The Terminal
I had a lot of worries about this latest collaboration between director Steven Spielberg and star Tom Hanks (after “Saving Private Ryan” and “Catch Me if You Can”). Chief among them- would Spielberg take the well-worn path towards an inevitable conclusion that finds Hanks’ immigrant without a home- unable to leave JFK airport after a coup in his fictional home country makes his passport and visa void- able to enter America and in love with a beautiful stewardess (Catherine Zeta-Jones)?
Some will tell you yes; I say no. Granted, “The Terminal” still rates as a minor Spielberg effort compared to his recent masterpieces (“Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence,” “Minority Report”), and still has flaws that I’ll illuminate. But there’s no denying that Spielberg- with this and “Catch Me if You Can”- is cutting loose after a decade of dark and provocative dramas. His touch is lighter than usual as he explores essential and emotional themes of living in the world as it is now. He can still be a bit heavy-handed at times, and the film doesn’t work as a comedy as much as some critics have implied.
But there’s a breezy feel of light entertainment that comes through in every frame of Janusz Kaminski’s rich cinematography and in every note of John Williams’ score, which is a step below the thrilling jazzy style of “Catch Me if You Can” but still a rich and worthy effort in this increasingly-inspired collaboration (celebrating its’ 30th year this year). It’s an enjoyable summer lark, with a sweet story and delightful characters. And it all starts with Tom Hanks, who follows the bizarre broad comedy of his turn in “The Ladykillers” and preceeds his upcoming CG-animated experiment with his “Forrest Gump” and “Cast Away” director Robert Zemeckis (this Winter’s “The Polar Express”) with a funny and touching performance as Viktor Navorski, the foreigner cut off from America by his home country’s political troubles and a Homeland Security Officer (Stanley Tucci, fine as always until his character takes an unfortunate turn towards the absurd near the end) who must follow protocol, and yet endure the headaches that follow.
Hanks- in a credible and rarely jokey accent- is the beating heart of the picture, be it following a series of televisions around the Terminal as he learns what is happening in his country (a sequence of emotional gravity to rival Spielberg’s finest), relaying his touching, unexpected reason for being in America, or finding friendly ears from airport personel like Diego Luna’s food service worker and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ bubbly stewardess Amelia, who may have finally found a decent guy in Viktor.
Zeta-Jones leads me to my second problem with the film following Tucci’s mishandled character (he’s more engaging as the ethically-sound administrator at the beginning that as the forced-upon “villain” at the end)- the underdevelopment and predictable nature of the supporting characters (however well played), and Zeta-Jones’ character in particular. Like so many female leads before her, it’s a botched writing job; not as botched as with Tucci’s character, but Amelia’s not developed enough to give Zeta-Jones (who does fine under the circumstances) room to work with to be an interesting counterpoint to Hanks. Zeta-Jones and Hanks do have a chemistry together though, as their characters- travelling different life paths- strike a bond more interesting than the obvious romantic rout the trailers- and film- threaten to take the story. That things are unresolved romantically- though pretty clear emotionally- is just one of the welcome surprises Spielberg and his writers have in store. It’s not vintage Spielberg, and its’ not the year’s best film, but it is a nice surprise from a filmmaker who’s managed to keep fans on their toes, even if he doesn’t always resemble the same young prodigy whose films became Hollywood classics (“E.T.,” “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”).
