Doesn't take itself too seriously. Stay for the credits!
Written: Feb 16 '03 (Updated Feb 16 '03)
Product Rating:
Pros: Clean, light, entertaining and fun! Great Saturday matinee.
Cons: Bends the truth for effect...but, what's new in Hollywood?
The Bottom Line: A really great movie for Saturday afternoon entertainment, or date-night. Fun, light-hearted and amazing storyline. You can hardly believe it's based on fact!
My husband and I went out on a double date to the amazing PF Chang’s, but the wait to get a table at the hopping restaurant was THREE HOURS!! No joke. So, we took our table-pager and went over to the movie theater behind the restaurant to pass the time while we waited.
We had seen "Lord of The Rings, The Two Towers," (and besides it’s 3 hours long so we didn't have the time to see it again, as great as it is), but I had gotten a recommendation from a friend to see "Catch Me If You Can," the true story of a teenager who evaded the FBI for 6 years and passed millions of dollars in fraudulent checks, took on professions as airline pilot, medical doctor and attorney falsely, and was finally caught and...(you’ll have to see the movie or read the book to know the rest. I don't want to ruin the plot!)
I saw it advertised & turned away b/c it’s Leonardo DiCaprio (of whom I have had a bad opinion since the hyper overcommercialized & overawarded "Titanic"), but it also has Tom Hanks, so that gave it appeal, since I have long admired his on-screen talents.
I was so pleasantly surprised! Leonardo DiCaprio was FANTASTIC, and this movie changed my opinion of him as a snotty young hyped-up actor from the first scene. He looked like Brad Pitt at the top of the movie, which shocked me, and then I forgot that he was the same kid who played the arrogant teenager in “Titanic.” His acting was believable from the beginning, and they aged him well from 1963 to the 1970’s, from age 15/16 to his late 20’s. As he aged physically, his character also moved from hyped-up teen to deeply agonized adult.
Tom Hanks held a GREAT accent throughout the film, and was also as amazing as you’d expect...another “good” guy character for him (as opposed to his harsh flick, "Road to Perdition" in '02).
The other surprise for me was Christopher Walken! He’s always creeped me out, but he was perfectly cast as DiCaprio’s father, and maintained believability throughout his own metamorphosis as a man losing his pride, finances, family & self (transitioning from a Rotary Club award-winning business owner to troubles with the IRS which forced him into a postal carrier role, and eventually even worse).
Additionally, it was graphically appealing from the entrance graphics to the final rolling credits (surprises in the credits make it worth sitting through the rushed & claustrophobic exit lines). Lighting was well utilized, color was captivating, wardrobe was appropriately period.
Listen--if you are looking for a light but great Saturday matinee, THIS IS YOUR MOVIE! It is humorous, and the time passes without you realizing nearly 3 hours have passed.
#1 "family" caution: there are about 3 or 4 sex scenes which show DiCaprio’s character as arrogantly delving into the fantasy of his false characters by being able to “get” any woman he wants, but only one of the scenes (the first) might really make you uncomfortable if your mother were sitting next to you, b/c the directors do an excellent job of leaving the rest up to your imagination, in the way that movies used to treat audiences as intelligent, creative people.
GO SEE THIS MOVIE! Or rent it when it comes out.
It is a true story which obviously had to be “dramatized” a bit to appeal to a mass audience, but the fact that it is based on true events will knock your socks off. You won’t believe the audacity of the main character, and the depth of the character development for Hanks, DiCaprio and Walken. Even Martin Sheen has a quality (albeit brief) role mid-film.
The language is decent, with only one “Christ” that I remember at the top of the film, and few if any other foul language that stand out in my memory. It is not for “kids,” b/c of the sexual scenes (even when you don’t see much, there’s enough going on in dialogue & other situational acting to be “over the top” for kids) and the “fun” that this criminal seems to be having, could give a wrong message to children. I wouldn’t recommend anyone under 14/15, actually. It’s an adult film, for sure, even in its lightness.
There were also some very funny parts where the audience laughed together aloud. Not an Academy Award winner, I don’t think, and no special effects, or amazing soundtrack...just a good fun afternoon movie. I wanted to clap at the end because I felt carried away by the high entertainment factor.
Here's the real icing on the cake. After this con man, Frank W. Abagnale's, redemption he went on to work for the FBI for more than 25 years and has an amazing Christian testimony. Who would've thunk it about this high school dropout punk?
By the way, when we went back to the restaurant after 3 hours away, they had NOT YET called our name. We waited 15 more minutes to get a table (put our names in at 6:15; were seated at 9:05)! It was worth it to go take in a movie, and the food was even better since we were famished by the time we were seated after 9 PM.
Based on the extraordinary true story of a brilliant young master of deception and the FBI agent hot on his trail, Catch Me If You Can stars Oscar -no...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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