I used to spend a lot of time in airports as the first 2 jobs that I ever had were both traveling jobs because they paid well if you were willing to live your life out of a suitcase.
Tom Hanks’ character has a slightly more immersive situation as far feeling as though he lives at an airport is concerned as he actually does have to live at an airport. While in transit, civil war breaks out in his home country of Krakozhia(fictional) and since his country has been dissolved, he can not enter the United States (I don’t think this is how that system works, it might)
He speaks very little English, he knows no one, and his currency is useless because of the fact that there is not country to back up the cash anymore. Obviously this presents some problems. He can not go home, and he can not enter the United States. I think that in this situation he would probably be entitled to some sort of asylum but whatever, that would ruin the entire premise for the film.
He ends up making friends and his situation gets the attention of many of the other staff of the airport who are sympathetic to his situation and do what they can to help him as he ends up helping many of them along the way as well just by being a genuinely nice guy.
It is a story filled with truly touching moments that I suppose are typical of Hanks movies but I think if I had to choose my favorites of what he has done this would definitely be in the top 5. It’s mostly a drama, but it has elements of comedy and romance in it as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would gladly watch it again.
It isn’t exactly action-packed but I actually feel that the story is exactly as long as it needs to be because none of the scenes in the film’s #### minutes seem unnecessary or superfluous. Everything that happens is needed for the story. Tom does a great job impersonating what I think is an eastern European accent and at one point he speaks what I think is Russian and it seems legit. I’ll have to ask a Russian.
I am currently sitting in a terminal of my own at the moment and thankfully I only have a few more hours here. As is traditional with Hanks' work, this movie made a ton of money