Catch Me If You Can

[CMJ]

My time at the computer is limited(family ya know), but we saw this today...and it's GREAT!

Man...I wanna write a full review, and if I have time tommorrow I will. But suffice it to say it's one of the best films of 2002 IMHO. Spielberg has done it again.

[JonathanLB]

Then it looks like my 14th four star rating of the year will go to Catch Me If You Can tonight at 10:10 :)

I love Spielberg and IMO he has been "on" lately -- you know what I mean, CMJ, you and I are two of the people to appreciate A.I. as it should be! ;)

I cannot wait now, THANKS for your official word CMJ! I usually find your taste in these types of movies to be great.

I'm looking forward to Chicago and Evelyn opening in Portland at Fox Tower 10 on Friday, can't wait. I don't think I will see either on opening day, but I intend to get to Chicago during the weekend at the very least, but I'd rather see 'em both on the weekend...

[JonathanLB]

That was an incredible film! My sister thinks it's one of the best movies she's ever seen.

I would not go that far at all, but it was totally delightful, even better than I thought it would be. The story was captivating from the first time I read about it in Entertainment Weekly and the full movie is amazing. Music is great (duh), Dicaprio's best performance yet, I think, even much better than in Gangs of New York. As they said before, Dicaprio had another chance immediately after Gangs of NY to achieve commercial success; Scorsese did not. This film should do well as it was packed at my 10:10 showing. I imagine the entire day was busy. I see it making $200 million in the United States and enjoying a long box office run. This is a real crowd pleaser.

I was happy with everything in the movie and as one other critic said, this is the type of movie that would never have been made unless the story were really true, because it's just that strange. Sometimes, the truth really is stranger than fiction. :) This is such a case.

4 stars, and one of the ten best movies of the year! You can quote me ;)

[sirdizzy]

going to see it today

[Sanis Prent]

It'll never top Spielberg's work in BoB, but I do want to see this very badly.

[JonathanLB]

I am not posting this on the site yet (software issues because I'm not at my normal computer), but I thought you guys might like to see this and CMJ you might be especially interested. I wrote my review of the film using two news articles that I have cited at the bottom of the review...

This is unedited, so mistakes could be present:

Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Jonathan L. Bowen

In the mid 1960’s, Frank William Abagnale, Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) became the youngest successful con man in the history of the United States. When he was just 16, he left his home in New York and began an adventure that spanned 26 foreign countries and all 50 states. In each of those locations, he cashed more than $2.5 million worth of fraudulent checks. In the film, he must constantly elude dedicated and serious FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), who chases him throughout the United States and then the world. During his remarkable journey, Abagnale seduces numerous women, cashes thousands of fake checks, impersonates an airline pilot for most of his years, and also manages to pass the bar exam and fake being a Harvard-educated lawyer in addition to his stint as a doctor. He eventually falls in love with Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), but not long before the FBI again tries to capture him in Catch Me If You Can.

Readers and audiences want to know how much of Catch Me If You Can is true and which parts, which will be explained as much as possible, but the entire issue is complicated and sometimes impossible to discern fact from fiction. Basically, the general events of the film are all accurate. For instance, Abagnale really passed the bar exam without attending college or finishing high school. He was also a pilot and a doctor for “a few days,” he says, but the movie seemed to make him into a doctor for a much longer time. Abagnale was definitely one of the greatest American conmen, especially because of his young age.

During one scene in the film, a famous model wants Abagnale to pay for a night with her, which is not what he had originally intended to do, but eventually he agrees on $1,000. He wants to go cash a check and pay her the money, but she agrees to accept a $1,400 check and give him $400 in cash, so what she really has done is pay $400 for a night with him. The scene never appeared in the script, but it was in the book upon which Catch Me If You Can is loosely based. The 1980 book, by deceased Houston Chronicle reporter Stan Redding and based on interviews with Abagnale is called Catch Me If You Can: The Amazing True Story of the Youngest and Most Daring Con Man in the History of Fun and Profit! Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson left other details of the book out of the final screenplay. Abagnale also says that the book embellishes certain aspects of his life as a con man.

Towards the end of the film, Abagnale escapes from FBI custody in a daring escape that audiences probably assume never happened. Nevertheless, he really did escape FBI custody from a plane in New York and fled to Georgia, where agents apprehended him in a suburb a month later. Although the film has its fictional elements and is created for the entertainment of moviegoers, Abagnale nonetheless applauded Spielberg, DiCaprio, Hanks, and the rest of the crew for their creation of the film, which he says captures the essence of his life as a conman, at least.

