A Scientist at the Movies Reviews by Greg Paris

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Title: The Terminal

Date Viewed: 7/2/04

Details:

Tom Hanks

Catherine Zeta-Jones

Stanley Tucci

Chi McBride

Director: Steven Spielberg

Score: +

The Review: Victor Navorski gets a wee bit delayed in coming to America. Curious premise, well executed, with grace and humor. A bit of a sleeper -- from my perspective: i.e., I was reluctant to attend -- but surprisingly good.

Everyone can connect with a refusal to knuckle down to the reigning bureaucracy; rebellion seems to be in our blood. In this case, the culprit is the Bureau of Customs & Immigration at New York City's JFK airport, and Navorski (Hanks) is caught in their "catch 22"-like web. In transit on a visit to the US for an intriguing personal reason, his passport and tickets are sequestered when a coup topples the current government of his tiny Eastern European nation -- resulting in the disappearance of diplomatic recognition , travel to & from the country being cut off, and their citizens not permitted entry into the US. There are some other important nuances, but the effect is that Novarski becomes a ghost in the machine. His subtle rebellion is not at all American in tone (which might, these days, be characterized as archetypically brash and bullying), but a quiet acquiescence coupled with a bit of humor and always laced with patience. Incredible patience. It becomes a game, both with the head agent (Tucci), and with his fellow denizens of the terminal. A whole sub-culture exists that he taps into, becoming an iconic member.

Fascinating performance by a large ensemble cast. Zeta-Jones is a little one-sided, but Tucci and McBride are great.

One minor quibble about verisimilitude: UA866 is actually from Japan, not the return flight to Eastern Europe.

(26-July-04)

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