MOVIE - CATCH ME IF YOU CAN - Review Rating $$$$$ $$$$ (OUT OF 10)

STARRING - Leonardo DiCaprio (Frank W. Abagnale Jr.), Tom Hanks (FBI Agent), Jennifer Garner, Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken (Frank W. Abagnale Sr.), Amy Adams and James Brolin.

DIRECTOR - Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Raiders of the Lost Ark, A.I., Jaws; Minority Report etc.)

The movie is based on the book, by Frank W. Abagnale Jr., Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Most Extraordinary Liar. Abagnale was a con artist/forger extraordinary and the youngest person ever put on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List.

Spielberg's range, as a director, is really quite amazing. His portfolio is as diverse as any director before him. In Catch Me If You Can he directs with a seeming light touch that he also demonstrated in one of the summer's best movies, Minority Report. Spielberg trusts his actors, the story and his audience. Once again, though this film has a deeper message, Spielberg doesn't hit the audience over the head. While at times sentimental and humanistic without being overwrought, Spielberg keeps Catch Me If You Can light and fast on its feet, just like Abagnale the con man.

Some of the credit must go to screenwriter Jeff Nathanson whose prior work doesn't demonstrate nearly the same degree of quality or restraint (For Better or Worse; co-writer of Speed 2 & Rush Hour 2).

The humanistic aspect of Catch Me If You Can involves Abagnale's relationship to his parents and ultimately the FBI Agent who captured him. As his family life collapses around him, Abagnale chooses flight (both literally and figuratively) instead of fight. It is a 16 year olds' struggle to maintain and restore the larger than life image, that most sons have of their fathers, that propels this crime spree. His father's less than admirable qualities are what provide him the basic tools to accomplish his feats. This too is a form of unconscious flattery. In many ways, through sheer audacity and panache, the son succeeds where his father did not.

The audacity, is what keeps Catch Me If You Can, a rollicking affair. If you didn't know it was based on true events you probably wouldn't believe the story and thus lose interest in the tale quickly. How could so many people be taken in by a teenager? The answer, which is as true today as it was in the 1960's (when the story takes place) is that people see what they want to see. This is even truer when you appeal to people's vanity. No matter how much we protest or deny it, confidence, glibness, compliments and deference to our authority/position will disarm even the most cynical and hardened adversary. Having absorbed his father's teachings, Abagnale intuitively understood and applied this truism, to a life of crime.

There's a great line in the film that eloquently sums up Abagnale's true nature. In a letter to his father, Abagnale writes, "You told me an honest man has nothing to fear. I am trying not to be afraid". What's remarkable about that admission, besides the irony, is that it is one of the few instances where Abignale looks closely at himself in the mirror. The desire to delude oneself, and others, is another family trait that Abignale pocesses in large quantities.

Abignale's ultimate undoing is directly related to his real need for acceptance and familial serenity. The FBI Agent, played by Hanks, becomes a surrogate father in many ways. Abignale's need for stability, in his home life and otherwise, explains this relationship, why he was caught and what he ultimately does with his life.

Hanks, Hollywood's nice guy, is in his element here. The suit didn't quite fit, when he portrayed a gangster in The Road to Perdition, another crime movie that was really about family values. Walken's performance, as Abignale Sr., is remarkable and deserving of a Best Supporting Actor nomination/Oscar.

DiCaprio also gives an excellent performance. Having watched him in two movies in the same week (Gangs of New York) I have both gained a greater appreciation for his ability and noticed certain limitations. In both movies there are scenes he struggles with. While his obvious charm comes through in spades in both films he isn't quite able to pull off some of the more serious moments. The best example I can think of in Catch Me If You Can is a failed escape from jail. At the moment of capture, he is still in con artist mode, seemingly unable to convey the deeper emotions such an outcome would conjure up in even the most shallow person. In other words, DiCaprio occasionally reminds you that he is acting and the limits of his ability to do so.

Catch Me If You Can also captures the style of the 1960's convincingly. Even the opening credits are fun and appropriate.

An entertaining movie, with a broader message, Catch Me If You Can should be caught by you at the earliest opportunity.

Alternative Reviews:

Roger Ebert's Review

Rotten Tomatoes Reviews

Catch Me If You Can Official Website

MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2002 LIST

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