The Terminal (2004)

Outline: Victor Navorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at Kennedy aeroport in NYC to discover that while he was in the air, his home country, Krakohzia, underwent a military coup. Until peace is restored or the U.S. government recognizes the new political state, Victor is a man without a country. As such, he cannot enter the U.S. . Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), who refers to the place as “his airport”, allows Victor to stay in the international lounge until the situation in his home country is resolved. As the days drag into weeks, and the weeks fade into months, Victor is without a home, a job, food, or money. As such, Victor finds himself involved in some strange situations (including matchmaking) in exchange for food and other items. He also attempts to romance a sweet but romantically challenged flight attendant, Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones).

I have to tell you that the critics were way off on this one. Everyone was complaining about the “turbulent” transition from comedy to drama. First of all, everything has to transition at some point. That’s how the storyline progresses. It isn’t the transition that people should concern themselves with; it’s the tension.

As I have pointed out before, the tension in anything (a play, a book, a TV show, a movie) is within the audience. It is the audience’s desire to see the storyline progress and to see the storyline resolved. If you, the author/director, do tension well, then the audience will be torn between these twin desires.

And I can tell you, truly, that Steven Spielberg (director, and shame on you if you didn’t know that) and Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson (writers) didn’t disappoint me on that count.

Secondly, a lot of bru-ha-ha was made over the mysterious peanut can that Victor clutches to and what is in it when it is finally revealed (as you knew it would be). I don’t feel that this was disappointing either. Actually, it was sweet and serious and just the kind of thing that women like to hear. Everyone should like to hear it, on second thought.

The thing about this movie that the critics either didn’t get or didn’t appreciate is that it is great love. As in, “there is no greater love than this”. Love, real love, is all about sacrifice. I don’t mean that in a necessarily painful way. I mean that sometimes you meet someone so humble and caring that they can inspire you to give up what you never even knew you had. Frankly, it’s amazing that Hanks can inspire that in us from across the screen.

And let’s be honest: you all think that the Spielberg/Hanks combo is magic. Pure magic.

Okay, the film was a waste of Zeta-Jones. She’s charming and beautiful, even with an unflattering hair cut, but the movie was not the better for her playing Amelia.