The Terminal

2004
PG-13
2h 8m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

505K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

Play trailer0:31

An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

505K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,115

324

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 7 wins & 8 nominations

Trivia
The movie was inspired by the story of Mehran Karimi Nasseri. He landed at Charles De Gaulle Airport near Paris in 1988, after being denied entry into England because his Iranian passport and United Nations refugee certificate had been stolen. French authorities wouldn't let him leave the airport, so he remained in Terminal One, a stateless person with nowhere else to go. He was eventually granted permission to either enter France or return to Iran, but he chose to live in the terminal and tell his story to anyone who would listen. Reportedly, his mental health deteriorated over the years. When given the opportunity to live in France, he refused because the documents did not identify him as "Sir Alfred", and he claimed to have forgotten his native Persian. He left the terminal in August 2006 to be hospitalized for an unspecified illness. Afterward, he lived in a hotel on the money received from the film (DreamWorks reportedly paid him $250,000 for the use of his biography). Nasseri moved back to Charles de Gaulle airport in October 2022. He died in terminal 2F on November 12, 2022.

Goofs
Napoleon did not "isolate himself on the tiny island of St Helena". He was exiled there and kept under guard until his death. There is also no evidence that he tried to poison himself.

Quotes
Amelia: I have to go.
Viktor Navorski: I have to stay.
Amelia: Story of my life.
Viktor Navorski: Me too.

Crazy credits
SPOILER: Part of the closing credits of the prominent cast/crew use their actual signature. This follows with the secondary plot of Victor trying to get the last signature for the memory of his deceased father, as well as is a tribute to the "Star Trek" film Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) which did the same thing.

Connections
Featured in HBO First Look: Inside 'The Terminal' (2004)

Soundtracks
Strangers in the Night
Written by Bert Kaempfert, Charles Singleton & Eddie Snyder
Performed by Strings Unlimited
Courtesy of Countdown Media

User reviews857

Review

Featured review

7/10

Tom Hanks loves being stuck

Tom Hanks seems to be good at the "stuck" role. First he was stuck on an island in "Castaway", now he is stuck in an airport in "The Terminal". He plays Viktor Navorski and he is in America from his Eastern European home, but since there is turmoil in his land, he can't get permission to step foot onto American soil.

In a movie such as this one, you are greatly relying on the actor to carry it. This is a movie with no action, no real romance, no special effects, and no scene changes. Tom Hanks does an excellent job as the broken English speaking European. There are a few engaging incidents throughout the movie while the main story prods along: that being Viktor trying to get permission to walk outside the airport. There are a few other interesting characters, and there is even a bit of anticipation as you hold on to find out exactly why Viktor is in America. I liked the movie. I thought Tom was wonderful and I thought the character combination was choice.