Plot
Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) arrives at JFK International Airport, but finds that he is not allowed to leave. While he was en route to the United States, a revolution was started in his home nation of Krakozhia. Due to the civil war, the United States no longer recognizes Krakozhia as a sovereign nation and denies Viktor's entrance to the United States, since he technically has no citizenship. Unable to leave the airport or return to Krakozhia, Viktor instead lives in the terminal.
Viktor quickly befriends the staff at the terminal while being under the watchful eye of Immigration Officer Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci), who wants Navorski removed from the airport. Initially being deprived of food by Dixon as a method of trying to get him arrested and made someone else's problem, Navorski takes on the task of retrieving vacant baggage trolleys for the 25 cent reward from the machine. He uses this money to buy food from Burger King until eventually Dixon prevents him from collecting. He then makes his first friend, a catering car driver named Enrique (Diego Luna) who asks him to approach a female Customs and Border Protection officer named Dolores (Zoë Saldana) for him in exchange for food. With Viktor's help, Enrique and Dolores eventually marry each other. He meets flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones), who asks him out to dinner, but he tries to earn money in order to ask Amelia out instead. He finally gets an off-the-books job as a construction worker at the airport earning $19 an hour.
Viktor is asked to interpret for a desperate Russian man with undocumented drugs for his sick father. Viktor claims it is "medicine for goat," barring the drug from confiscation and resolving the crisis. Under pressure and the watchful eye of the Airport Ratings committee, who is evaluating Dixon for an upcoming promotion, Dixon has a falling out with Viktor. Though Dixon is advised that sometimes rules must be ignored, he becomes obsessed with getting Viktor ejected from the airport. An Airport janitor Rajan Gupta (Kumar Pallana), exaggerates the "goat" incident to his fellow co-workers and as a result, Viktor earns the respect and admiration of all of the airport staff.
One day, Viktor explains to Amelia that the purpose of his visit to New York is to collect an autograph from the tenor saxophonist Benny Golson. His late father was a jazz enthusiast who had discovered the "Great Day in Harlem" photograph in a Hungarian newspaper in 1958, and vowed to get an autograph of all the 57 jazz musicians featured on the photograph.
A few months later, the war in Krakozhia ends, but Dixon will still not allow Viktor to enter the United States. Amelia reveals that she had asked her 'friend' — actually a married government official with whom she had been having an affair — to assist Viktor in obtaining permission to travel within the US, but Viktor is disappointed to learn she has renewed her relationship with the man during this process.
To make matters worse, Dixon needs to sign the form granting Viktor the right to remain in the United States, but refuses. He instead blackmails Viktor into returning to Krakozhia, or he will deport Gupta to his native country, where he is wanted for assaulting a corrupt police officer. Upon hearing this, Gupta runs in front of Viktor's plane and asks Viktor to go anyway. The plane is delayed, giving Viktor enough time to go into the city and obtain the autograph. With the blessing of the entire airport staff, Viktor leaves the airport after receiving a uniform coat from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Assistant Port Director and hails a taxi. Dixon, watching Viktor leave the airport, decides not to pursue him. As Viktor prepares to take the taxi to a Ramada Inn where Benny Golson is performing, he observes Amelia exiting from a cab, where she gives him a wistful smile. He has a short conversation with the cab driver, telling him how to avoid traffic on the way to the hotel and that he is from Krakozhia. The driver tells Viktor that he is from Albania and arrived earlier that week. He attends the show and collects the autograph, finally completing the collection. Afterwards, Viktor leaves and hails a taxi, telling the driver: "I am going home."
Cast
* Tom Hanks as Viktor Navorski
* Catherine Zeta-Jones as Amelia Warren
* Stanley Tucci as Frank Dixon
* Barry Shabaka Henley as Thurman
* Kumar Pallana as Rajan Gupta
* Diego Luna as Enrique Cruz
* Chi McBride as Mulroy
* Zoë Saldana as Dolores Torres
* Eddie Jones as Salchak
* Jude Ciccolella as Karl Iverson
* Corey Reynolds as Waylin
* Guillermo Diaz as Bobby Alima
* Rini Bell as Nadia
* Benny Golson as himself
* Valeri Nikolayev as Milodragovich
I think that Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones) going back to her lover made a mistake! What do you think?
