Rating: 
Summary: Enthusiastically recommended (4.5 stars)
Review: "Catch Me If You Can" is a wonderful movie. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, a teenaged boy who cashes $4 million worth of phony checks and cons his way into the glamorous lives of an airline pilot, a pediatrician, and a lawyer. Tom Hanks plays Carl Handratty, the FBI agent obsessed with catching Frank...if he can. It's the cat-and-mouse chase that occupies the bulk of movie, but what a gleeful chase it is! "Catch Me If You Can" examines the subtleties of Frank's and Handratty's characters without trying too hard. As a result, there's no black and white good cop/ bad thief. That's what makes it so insteresting. Normally this is a weighty kind of subject matter, but because of the dialogue and nuanced humor that sparkles as much as the movie's jazzy John Williams score and pop standards soundtrack, the movie remains lightfooted and upbeat. "Catch Me If You Can" also appeals to the the visual sense, as in the retro bright costuming and the strong, clean lines in the surrounding architecture. The all-star cast consists of established Hollywood giants (Hanks, Martin Sheen, Christopher Walken) and up and coming talent (DiCaprio, Jennifer Garner).But honestly, I'm no movie snob. I liked the story, was moved by the performances. It was funny. There was a cool opening credits sequence. I also liked how this Spielberg film managed to avoid the much of the gooey sentimentality seen in conclusions of some previous movies (AI, Minority Report). The only thing that annoyed me, I think, was that Jennifer Garner scene. Maybe there's more to it, but I saw it as a scene with little substantive value except to flaunt star power. Oh well. But for all you naysayers out there: Take this movie as it is, without the comparing it to the trailer or the real story. "Catch Me If You Can" seems to me a smart, cool movie about this one kid and the unconventional way he learned about love and family. An added bonus is the Christmas theme sprinkled throughout the movie, as a structural element I suppose. For this reason, I recommend that you see this holiday treat while the holiday season lasts.
Rating:
Summary: CATCH IT RIGHT AWAY!
Review: When one hears the name Steven Spielberg, one expects Science Fiction or epic war movies. Not here. 'Catch Me if You Can'--starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks--is about a teenager who manages to elude the FBI for nearly three years. DiCaprio proves that he is more than television and 'Titanic'. And Tom Hanks finally regains my respect after the bad 'Castaway'. If Spielberg continues to make movies like this, he might earn a little more respect as well. While I enjoy most of his films, there is still some making up to do after the overlong 'A.I.' and 'Minority Report'--both with good concepts that fall flat with special effects. Here, there are no special effects--not noticeable ones anyway. As for the complaints about this film not being accurate to the actual events, I do not know that--really does not matter because most movies claiming to have a basis on true events are fictionalized to some extent. Truth, the author of the original book probably embellished a little too. 'Catch Me if You Can' is the best movie I have seen this year. Rated PG-13 for brief sexual content and mild language.
Rating: 
Summary: facininating metamorphisis
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Not quite 5 stars as it was little slow in the beginning , too much time setting the story line. Dcaprio was excellent, would not have been my choice in the beginning but he proved he is a great talent. Tom Hanks is the best camelion there is, and Christopher Walken stole the movie. Not one of my favorite actors but here he was golden. His passion for his son, his mood, love and even the resemblence made for a a very convincing father/son relationship. This was definetly a Spielberg signature movie: the lighting, the intensity of the scenes and the camera showing the marching seriousness of the feet to heighten the drama. I was never bored but feel the previews were a bit disorting as this was not a comedy by any means..loved the flavor of the time and the aniquity at the lack of our technology today...Poor FBI had to use a pay phone all the time while "Frank" was ahead of them all the way...but the human quaility was portrayed with finess and and charm....a very good movie indeed!
Rating:
Summary: Catch Me If You Can
Review: The movie was well done as would be expected from a Spielberg movie. The story line was good and the plot moved along. My wife and I really enjoyed Tom Hanks as a character player as he played an incompetent FBI agent. It had an enjoyable ending.
