Businessman
Dusan Dukic
Young Drug Trafficker
Mark Ivanir
Cab Driver Goran
Matt Holland
Ramada Inn Clerk
Benny Golson
Himself
Buster Williams
Bass
Mike Ledonne
Piano
Carl Allen
Drums
Scott Adsit
Cab Driver
Robert Covarrubias
Janitor
Terry Haig
CBP Inspector
Jeff Michael
Anchor
Dilva Henry
Anchor
Michelle Arthur
Field Reporter
Thinh Truong Nguyen
Passenger
Sandrine Kwan
Passenger
Carl Alacchi
Passenger
Tanya van Blokland
Passenger
Evelyne de la Chenelière
Passenger
Laurie Meghan Phelps
Homeland Security Officer
Ryan Stockstad
Brookstone Employee (uncredited)
Director
Steven Spielberg
Screenplay
Jeff Nathanson
Screenplay, Story
Sacha Gervasi
Story
Andrew Niccol
June 2, 2020
6
Click here for a video version of this review: https://youtu.be/n9WhSQ8mYPI
Tom Hanks is a perennial favourite in our house, and his 2004 movie _The Terminal_ is one that somehow I missed along the way. I’ve now fixed that and it’s time to talk about it. Let’s start with the official description:
_Victor Navorski is a man without a country; his plane took off just as a coup d’état exploded in his homeland, leaving it in a shambles, and now he’s stranded at Kennedy Airport, where he’s holding a passport that nobody recognises. While quarantined in the transit lounge until authorities can figure out what to do with him, Viktor simply goes on living - and courts romance with a beautiful flight attendant. _
A man stuck in an airport for months on end, sounds a little far fetched? Not so much - this was actually inspired by the true story of a man named Merhan Nasseri who lived at Charles DeGaulle Airport in France from August 1988 to August 2006, yes, 18 years. He got stuck when his refugee certification documents were stolen from him in France, en route from Belgium to England. It’s an incredible story, and worth reading up on on Wikipedia.
The movie is pretty light and fluffy stuff, and Hanks is well cast as the curious and friendly Navorski. He makes the most of his situation and quickly adapts to his circumstances, and makes a number of friends with various airport staff. He also makes an enemy in the character played by Stanley Tucci, the Customs Director at the airport.
While at times it felt a bit like _Product Placement: The Movie_, it’s a charming movie that despite a few unrealistic - things like his rapid progress in a English - takes you along for a good fun ride. Hanks is great, his friends are a suitably quirky bunch, and Tucci plays the bad guy really well too. Catherine Zeta-Jones is in this too, but seems a little shoehorned in. There’s enough to work with with the “stuck in the airport” situation and didn’t really need a romantic plot line, but I guess these are the things that get done to make it appeal to a wider audience.
It’s just been removed from the Netflix catalogue here in Australia - which was the reason I finally watched it - but if you happen to come across it, it’s a really nice film that will warm your heart for a couple of hours.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$60,000,000.00
Revenue:
$219,417,255.00