The Terminal (2004)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Andrew Niccol (story) and
Sacha Gervasi (story) ...

Release Date:

18 June 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Comedy

Tagline:

Life is waiting.

Plot:

An eastern immigrant finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.

Plot Keywords:

Airport | Flight Attendant | Passport | New York City | Passenger

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

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 Saldana	...	Dolores Torres (as Zoë Saldana)
Eddie Jones	...	Salchak
Jude Ciccolella	...	Karl Iverson
Corey Reynolds	...	Waylin
Guillermo Díaz	...	Bobby Alima (as Guillermo Diaz)
Rini Bell	...	Nadia
Stephen Mendel	...	First Class Steward
Valeri Nikolayev	...	Milodragovich (as Valera Nikolaev)

Also Known As:

Terminal (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief language and drug references.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French | Russian | Bulgarian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | France:U | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Spain:T | Iceland:L (original rating) | Iceland:LH (video rating) | Finland:K-3 | South Korea:All | Malaysia:U | India:U (cinema release) | Sweden:7 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Brazil:12 | Chile:TE | Germany:o.Al. | Hong Kong:IIA | Ireland:PG | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:A | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:12A | USA:PG-13 (certificate #40891)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Inspired by the story of Merhan Nasseri, an Iranian refugee. In 1988, he landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris after being denied entry into England because his passport and United Nations refugee certificate had been stolen. French authorities would not let him leave the airport. He remained in Terminal One, a stateless person with nowhere else to go. He has since been granted permission to either enter France or return to his own country. He instead chooses to continue to live in the terminal and tell his story to those who will listen. Reportedly, his mental health has deteriorated over the years. When given the opportunity to live in France, he refused because the documents did not name him as "Sir, Alfred", and he claims to have forgotten his native Persian language. Reportedly, he left the terminal in August 2006 to be hospitalized for an unspecified illness.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Victor translates while holding the medicine bottles, he is holding a different number of bottles in each hand at different angles.

Quotes:

[first lines]
PA announcer: United airlines announcing the arrival of Flight 9435 from Beijing. Customer service representative please report to gate C42.

Movie Connections:

References "Friends" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Del' Divani

Feel-good

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. Instead of reaching for new heights of film-making like including the latest in special effects, or new original ways of storytelling and editing, Spielberg goes back to a simpler form. That in itself is surprisingly refreshing. Filmmakers try so hard to be inventive and change the typical form of the classics, that when someone finally does go back to that Capra or Wilder fashion, it ends up seeming original. That's what The Terminal goes for. A movie about characters, not plot. About emotion, not CGI. It's a true heart-felt piece of work. 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. Throughout the experience he makes friends, a love interest, and a rival. He changes all of their lives, of course. That's to be expected from a movie like this. Tom Hanks is totally believable, accent and all. It's a performance well worthy of an Oscar nod.

I loved The Terminal for many reasons, but one big reason is it's simplicity. And more importantly, because it is good at being simple. It doesn't contribute anything new to movies, it doesn't try to. It is what it is. A great, feel-good film. Something that is getting rarer and rarer these days. Sometimes you'll want to see a gritty, wrenching melodrama, but other times you'll want to see The Terminal.

My rating: 10/10