Rating:
Summary: Catch This Movie
Review: Steven Spielberg has crafted what may be his most purely fun, breezy film that is quite unlike his pictures as of late, or really ever. It feels effortless in it's creation as do the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio as our young rouge and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent assigned to track him down. Casting DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale was a stroke of pure genius as he can capture the essence of both age 17 and 27 with ease. It helps that Spielberg's team has perfectly not only re-created the look, but the feel and sound of the 1960s with ease. From the creative animated opening title sequence to the final frame, everything feels natural to the time it portrays. John Williams once again completes Spielberg by returning to his jazz roots with a soundtrack that captures the film and it's mood perfectly. Frank Abagnale was obsessed with labels; not what they were for, but how they were perceived. Frank not only impersonated a pilot, doctor, and lawyer before his 25th birthday along with cashing millions of dollars in fraudulent checks, but got away with it. Why, because he made sure he was perceived the right way, had the right label. The 1960s America was much more trusting than today's and Frank couldn't have taken much more advantage of it. He was able to get information at ease, nobody questioning him why he wanted to know the detailed workings of both the airline and banking industry other than out of curiosity. Spielberg would naturally be attracted to this project. It's a well documented fact that Spielberg grew up in a broken home and it had a vast impact on him as does Frank's parents divorce on him. More importantly, Spielberg was a bit of an impersonator himself as a teen. He snuck into a film lot as a teenage and pretended he worked there, I believe even having his own office. A couple years later he got a job there, at least an official one. Frank Abagnale Jr.'s real love was for his parents and when their love isn't there anymore, his whole world crashes down on him. He was in awe of his father, Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken). They had the ideal life as Frank married the French sweetheart he found at the end of the war and he takes glory in reciting their story over and over. Walken gives a fantastic performance as Frank Sr., who gets in trouble with the IRS and his family forced to move from their comfy suburban home to a small apartment in the city. Frank's mother leaves them for a more successful man and instead of confronting his problem, Frank runs from it. He first starts cashing bad checks to live, but soon finds out he can get much farther when he remakes his image from a down and out runaway teen to an up and coming pilot. This was the jet-set age and flight was a relatively new thing and once Frank sees how high pilots are held in the public's view he knows exactly what to do. But the key is that he still feels like he's a teenager playing a game and doesn't come across as urgent or uptight so he's relatively cool when confronting those in a position to break his scam. His charm throughout is his best weapon and he's a dead-eye shooter with it. He hardly has to lift a finger to get information out of people and takes advantage of their trust in either his youth or look. He effortlessly moves from one scam to the next once the previous one feels threatened by either the occupation or the government who is catching up to him or usually just boredom of the same old gag getting old. Carl Hanratty (Hanks) seems to understand the mind of his prey. Hanks plays the character well and it's nice to see him in a role that can play off his freewheeling, humorous side. Hanratty has many close calls with Frank, the first where Hanratty had him in the same room but was fooled like so many before him. At first Abagnale loves it and relishes his near escape, until he realizes the only person he can have a truthful conversation with is Hanratty, which Hanratty uses to his advantage. He's closing in and Frank has to become that much more on his toes, which he takes as a challenge and meets it for the most part, but does become that much more frazzled. The interplay between Hanks and DiCaprio is really fun to watch. They push each other to embrace their own characters that much more and it's a joy to view. DiCaprio's fun, charming Frank is the perfect balance to Hank's boring, straight-edged Carl. They soon become each other's only true conversation partner as Hanratty starts getting calls from Frank and he calls Frank's bluff and tells him straight out "you didn't have anyone else to call!". Hanratty is getting too close and Frank has to run, but he has nowhere to go for the most part. It's no longer a game and he's coming to see himself as a criminal, not a kid, and wants to get caught but at the same time can't let himself stop playing the game. I was really impressed by DiCaprio's performance; same with Hanks. Both of them, along with director Steven Spielberg, seem effortless in their performance and the film comes across effortless to watch. The story flows well and you end up feeling for not only our lovable criminal, but also our plain federal agent, who ends up the only one who really cares for Frank, even after all the frustration he's brought him. The end may drag a bit, but it's doesn't take anything away from the film and the time isn't really wasted. John Williams provides a nice jazzy score to compliment what's on screen. A perfect holiday film that isn't out to blow you away, take to you a foreign land, or change your world, but to simply entertain the hell out of you and it succeeds perfectly in that department.
Rating:
Summary: has all the makings of a cult hit!!
Review: This movie is based on the true story of Frank William Abagnale, who, at the age of 16, had a short but brilliant career as a major con artist, faking a career as an airline pilot, pediatrician and lawyer, all the while being pursued by the FBI. What got me most about the movie was how simple it is to say anything and have people believe you. Frank is very clever and quick-witted, telling lies very smoothly, even when caught off-guard. He is perceptive and knows how to get information off people in a disarming conversation, then use it to further his schemes. The funniest scenes are when he watches TV shows about doctors or lawyers and uses the dialogue in his "real life" -- when he addresses a non-existent jury at a preliminary hearing after watching "Perry Mason", the judge yells, "Son, WHAT is wrong with you????" The film also is well-directed and beautifully filmed, ranging from tony New York City shots to sunny Miami scenes, where all the women are very very blonde, it seems. The dialogue between DiCaprio and Hanks is very rapid-fire, and it's great to see two such talented box-office stars, known for playing diverse roles, acting together(as opposed to Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt in "The Mexican" -- they always play the same exact character!) This is just plain good stuff, a diamond in the rough that is today's movie listings. You will get a kick out of this film, and decide it's well worth your time and money to see it more than once.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Film!
