Rating: 
Summary: Great story
Review: Good drama, good comedy, and a great tale. What makes it even better is that it's based on a true story. One of the few movies I've seen that has me walking out of the theater glad I spent the time and money. I would highly recomend it.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow and Boring
Review: High schooler Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) idolizes his father, who's in trouble with the IRS. When his parents separate, he runs away to Manhattan with $25 in his checking account, and he vows to regain dad's losses and get his parents back together. Just a few years later, the FBI tracks him down in France; he's extradited, tried, and jailed for passing more than $2,000,000 in bad checks. Along the way, he's posed as a Pan Am pilot, a pediatrician, and an attorney. And, from nearly the beginning of this life of crime, he's been pursued by a dour FBI agent, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). What starts as cat and mouse becomes something akin to father and son.
This was such an awful movie. It really could have been good, but the story was so slow. The acting by Tom Hanks was surprisingly bad.
Rating: 
Summary: it's a fun ride!
Review: Never really gets heavy, you skip along with young Abagnale. Film goes for the laughs and the humor, not letting us wallow in the pity too much. You have to wonder how much reality is here, compared to the real truth, and in the end, it is tied up in a neat bow, in the obligatory feel good Spielberg fashion. We even get a little note at the end about Abagnale's life to day.Still, I will add it to my collection-and I generally avoid Spielberg, like the plague!
Rating:
Summary: Great Tale
Review: When I first saw this movie, I didn't know that it was based on a true story. I wasn't really paying that much attention at the beginning. However, this movie quickly takes you in and I was unable to turn away. I was shocked that someone Frank's age could do all of the things he'd done. Let alone not get caught for so long. Brenda upset me, but you could tell that she was weak from the beginning. She needed someone to tell her what to do. I wasn't surprised when she arrived at the airport and all the FBI agents were there. When he was finally caught in France, I was sure that he'd find a away to get away, he had before. It broke my heart when he found out that his father had died while France was on the run in Europe. He did escape, and that NEVER would have crossed my mind to do that. The end does have a "happy" ending. Frank does go to prison, but Tom Hanks character gets him out early, as long as he'll work for the FBI in the fraud department until his sentence is up. The real Frank is happily married, he also helped develop fraud protection for checks, and works to protect businesses from financial fraud.
Rating:
Summary: A Tale of Two Men
Review: 'Catch Me If You' can is a brilliant film tracing the changes of a young man as he experiences turmoil in his life and how he reacts to them. Based on the experiences of Frank W. Abignail, portrayed here by Leonardo DiCaprio in perhaps his best acting to date, the movie traces Frank's journey from a happy adolescence to turmoil and to his escape through crime, namely forgery. While the crimes are fun and exciting, the movie most delivers in the character relations which are deep and complicated. Frank idolizes his father, played brilliantly by Christopher Walken, but he tries to hide his lifestyle from his father, whose love is clearly unconditional. The other major character is Tom Hanks, the FBI agent tracking Abignail, and his interaction with Frank varies from intimidating to tender as he slowly realizes that he is chasing a scared kid. There are a couple minor flaws in the film, but the strong cast and direction by Spielberg ensure that they are kept to a minimum.
Rating: 
Summary: A lighter, fluffier Spielberg
Review: After a couple of heavyweight superdramas in the 90's (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), Steven Spielberg gives us this real life portrait of Frank Abegnale, Jr, a young man from a broken home who managed to elude the FBI for years and write millions of dollars in bogus checks. The real Frank Abegnale was on hand as a consultant to make sure events were accurate. Interesting how this movie is done. Spielberg starts out by showing us Frank in a prison in France, obviously caught for something. We learn what that is very quickly, but we know from the start that Frank's journey will eventually leave him behind bars. From there we see him as a young man being raised by his parents in New York, and we see where he gets the ability to impersonate. After a school bully runs him into some lockers, he walks into a French class and seeing no teacher there, he begins instructing the class. It just so happens that the bully is also part of the class. He's busted for that, and his father (Christopher Walken) is almost proud of his son's ability to lie. Just wait. From there, Frank becomes a pilot, lawyer, doctor, all with no experience, just an ability to fake ID badges and sweet talk people. All the time, he is being chased by FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) the agent who eventually gets him. So, does the story end there? Not really. The last act is an interesting one and ties the film up nicely. This film is a bit overlong, but not dull at all, and will make you feel good in the end. Overall, not nearly as effective as some of Spielberg's earlier work, but very good nonetheless and it has its place in my DVD case.
Rating:
Summary: Nothing like the book
Review: As with many movies, I was very disappointed when compared with the book from which it originated. The movie seemed to prey on any melodrama it could pick up out of this man's life. The book was much more interesting. I'm sorry that Spielberg made this a vehicle for cheap emotions instead of a meaningful account from a very interesting autobiography.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing film, great DVD
Review: This movie deserves a three, but the DVD extras are so good, it gets a four. I read the book that this is based on, and that may have been my problem. I was expecting too much. I am not a fan of Leo, but I do quite enjoy Chris Walken, I think he is great in this role. However the movie tends to be a slow plodding homage to the era when the events take place. The story of how a 18 year old kid turned into the one of the greatest non violent con men in American history seems to take a backseat to Steven Spielberg's infatuation with the era. What is missing is the breezy carefree attitude that Mr. Abagnale expressed so easily in the book. The film tries to hard to be moralistic. I guess I was just expecting more when such a talented group of film makers and actors too on a great book like this. About the DVD: I got this DVD for my birthday and watched disc one almost immediately, and was left disappointed, it took a few months for me to dig this out and take a look at disc two. It is loaded and is imminently more interesting than the film. There are 5 vignettes on the supplemental disc that are all worth your time. Especially the retrospective on the real Frank Abagnale. I found myself engrossed in the features and actually started to like the movie more by what I saw on disc two. I would suggest this as just a rental T
Rating:
Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: I was pleasantly surprised with this movie. Not being a big Leo fan I wasn't drawn in by the actors in this movie but only from the shear storyline itself.
What an amazing story! A young all american boy desprate to flee his family when turmoil strikes, finds a way to make it on his own. Not only does he come up with a creative solution this 16 year old lives more than most live before they are 40. This movie keeps you the edge of your seat as Tom Hanks pursues a clever and quick thinking Leo across the counrty throughout the movie. The movie incorporates Leo's adventure with the struggle of dealing with his family all the way through. I am todl it's a true story and if it is.....WOW! THis is a must see!
Rating:
Summary: Leo can pull off almost anything, can't he?
Review: I thought this was a fun film, especially knowing that it's a true story! I loved Leo in it! Hanks didn't have much of a part in this one, but that's okay. Leo stole the show! It's amazing to think Abagnale got by with so much!
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