(rated PG-13)
Tom Hanks stars in his third Steven Spielberg directed film (Catch Me If You Can, Saving Private Ryan) this time as Viktor Navorski, an eastern European immigrant stranded in a JFK terminal after Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) says his passport is no longer valid. When the going gets tough, the tough (Navorski) takes up residency in the airport, befriending the staff and falling in love with Amelia (Catherine Zeta Jones), an airline stewardess. While it’s certainly an original premise, it has a feeling similar to Hank’s “Forrest Gump” meets “Castaway” with its innocent angle – a man made of solid decency and eternal optimism, all the while handling an issue that Americans don’t handle well: The art of waiting. In a summer of sequels and big action flicks, this little gem will reach a good ‘cruising altitude’ to viewers with a soft spot for feel-good films. Its premise is at times over the top sugar-coated, but in a world post 9/11 airports, it’s refreshing to remember what an airplane was like in the old days – like um, in the year 2000.