Another entirely fabricated element of the story is Hanks’ character, Carl Hanratty, who is more a combination of several FBI agents, notably Joe Shea, rather than one real life person. Abagnale did not talk to any FBI agent every Christmas Eve; as he observes, such an idea is absurd because he did not want the FBI to catch him. One great scene in the film, near the beginning, has Abagnale impersonating a substitute teacher for a week, even assigning homework to the class, but he had not yet become a con man and was still living with his parents. It is one of the most memorable, charming scenes in any movie of 2002. Nonetheless, it is entirely fabricated, which is a testament to Spielberg’s genius as a director and also Nathanson’s strong screenplay.

Because many parts of the movie are not entirely true, or are actually entirely fictional, Spielberg deserves more credit for the cinematic value of Catch Me If You Can than he may receive from moviegoers who think he just created the movie from a set of hard facts. Catch Me If You Can is really a great movie, but not a documentary and not a non-fiction film. It is merely based on the amazing exploits of one man. One important element of the film is entirely true, though, which is that Abagnale only spent four years in prison (of a twelve year sentence) before joining the FBI’s financial crimes and bank fraud unit. He has served his country for decades since his prison sentence ended and is responsible for the fraud prevention systems that many Fortune 500 companies use to protect their holdings.

After two excellent science fiction films that explore important moral and philosophical issues, namely A.I. (2001) and Minority Report (2002), Spielberg has returned to lighter subject matter in a film that is more of a crowd pleaser, but less intellectual by nature. He has picked consistently compelling material to develop into movies, which is a testament to his brilliance. A great director is not only a person who is capable of taking a script and turning it into a great movie, but also a person who knows what stories will translate well to movies and what projects are worthy of his attention. Spielberg is one of the most reliable directors in film history because he continually provides films that entertain and even inspire audiences.

Leonardo DiCaprio enjoyed a good performance in Gangs of New York (2002), which opened a week earlier, but Daniel Day-Lewis overshadowed him with an amazing performance as the antagonist. In Catch Me If You Can, however, DiCaprio is the true star and eclipses even the brilliant Tom Hanks. DiCaprio has all of boyish charm to play the role of a young man who can talk his way into and out of any situation with ease. Hanks’ performance should not be disregarded either, though. He is the perfect antagonist to the anti-hero of the story and the relationship between the fugitive and his pursuer is a driving force of the film. Christopher Walken also has an important part as the father of Abignale Jr., which he plays well.

John Williams (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park) contributes yet another great score to Catch Me If You Can, which is the fourth major film he has scored in 2002. The other three were Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Minority Report, and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Another masterful aspect of Catch Me If You Can that any review should mention is the creative and amusing animated title sequence, which is one of the most impressive of the year. Spielberg has created yet another masterpiece in a long career of blockbusters. Catch Me If You Can is one of the year’s ten best movies.

****

For more information see:

Seiler, Andy. “Here’s the Catch: True Tale Isn’t.” USA Today 23 Dec. 2002.

Baker, Bob. “From con man to consultant.” The Oregonian 26 Dec. 2002.

[sirdizzy]

heres my review

Movie Review: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Thriller, Crime/Gangster, Drama and Action/Adventure 2 hrs 20 mins
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Garner, Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

When Frank Abgnale Jr. turned 16 years old Dad who had always been quite well off got into trouble with the IRS and lost all the things his money had bought like the nice house and new cars. Now forced to move to an apartment his parents begin to have martial problems that lead them to a divorce. Frank who was already kind of a conman as he had impersonated a substitute teacher for a week at his new school cannot face his parents split up. So when he runs away from home he finds himself strapped for cash and a place to live. He has started passing bad checks but now they are not accepting them anymore and so when he sees an airline pilot and how respected they are he comes up with a bold scheme. Through a variety of scams he manages to get a pilot’s uniform, ID card, and even a FAA license, which are all fake. So impersonating as a pilot he flies around the world from city to city-opening new accounts and passing even more worthless checks. But the checks are so small he decides to expand and begins to make his own airline paychecks in much larger amounts. But his check passing scams have not gone unnoticed and now an FBI agent Carl is hot on his trail so he abandons the air and settles down in Atlanta. But he cannot turn up the chance to impersonate another profession and makes himself and Doctor and works in a hospital for 11 months. In the meantime Carl is still-hunting him and again his scam is uncovered and he must run again. This time he runs to New Orleans and makes himself a Lawyer and even prosecutes in the State’s Attorneys Office. But Carl will not give up chasing him so Frank runs to Europe where he begins to make his own checks again, in the end he will end up passing over four million dollars in counterfeits before he is caught.

