"The Terminal," the reunification of Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks since "Catch Me if You Can," is a comedic immigrant's tale; a light-hearted comedy that displays the broad range of Hanks' acting abilities and Spielberg's undeniable talent to tell a story.
Hanks plays Viktor Navorski, an immigrant from Krakozhia, a fictional Russian state that erupts into chaos while Navorski is in transit to America. Without a viable Krakozhian government to correspond with or a plausible way to go home, Navorski is unable to leave the airport to enter the country.
Making a home in gate 67 of John F. Kennedy International Airport, Navorski adapts to his new American surroundings like the remarkable immigrants who sailed on the Mayflower. Learning English from travel books and CNN, Navorski soon makes friends with airport employees while raising the ire of a cruel Homeland Security agent, Frank Dixon, played by Stanley Tucci.
The Krakozhian crack-up also finds time to interest the beautiful stewardess Amelia Warren, played by T-Mobile spokesperson Catherine Zeta-Jones, while carting around a mysterious can of Planters Peanuts like Forrest Gump and his infamous box of chocolates.
Zeta-Jones' character is almost too unique -- a lonely reader of European history who doesn't mind slumming it with penniless immigrants. However, the charm of Navorski is too great, and Warren has her flaws so the viewers can enjoy their companionship without doubt for most of the flick.
While not creating a set as demanding as World War II France, Spielberg and his crew create a very real airport environment for "The Terminal," while Hanks and co-stars appear believable and human in every way.
Hanks becomes the likable character Navorski with ease, and thank God for that because this movie is long -- at times the viewers are tempted to recall their own longest airport layovers.
"The Terminal" also might set the Guinness Book of World Records for product placement in a film. Burger King, Krispy Kreme, Starbucks, Borders, Hugo Boss and a host of other companies practically co-star in this movie. And without Hanks and Spielberg, viewers could not be faulted for feeling like focus-group participants.
Despite the film's senseless injection of politics with its dig at Homeland Security, "The Terminal" is lighthearted, thought-provoking and at times, downright funny. Will the land of Krakozhia stabilize so Navorski can enter the Big Apple? Will Warren be joining him? What's in that can of peanuts? Catch "The Terminal," which opens Friday, if you can.
Reach the reporter at christian.palmer@asu.edu.
