Think about the last time you were at an airport. Unless you're a really big deal it was probably a bit of a nightmare, right? Personally, airports are like a kind of purgatory, a necessary agony before reaching either sweet home or somewhere more exciting. Imagine having to live in one for weeks.
That's the premise behind The Terminal a 2004 Steven Spielberg comedy drama that I love. In fact, it is my favourite movie (just ahead of Big) that stars 'Everyone's dad' Tom Hanks. Sadly, however, this is one bit of in-flight entertainment that you'll need to be quick to catch, it leaves Netflix on the 15th of January.
Hanks plays Victor Navorski, a man from a fictional Eastern European country hoping to visit New York. When his plane touches down at JFK however, it becomes clear he won't be going anywhere. A coup in his homeland leaves Victor in diplomatic limbo, and he's forced to live in the airport.
We're given some heartwarmingly funny scenes of him adjusting to life in the duty-free area of the terminal, returning trolleys/carts for money to spend in the stores, but in truth, Viktor is in a very sad situation.
This hurts even more when you see how sweet of a man he is. The airport's staff all quickly fall for his earnest charm and befriend him. He might even find love with flight attendant Amelia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) making a big impression. Viktor is a thoroughly likeable man, played by an actor who does likeable better than anyone.
Everyone likes him that is, save for the airport's Commissioner Frank (Stanley Tucci) who will do anything to get this perceived pest out of his precious airport, regardless of where he ends up.
In today's world with countless displaced refugees, this is a movie that reminds us there is a human behind every statistic, with their own story to be told. Please watch The Terminal, you'll laugh and cry, sometimes simultaneously.
Of course much like an airport, as one movie leaves, another arrives, and Netflix is getting a much-lauded sci-fi Blockbuster very soon. If you want more top picks, check out our handy holiday streaming guide.