This is the tale of probably the best conman and check frauder ever. The real Frank would serve 5 years in prison before being recruited by the FBI to help them catch other check kiters. The movie is absolutely stunning and amazing as the story is so rich and incredible you cannot help but be blown away with the scams Frank thought of pulling. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank and probably puts in his best acting performance since the days when he was unknown. He makes a dashing Frank and a great conman as he has the personality of Frank who used his charm and looks to pull off a lot of his crimes. Tom Hanks also puts in a stellar performance as Carl the FBI agent chasing him. Hanks just has the skills to pull of this dour and grumpy character to perfection as he chases endlessly after Frank. And while the acting is great it is the story that totally makes this movie worthwhile since most of it is true. Steven Spielberg weaves together a great masterpiece of action and adventure while at the same time making you laugh through much of the movie. This movie is a definite holiday treat and Christmas present as it is so enthralling and amazing you may want to see it a second time. And while the movie differs somewhat from the book Frank Abgnale has said the movie is probably closer to what happened than the book. Go see it.
4.5 Stars out of 5

[JediBoricua]

Saw it yesterday. Excellent Movie.

I found it witty and smart, greatly paced and entertaining. Dicaprio stole the show and redeemed himself as an actor, I have not seen GONY and to me he was just another pretty boy. Hanks' acting is impecable as always. It is very different from other Spielberg movies, which makes it even better.

The soundtrack also helps a lot, Williams is a genius. And like someone said earlier, the starting sequence is one of the best ever.

On the other hand, I do not think it will be an oscar contender, it just isn't the kind of movie that wins awards.

[JonathanLB]

You are right, it is too good for awards shows. It is too entertaining, too fun, too amusing, and everyone is obviously having WAY too much fun. Awards films are supposed to be serious, artistic, and depressing.

[CMJ]

I could see it getting a few nominations...especially with Dreamworks Oscar machine behind it.

[sirdizzy]

thats why the award shows suck jonathon

[JonathanLB]

*ding ding* 100 points to Sir Dizzy! :) Amen.

CMJ, that Oscar machine is frickin' well refined! Haha. DreamWorks is so good, I love them. American Beauty, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind in a row for Best Picture, now that's just astonishing. They are the masters of Oscar marketing.

[CMJ]

Miramax has quite a machine too. I think they''ve had at least one film nominated for like 10 straight years.

Dreamworks and Miramax are by far the best at Oscar marketing.

[JonathanLB]

Definitely true. Miramax has been great at this for longer than DreamWorks...

Miramax rather ticks me off lately, though, I mean their tampering with Hero is bad enough, but then they start making a bunch of stupid films and moving off the path they were on, which is buying the rights to and financing smaller films of interest to niche audiences and more artistic, art house films. I don't want to see teen comedies by Miramax, ok, if I want to see those then I can watch other studios like Fox, Warner Bros., or whoever else make them. Miramax needs to stick to what it knows best, which is bringing foreign films here to our audiences and financing ambitious films that have awards potential and are intended for serious viewers. This is a major problem when a business starts to go beyond what it knows, IMO. Just the same as I don't want to see General Motors making video games. Stick to what you know.

[CMJ]

BTW, the book "Catch Me if You Can" is great. The film definitiely got the spirit of the book, but they shifted around some things chronoligically...deleted certain things...added others. Still I think it was an excellent adaption.

In real life though...I think Frank was even slicker than he was in the movie.

[Sejah Haversh]

I loved this movie, absolutely loved it. I am buying it for sure.

[sirdizzy]

i have read the book and the real frank did say that movie is probably closer to what happened then the book which he said was exagerated a little bit by the author who did the book for him in 1980

[JonathanLB]

That's true, Dizzy.

I haven't read the book yet, hehe, you guys are way ahead of me. I just have too many film books to read to get to books that films are based on too, unfortunately.

I got a BUNCH of great books for x-mas that I can't wait to read, specifically I am looking forward to the Frank Capra autobiography and the Preston Sturges biography that I got.

[Diego Van Derveld]

Excellent movie :)...pure enjoyment.

[Dutchy]

Real nice movie. Excellent performance by DiCaprio.

Jonathan, did you see What's Eating Gilbert Grape? Since you say CMIYC was his best performance yet, I wonder if you've seen Grape.

[JonathanLB]

I really do need to see that, actually. I figure that What's Eating Gilbert Grape is probably not as good of a "performance" as such because Leo is playing a retard and we all know he really IS a retard, so it seems like he wouldn't have to act quite as much for that part.

Haha, I'm just kidding ;) I'll try to see that here eventually.

[CMJ]

I thought he was terrific in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", but I'm not sure that's his best performance. He's a had several memorable portrayls for someone so young IMHO.