Rating: Summary: Surprisingly entertaining and uplifting Review: Most of the new movies that come out are really c rap and it's so great to see movies like this are still being made. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks are wonderful in this enchanting story of a young man's dream life. Christopher Walken stars in one of his best roles next to his roles in; Pulp Fiction, The Deer Hunter. That's all I'm going to say about this great comical caper...watch it for a great time!
Rating: Summary: Stupid. Review: It seemed to me this movie was portraying Leonardo's character as some sort of hero or pillar of society, and that bothered me. I didn't find it impressive that some teenage con-artist was frauding corporate America, which inevitably the tax payers have to front the bill for. I didn't find his character likable, charming or intelligent, which "Catch Me If You Can" tried to convey to it's audience. I also believe that this film totally exaggerated what really happened. I find it hard to believe he did half the stuff he did in the movie. The acting was overdone and horrible for lack of a better word. It seemed like everyone in this movie was just soaking up the limelight and loving every minute of it. Less is more, ever hear of that cliche? I was hoping Leonardo's character was going to get caught sooner. This would have made the film shorter, considering the 2 1/2 hours it lasted....what's up with that by the way?!? I would have enjoyed more footage of him locked up in prison, paying for what he did. And to add insult to injury, this film made sure to inform us that this guy now works for the FBI and makes millions of dollars!!! Woohoo,who cares, next.....
Rating: Summary: clever Review: This film is very interesting to watch. As a teen-ager, it is hard to imagine all of this happening at such a young age. The movie is suspensful, and overall very intriguing.
Rating: Summary: BORING Review: TOO BAD DICAPRIO IS SUCH A BORING ACTOR-- THE STORY ISNT BAD BUT IT AINT MUCH-- THE WHOLE THING SHOULD HINGE ON THE INTERESTING WORK OF THE ACTOR IN THE LEAD ROLE-- HOW ESP IN TH BEGINNING OF HIS ESCAPADES IN FRAUD AND IMPERSONATION HE ALL OF A SUDDEN BECOMES A TEACHER PILOT DOCTOR--- THESE ARE THE MOMENTS THAT A REAL ACTOR WOULD FILL WITH SOMETHING ANYTHING-- BUT DICAPRIO SEEMS ALMOST SOMNABULANT IN THE ROLE---- HE HAS NO PERSONALITY LET ALONE MORE THAN ONE !! SHAME ON YOU SHPPPPPPPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL BERG -PUTTING YER SCRIPT IN THE HANDS OF SUCH INCOMPETENCE ----IT`LL MAKE MONEY THO AND GARNER PRAISE-- BUT DONT BELIEVE ANY OF IT-- THIE MOVIE IS A BORING DUD
Rating: Summary: Good DiCaprio and Hanks Review: Catch Me if You Can is a entertaining movie about a young man who takes the identity of numerous occupations, including pilot, doctor, and many others, and is being pursued by the FBI. Frank Abagnale JR(DiCaprio) does all this as a way to impress his father, played to perfection by Christopher Walken. The movie follows the FBI's pursuit of the young crook over the period of four years. This is a good movie with not much to it, but is still worth a view. The actors in this movie are what make it as good as it is. DiCaprio is very good as Abagnale with Hanks his usual excellent self as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent in pursuit of Abagnale. Walken was very deserving of his Oscar nomination for his role as DiCaprio's father. At times he is funny and then other times you feel so bad for him. During some conversations, I couldn't help but think this was a lot like the relationship between Biff and Willy Loman. The DVD is packed full of extras that give a lot of coverage to behind the scenes stuff. A good movie that deserves a viewing if nothing else.
Rating: Summary: Boy becomes Man the Hard Way Review: I thought that this movie was a great deal like "The Great Imposter" another real life story featuring Tony Curtis. I have never been a fan of DiCaprio's but his fine acting in this film reminded me of a young Curtis. Of course, Christopher Walken,(whom I am a big fan of) was a wonderful father. A must see performance for anyone. Tom Hanks(ditto) as the FBI agent, accent or not, is a genius at his part. No flaws there. The story you have to understand is about a boy who sees his family life falling apart because of the bad luck and lack of money. He sees that he must find a way to bring his family back together anyway he must. So he does his best. Illegally though. Then he gets lost in it all. So the viewer gets lost in it all. Then you get to see what happens as he grows up and finds out that you can't always fix something that is broke. All in all it is a very good movie to have and see on occasion to remind ourselves of how people can get lost and found and how we change in time.
