Intermission: 'Terminal' entertaining but lacks many details

Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.

While mega-director Steven Spielberg's latest film, "The Terminal," is ostensibly "inspired" by a true "incident," you must suspend disbelief as much as when viewing "E.T." or "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." If you do so and overlook some glaring illogical plot points and lack of details (rare in a film that runs more than two hours) you'll find a very sweet, gentle and romantic comedy.

As always with Spielberg, there's an underlying meaning to the story and, as always, it may be something only Spielberg himself grasps to its fullest extent. Having one of the world's biggest, richest, state-of-the-art studios at his disposal (he's the "S" in the "SKG" associated with DreamWorks) allows him to craft his film in ways that those working on a less-opulent budget would not be able to do. The production design (by Alex McDowell) and overall feel of "The Terminal" are impeccable, and only in retrospect does one begin to appreciate how difficult this production must have been.

"The Terminal" takes place entirely inside the International Terminal of JFK Airport in New York City.

Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) has just arrived from the (fictitious) country of Krakozhia, presumably a former Soviet state. While en route, Viktor's government has experienced a military coup. Upon landing at JFK, he finds his country doesn't officially exist any longer nullifying his passport and the United States hasn't recognized the new government, so he can't get a visa. He can't legally enter this country, but the powers that be cannot send him back, either. He's in limbo.

Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci) is the head of security at JFK, but has to deal with this situation deftly because he is in line for a big promotion. He advises Viktor he is not to leave the International Terminal. In reality, he expects and hopes this man without a country will do just that. Then Viktor will become someone else's problem and not be a fly in the ointment for Dixon's promotion.

Although Viktor understands almost no English, he somehow gets the idea of what's going on.

So he doesn't leave. He finds a terminal space that is shut down awaiting renovation and moves in, washing up as he can in the airport restrooms.

While shaving one day, a businessman commuter looks at Viktor and asks, "Do you ever feel like you just live in the airport?"

It's a funny line but doesn't excuse some of the shortcomings of plausibility in "The Terminal." We never get to see the personal interactions, which lead to Viktor's eventual grasp of English. We see where he sleeps, but we don't get a sense of his day-to-day life. Time moves swiftly and, before we know it, six months have passed.

Eventually, Viktor strikes up friendships with several of the workers who also inhabit JFK on a day-to-day basis. The most fully realized of these characters is the custodian Gupta (Kumar Pallana), who provides many of the film's most inventive, as well as touching, laughs. He also befriends a baggage handler and a food-service worker. The latter seeks Viktor's help in wooing the girl of his dreams.

Viktor himself finds a love interest in flight attendant Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones), a woman who has nothing but bad luck with (mostly married) men. Zeta-Jones' role isn't as big as expected and this sub-plot doesn't follow conventional Hollywood standards.

Eventually, Viktor's mission to America is revealed, as is what's in the mysterious peanut can he carries.

The tension grows between he and Dixon.

After an incident where Viktor acts as an impromptu interpreter, he becomes a hero to all of the folks working in the shops and restaurants at JFK. He even gets a job as a carpenter for a crew working on remodeling the terminal. In Frank Capra's world this would be plausible. In the post 9/11 reality of 2004, it's as far-fetched as an alien riding a bicycle through the air.

Hanks is great at his craft and has that gift every actor desires: Audiences love him and root for him at every turn.

Despite its flaws, this is a very unique and gentle piece of work.

As far-fetched as this premise may be, in reality, there is a man living in an airport. His name is Merhan Karimi Nasseri, and he's been at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris since 1988. His legal situation was remedied years ago and he's been paid a six-figure sum by DreamWorks for "The Terminal." Two other films have been inspired by him. He still won't leave. He seems to be afraid of the outside world.