The Terminal (2004)

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)
La terminal (Argentina) (International: Spanish title) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Le terminal (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Терминал (Russia) [ru]
O Terminal (Brazil) [pt]
Terminaali (Finland) [fi]
Terminal (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Terminal (Germany) [de]
Terminal (Estonia) [et]
The Terminal (Greece) [el]

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:

The photo Viktor shows Amelia featuring a group of all the top jazz musicians in NYC in the year 1958 was originally taken for Esquire by Art Kane. It is the subject of the 1994 documentary A Great Day in Harlem (1994).

Goofs:

Continuity: In the bar after peace is declared in Krakhosia, Viktor is handed the emergency visa twice.

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 Chinatown (1974)

Soundtrack:

I Love New York

Delightful Fable About a Patient Man Who Is Trapped by the Bureaucracy in the International Lounge of JFK

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) has just arrived from Krakozhia in JFK Airport, when there is a coup in his small eastern country, with the revolutionary forces taking the government by force. The USA does not recognize the new government and the validity of his VISA and passport are canceled. Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), the bureaucratic administrator of the airport, who rules by the book and does not show any compassion for people, leaves Viktor, who does not speak English, in the international lounge of the airport with a problem without solution. While patiently living in Gate 67 for a long period, Viktor survives, learns English by himself, makes new friends among the employees of the airport and falls in love for Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones). "The Terminal" is a delightful and uncommon fable about a patient man who is trapped by the bureaucracy in the international lounge of JFK. I heard that an equivalent event would have happened indeed in Paris, but there is no reference on the DVD, and the writer takes the credits for the idea of this theme. Anyway, Steven Spielberg is really magic, and was able to make a delightful movie with such a weird storyline. Tom Hanks is excellent as usual and the beauty of Catherine Zeta-Jones is still very impressive. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Terminal" ("The Terminal")