![]() ![]() He makes it work with the warmth, grace, modesty, and dignity he brings to Navorski. But Hanks doesn't go for easy laughs and doesn't allow Navorski to be cute. ![]() It would be easy to make Navorski a cute guy with a sitcom accent like Latka in Taxi, and the movie almost falls into that trap with some moments of slapstick that threaten to throw off the tone of the story. He is ever-patient, wise, and steadfast, enriching the lives of everyone from a bitter janitor to a frantic would-be smuggler, and a vulnerable flight attendant (Catherine Zeta-Jones). He masters the intricacies not just of eating, sleeping, laundry, and even dating without leaving the airport as well as the immigration and customs laws and even the complete schedule of arrivals and departures. Navorski not only learns English very quickly, but he is an idealized figure. Though based on a true story, the film is more of a fantasy, even a parable. Navorski is more at home in the airport than most of the characters are anywhere because he is home in himself. It reminds us that like its lovely dual-meaning tagline, sometimes "life is waiting." Show moreĭirector Steven Spielberg, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson, and star Hanks have created a story of great warmth and depth. But this movie is the story of a journey interrupted, and the way that interruption became a journey of its own. A quest is compelling because we identify with a hero who is moving toward a goal. The story of heroes who have to go somewhere gives us a chance to see their journeys as symbolic of their learning and spiritual growth. ![]() But Navorski, unlike others who are held back by immigration officials, is disinclined to try to sneak out into the U.S. He hopes the Navorski problem will just go away - literally. This creates a problem for Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), a by-the-book bureaucrat who wants a promotion. but he can't go back due to immigration laws. While he was in the air, his country suffered a "regime change," and so his passport and visa are now invalid. In THE TERMINAL, Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at New York's JFK airport from a fictional Eastern European country. ![]()
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