Review: Catch Me If You Can

No, it’s not “Zero Dark Thirty.” I was too busy making my own movie this weekend to see that one. It’s also not a new movie–2002 is over a decade ago now. I’m reviewing this movie because I saw it for the first time this week, and I liked it.

The first question I had while watching the movie was why have I not seen or heard of this movie before? Seriously. Directed by Steven Spielberg, lots of noteworthy actors, and yet it seemed to have disappeared off the map, at least for me.

Maybe it’s just the timing. This movie is from that awkward space in time where it’s too young to be considered classic but old enough to be on VHS.

Oh hey there, childhood.

To give an extremely quick summary, “Catch Me If You Can” is about the true story of a 17-year-old kid who conned the world out of millions of dollars using false checks, impersonating a pilot, doctor, and lawyer, and fooling Tom Hanks. I mean, the FBI.

Anyway, it’s a little pointless to critique the plot of a movie based off a true story. And I won’t talk about Spielberg’s attention to historical detail because

1. Spielberg has been very off/on about this in the past. “Amistad” tweaked the past quite a bit, but his recent film “Lincoln” seemed to faithfully represent actual events a bit more. Mr. Spielberg seems to love himself some true stories, but he also loves to change them to fit the bill of classic storytelling and the expectations of moviegoers–I’m guessing he changed quite a few things about the true story behind “Catch Me If You Can,” for his own storytelling reasons.

2. I don’t want to do the research on the true story.

“Do it yourself.”

Oh, yeah, Christopher Walken is in this movie. I liked his performance, but Leonardo DiCaprio really stole the show here. He was an innocent, young boy, a charismatic conman, or an emotionally damaged prisoner, depending on what Spielberg needed him to be.

I also seem to be reviewing a lot of DiCaprio movies lately (“Django Unchained,” “The Departed”). It has me wondering where his Oscar is.

All in all, this movie was handled nicely. The action never really stops; it’s funny; it’s dramatic; it’s a little bit of everything. I like semi-colons.

If this movie was a dessert item, it would be the kind of frozen yogurt you get at Kiwi when you’re really hungry and can’t help but put every single sort of topping on, and even though you’re not sure about your strange and fascinating new dish, the first bite is fantastic and heart-warming and seems to satisfy your hunger.

No regrets

Until next week.

 

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11 Responses to Review: Catch Me If You Can

  1. Anurag Sen says:

    This was a great movie. I remember watching this movie for the first time. Then, I watched the movie again. I liked how it was so suspenseful and there were always twists and turns throughout the movie. The movie was also based on a true story which made it more thrilling.

  2. Mackenzie Schrock says:

    I absolutely love this movie! I first saw this movie at my neighbors house a few years ago. At first I had no idea what the movie was about, but once I realized what I was watching I could not believe that this was based on a true story and how cool the story actually was. Aside from me loving the movie, I have to say that Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, and Leo did quite the job acting out this classic tale. Great blog!

  3. Sean McGowan says:

    Yet another movie that everyone else has seen…and I haven’t. I have a huge list of “classics” I haven’t seen, and have been knocking them out since senior year high school. Some disturbing statistics: I saw Shawshank three months ago, and Forrest Gump last summer. Yes summer 2012. But I digress, I’ll definitely be checking this movie out. And except for maybe Ed Norton, Leo holds the honor of being one of the most robbed actors from the Academy Award. As always, a great/funny review

  4. Mike Stavrakos says:

    I’ve seen this movie many times and I still really like it. I think it’s just a really interesting story, especially considering it’s true.

  5. Dani Smith says:

    I have never seen “Catch Me If You Can” but perhaps I should. I never really knew what it was about, but it certainly sounds very interesting! Poor Leo, never getting his Oscar. (have this one it’s one of my favorites) http://25.media.tumblr.com/1cda32dda80f3c22d4992a582eb0f95a/tumblr_mgf3wrI7GO1qazlgbo1_r1_500.gif

  6. gwo5036 says:

    Classic movi. I remember seeing it for the first time on a 5 hour plane ride to California when I was smaller, back when they actually offered movies on non international flights. Di Caprio is fanastic as usual in this film and the plot line led to a really enjoyable film. I for one am excited for the Great Gatsby as well, looks to be another hit from an incredible actor.

  7. Mary Newman says:

    I will watch Catch Me If You Can on repeat for hours. I wish TBS showed this for 24 hours every Christmas instead of A Christmas Story. I seriously just love it so much, which probably has a lot to do with Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s gorgeous and I just really love his character in this movie. He does an awesome job with the role. I also think Tom Hanks does a great job with his character. Thanks for reminding me how much I love this movie!

  8. Sabrina Evans says:

    I think you should keep the Leo reviews coming! He’s an incredible actor and deserves every positive review he gets. Personally excited for the Great Gatsby…Who knows! That could be where that Oscar comes from. Possibly. Probably not.

  9. Austin Marlowe says:

    While not very informed about the film, I do know a lot about the Broadway musical adaption–which stated Aaron Tveit who was also in Les Miserables. I think the story is interesting enough to capture both kinds of audiences, Ill have to add the film to my list–and yes I have a list of films to watch.

  10. Kimmie Williams says:

    Don’t worry, he gets an oscar here: http://imgur.com/Yz7pJ
    I also have not heard of this movie…But I’m trying to figure out WHY because I LOVE Tom Hanks. I’ll have to look it up, hopefully it’s on Netflix. Nice review! I like when you talk about the directors because they all are so different yet contribute so much to the movie industry.

  11. SkeetaBomb says:

    Absolutely one of my favorite movies, I’m glad you chose to review it. Frank Abignale was always my idol growing up lol.

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