Rating: Summary: Intriguing and entertaining Review: Catch Me If You Can is a movie that captivates from the first frames. Knowing that was inspired by a true story makes the outlandish events even more appealing and exciting. The film works on many levels. The acting is very good. DiCaprio shines in the lead role. He moves with confidence without arrogance. His character is layered with feelings of doubt and insecurity. The result is that we feel compassion for this criminal. The film does an excellent job of developing his character from the outset. Tom Hanks and Christopher Walken are also amazing in their supporting roles. Especially walken. There is so much hope in his character. That inspiration slowly erodes as the film progresses. In turn, Frank Jr's. ambition to relieve his father's sorrow continues to grow. It is key that you care about the characters in order to produce a great film. Catch Me If You Can does exactly that. This one is not to be missed!
Rating: Summary: Entertaining Spielberg version of true life story Review: "Catch me if you Can" is an entertaining movie directed by that proverbial icon, Steven Spielberg. Call it Spielberg Lite. Perhaps exhausted by his last two films - the deeper and more controversial "Artificial Intelligence" and "Minority Report", Spielberg chose to helm this screen version of the true life story of Frank Abagnale, who in the 1960s successfully posed as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. He also wrote millions of dollars in bad checks. What makes the story even more interesting is the fact that Frank was in his late teens when all of this happened. A Spielberg project usually involves stellar talent. Here we have Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale, Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent who relentlessly pursues him, and Christopher Walken as Abagnale's father. The movie truly is a lot of fun. It makes a hero of sorts out of an amoral protagonist, but Hollywood has a grand tradition of doing this - think George Clooney in "Ocean's Eleven", for example. After all, it is sometimes gratifying to root for a character who operates outside of the system. My only problem with "Catch me if you Can" is this: In Spielberg Lite, the director's tendency to manipulate becomes glaringly apparent. It's all the same heart-sting pulling maneuvers he has been using since "ET" twenty years ago, and I find the tactics a bit tiresome. Still, Spielberg at his least ingenious is better than most other directors at their best.
Rating: Summary: It's always about the Lost Children (4.5 stars) Review: Though Steven Spielberg makes movies in many different genres - science fiction, action, drama, comedy, war - there's one unifiying element in every feature he's directed: In one way or another, each of his films involves a character (usually a young person) who gets separated from their family or from familiar surroundings and must adapt to get by on their own. ... "Catch Me If You Can," Spielberg's latest, is yet another story about a "lost child" and it's one of his best, most entertaining movies in years. "Catch" tells the fact-based story of Frank Abagnale, Jr, a kid who in the 1960s was devastated by his parents' divorce, ran away from home and supported himself with a variety of scams, from writing bad checks to posing as an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer - all while still in his late teens and early twenties. With pluck, charm and a general air of "try it and see if it works," Abagnale accumulated millions of dollars as well as a long list of criminal charges. Forced to go on the run, Frank gradually loses touch with his father, a failing businessman (Christopher Walken), but forms an unusual bond with Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), an uptight FBI agent who's on Frank's case. Spielberg films the whole thing with the gloss and breezy pacing of a 1960's caper film. The jaunty opening credits sequence looks like a vintage Saul Bass poster come to life; John Williams' score has just the right amount of cocktail-hour swing; and the scenes recounting Abagnale's first forays into crime, which are treated as a lark, are about as fun and engaging as movies get. Not a lot is actually explained about Abagnale's actual methods or motives (and his real-life womanizing tendencies, happily detailed in his autobiography, are barely touched upon here), but the movie isn't really about serious psychology or depth. In fact, the sad moments of the film (Frank's appearance on "To Tell the Truth" once the fun has ended, his holiday phone calls to Carl and the off-screen death of a major character) are much more effective because they're underplayed. Perhaps because of its light-natured spirit "Catch Me If You Can" was overlooked by the Academy but it was one of 2002's best. And, yet again, Spielberg (who has never recorded a commentary for any of his movies) offers no commentary on the disk. ...
Rating: Summary: TOO MUCH HYPE Review: I mistakenly allowed myself to get all excited over this movie, friends, critics, etc. all said how "Oscar" worthy this movie was. Sounded good, heck great! However, what a big bummer because as usual, this movie turned out to be nothing more than slightly above average. It's what I've termed "a rental," nothing more, nothing less. The reason this movie does not rate higher (in my opinion) is the fact that you never see the other side - you never see how his "victims" reacted to his shenanigans. For example (spoiler alert), when he plays himself off as a substitute teacher foiling a class of kids who had moments before gave him the "new kid" treatment, you never get to see how the kids reacted when his con was up and the class found out - did they pound him, what?. Another example, he gives a high priced hooker a bad check, and we never get to see her try to cash it (was she successful?) and her livid expression as she's caught...what happened? We'll never know. Bottom Line: There is enough plot and interesting characters (Christopher Walker is always amazing - the best!) to move the story and keep you interested, but it is only a surface treatment.
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