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The Terminal (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:195
Fresh:118
Rotten:77
Average Rating:6.2/10
Consensus: Tom Hanks and the rest of the amiable cast make this bumpy ride worth sitting through.
Runtime: 2 hrs 9 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump") and Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago") star in "The Terminal," under the direction of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Steven... Academy Award® winners Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia," "Forrest Gump") and Catherine Zeta-Jones ("Chicago") star in "The Terminal," under the direction of Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg ("Schindler’s List," "Saving Private Ryan"). "The Terminal" tells the story of Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks), a visitor to New York from Eastern Europe, whose homeland erupts in a fiery coup while he is in the air en route to America. Stranded at Kennedy Airport with a passport from nowhere, he is unauthorized to actually enter the United States and must improvise his days and nights in the terminal’s international transit lounge until the war at home is over. As the weeks and months stretch on, Viktor finds the compressed universe of the terminal to be a richly complex world of absurdity, generosity, ambition, amusement, status, serendipity and even romance with a beautiful flight attendant named Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones). But Viktor has long worn out his welcome with airport official Frank Dixon, who considers him a bureaucratic glitch, a problem he cannot control but wants desperately to erase. "The Terminal" also stars Emmy winner Stanley Tucci (TV’s "Winchell," "Road to Perdition") as Frank Dixon. Rounding out the main cast are Chi McBride (TV’s "Boston Public"), Diego Luna ("Y Tu Mama, Tambien"), Barry "Shabaka" Henley ("Ali"), Kumar Pallana ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), Zoë Saldana ("Drumline"), Eddie Jones ("Seabiscuit") and Jude Ciccolella ("Down With Love"). Walter F. Parkes ("Catch Me If You Can"), Steven Spielberg and Laurie MacDonald ("The Ring") are producing "The Terminal," with Patricia Whitcher, Jason Hoffs and Andrew Niccol serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Sacha Gervasi and Jeff Nathanson from a story by Niccol. [More]
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Stanley Tucci, Chi McBride, Diego Luna, Zoe Saldana, Barry Shabaka Henley
Director: Steven Spielberg
Director: Steven Spielberg
Screenwriter: Sacha Gervasi, Jeff Nathanson
Producer: Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes, Laurie MacDonald
Composer: John Williams
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
Reviews for The Terminal
So satisfied with its feel-good status, it seems oblivious to the bad casting decisions
Something of a disappointment, despite solid work from Hanks and Tucci -- it’s as if Spielberg assembled all the ingredients for a great film and then decided to experiment and threw away the recipe.
Far less cuddly than expected, this unusual and elegant movie may have failed to connect with US audiences but it proves Spielberg is currently the most unpredictable director in Hollywood.
Hanks is a likeable actor but rarely a subtle one. Viktor is another cutesy emotional heart-tugger in the Forrest Gump mould, all galumphing slapstick.
So cute and sweet that any insightful observations will be lost to real-world audiences.
The Terminal’s conclusion was as awkward and aloof as O’Hare Airport in December.
Hanks is excellent and I applaud Spielberg for delving into some new territory.
There are story threads that play out enjoyably, and other threads end up going nowhere. Enjoy the film from scene to scene, since there are definite pleasures along the way.
Hanks’ overdone slapstick antics and awful accent ... keep this featherweight farce from taking flight.
The film loses its hushed sense of 'lost-in-the-system' hopelessness and becomes a silly, 'let's all put on a show!' feel-gooder that misses more often not.
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