Review: I had high hopes for this film from the beginning and was not disappointed when I finally saw it. Leonardo DiCaprio is a talented actor, and he definitely puts emotion and charm into his role as the 16-year-old boy who faked his way into wealth by forging checks and conned through jobs as an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. This is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. and the FBI agent that tracks him for over two years, Carl Hanratty. The interaction between Hanks and DiCaprio is well portrayed. This does not seem like your average Steven Spielberg movie; it seems like Spielberg set out to prove that he can do more than science fiction. This film is worth it to see.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, Brilliant movie.
Review: "Catch Me If You Can" has been one of my favorite books for a long time, so, even though I'm a Spielberg fan, I was sure that any adaptation would fail in catching the breezily entertaining tone of the book. Well, I was wrong. The film is a vastly entertaining two hours that is, in my opinion, one of the best film's of the year, and very possibly Steven Spielberg's best film. I think it may be even better than "A.I.", and that is one of my favorite films. (I know, I'm one of only about 7 people that can truthfully say that.) Sure, it doesn't take itself really seriously and delve into complex social issues like "Saving Private Ryan" or "A.I." or "Minority Report", but it does entertain, and isn't that the point of a film? The performances are uniformally great, especially Christopher Walken. And even though I'm not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, I found his performance in this film to be outstanding, as was, as usual, Tom Hanks. This is a great film that anyone who's a fan of Spielberg, the cast, or just a fan of good movies should see. And by the way, the title sequence? Brilliant.
Rating: 
Summary: Framed!
Review: Spielberg opens his holiday offering with a narrative frame of his protagonist appearing on an episode of "To Tell the Truth," intercutting shots of DiCaprio with 30-year-old footage of "guest" Kitty Carlisle and "host" Joe Garagiola from the actual television show. A nice device for "motivating" the story and establishing a sense of place and "realness"--but also one that sets up an expectation in the audience: will Kitty make the right call? Spielberg's script never returns to this framing moment. A small detail perhaps, but this film, like most of Spielberg's work, takes great pride in the details, the verisimilitude of time and place--from Nehi pop bottles to Mitch Miller's television show to the continuous use on the soundtrack of popular music hits of the day. The problem is not so much that many of these details are anachronisms, or just sufficiently "off" to be bothersome, but that the slowness of plotting and thinness of characterization allowed me to dwell on them in the first place. Hanks' role calls for him to be a straight-arrow caricature with his face upstaged by large glasses and his deportment deferring to his padded mid-section; DiCaprio, too, is about surfaces, incapable of suggesting any of the addictive giddiness of the successful imposter or con artist. The biggest surprise in the film may well be the nuanced, sensitive performance of Christopher Walken who, as Frank's blustering, conning father, is at once wholly believable and sympathetic. The film will no doubt do decent business. Not only is it a star vehicle for two of the screen's biggest attractions but Spielberg pulls on all of the middle-class family-value strings that are his trademark, and he combines the genre of the loveable imposter with that of the persevering bounty hunter who bonds with his praiseworthy prey. Moreover, unlike George W. and Osama, Hanks gets his man. But at 2 hours and 20 minutes the film feels like it owes us more--at the very least the satisfaction of knowing whether Kitty Carlisle got her man.
Rating:
Summary: tons of fun; a good 'catch'
Review: If you saw the trailer I'll tell you that this movie is as fun as the trailer made it out to be. I saw this one at a matinee but I still would've felt ok having paid full price.
Leo???? what can I say, in the past six days I've seen two movies in which Im ready to nominate him for best actor. Let's face it, a double nomination is more than in order for the crime the academy committed in not nominating him for Titanic. Even though I liked him a bit better in "Gangs" This is still proof that he's able to get past the whole Titanic phase. I love the confidence in his character. Young men will find him to be a bit of an idol with his suave, arrogant, womanizing ways.
Tom Hanks is his usual nice guy playing the nice character. Which is a refreshing change if you saw "Road to Perdition" He'll get some type of nomination just because of his name.
Steven Speilberg keeps his streak alive of 'I want to own it on DVD' movies. And would get my nomination for best Director if it weren't for that whole "Gangs of New York" movie which came out 6 days earlier. What the academy will definitley over look, the work turned in by Christopher Walken. Wonderful performance.
Make sure you 'catch' Jennifer Garner as the prostitute too. I can't wait to see her in DareDevil (feb.14)
The movie does a good job of keeping you in your seat and focused. Its filled with bits of humor and wonderful acting. Even a lot of nostalgia that older people will love. Remember 'Sing along with Mitch"? yeah, me neither.
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