Catch Me If You Can

After the darker and more serious futuristic Sci-Fi films A.I: Artificial Intelligence and Minority Report, Spielberg made a shift towards something lighter and more fun with the delightful romp, Catch Me If You Can. 

Frank Abagnale, Jr. (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) is an American teenager, living with his mother and father in suburban America. Everything falls apart when his father, Frank Sr. (played by Christopher Walken) loses most of their money when he gets in trouble with the IRS and they have to move from their spacious house to a two bedroom apartment. His father tries to make everything okay, but the marriage suffers and the two ultimately divorce. Unable to deal with the situation, Frank runs away to New York City. In order to stay in the city, he starts passing fraudulent checks from a checking account his father opened for him. When he learns that banks are willing to cash larger payroll checks, he starts creating fraudulent payroll checks, starting with Pan Am Airlines. He even goes so far as to getting a Pilot uniform to further sell the con. It works like a charm and he's able to pass check after check. This catches the attention of FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (played by Tom Hanks) who begins to pursue Frank across the country as Frank jumps from New York to Florida to Louisiana and successfully passes himself off as not only a pilot but also a Pediatrician and a prosecuting Attorney. 

Steven Spielberg directed the film from a script by Jeff Nathanson that was inspired by the true story of Frank Abagnale, Jr. I say inspired because the film does take some liberties with the true story, especially the playful relationship between Frank and Carl throughout the film (also Carl is a fictional amalgamation of several FBI agents that pursued Frank). It probably doesn't make too much logical sense for a wanted criminal to call the F.B.I to chat with the person investigating you, especially at the same time every year (Frank calls Carl every Christmas). Still, it adds to the narrative of the film and builds the relationship between the two that would ultimately pay off in unexpected ways by the end of the film. The film has some gorgeous cinematography throughout. It really feels like, after making three desaturated, grimy and gritty films, Spielberg and Janusz Kaminski looked at each other and decided to just make the prettiest, most colorful movie they possibly could. It really lends itself to the overall lighter and more comedic tone of the film and works nicely. To top it off, John Williams provides a fun and jazzy score that helps the film maintain it's comedic tone through much of it's run time. The film kicks off with a fun Saul Bass inspired title sequence that would go on to become so iconic that The Simpsons memorably spoofed it in a season 15 episode, fittingly titled "Catch 'Em If You Can."

The acting in the film is excellent, beginning with Leonardo DiCaprio whom much of the success of the film hinges on. He does a great job portraying his quick intellect and able to improvise in any situation, such as a scene early in the film when he is attending a local public school for the first time and runs foul of a couple bullies. When he's mistaken for a substitute teacher, given that he's wearing a coat and tie, he decides to roll with it in part to show up the bullies that harassed him. He also shows the growing confidence Frank attains as he pulls off his cons and they grow more complex and sophisticated. As he grows more confident, he really turns on the charm to help his cons work and DiCaprio delivers that with ease. Tom Hanks plays the opposite side of that coin with Carl Hanratty as a super serious and driven FBI Agent, although he's not completely humorless as at a couple of points he tells a mean knock knock joke. Still, Hanks does a great job portraying not only Hanratty's drive but also his increasing frustration at being beaten by Frank. The film also features a number of early appearances by future stars such as Ellen Pompeo, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Garner and Amy Adams. The film also features, perhaps to only my own amusement, a former classmate of mine through fifth grade, Jeremy Howard. He plays the waiter that clues Carl Hanratty into the fact that an alias Frank was using, Barry Allen, is the alter ego of the comic book character The Flash. I always find it amusing when he pops up in things here and there.

Catch Me If You Can remains one of my favorite Spielberg films. It's a lighter and funnier film than most of his films. It is also one of his most easily rewatchable movies in his filmography with charming turns by both lead actors, a fun score by John Williams and a nice pace to it. It's a movie that never fails to put a smile on my face.