Dir: Steven Spielberg. Starring: Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, Jennifer Garner, Christopher Walken.
I always find films like this quite hard to classify. Catch me if You Can is an enjoyable film, there certainly aren’t any major faults to it, and yet… and yet it feels a little empty – just a little – and almost a little rote, but not too much! Don’t be confused, there is a lot to enjoy about Catch me if You Can.
Leonoardo Dicaprio is the improbably named Frank Abagnale Junior. Horrified by the surprise divorce of his parents, Frank runs away, and does what comes naturally; faking it. Before you can say “Leo’s too old”, Frank’s pretending to be a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer – and making millions from fake cheques. But the FBI are on to him, and Carl Hanratty, a surprisingly understated Tom Hanks, is hot on his trail. Let the games begin.
The film starts off with some horrifically heavy-handed irony, but as it continues, Spielberg’s touch gets progressively more subtle. From clothing to music, he picks out some great cultural signifiers and does what good comedy should always do; revel in the details. Unfortunately, as per usual, Spielberg’s fixated on familial issues, so clichéd parental relationships are on the menu, along with his ever-present fear of abandonment.
Like his fellow seventies wunderkind, George Lucas, I think that in many ways Spielberg is a boy who never grew up. He approaches Frank’s audacious stunts with a kind of wide-eyed wonder, and there’s a gleeful, mischievous feeling that the audience can’t help responding to. It’s interesting because Frank is essentially stealing millions of dollars, but we sympathize with him, adopting his naïve selfishness almost without question.
On more practical matters, the cinematography is luscious. Filmed by long-time collaborator Janusz Kaminski (Minority Report, Schindler’s List), Catch me if You Can boasts a soft focus that makes glamour photography seem merciless. Everything glistens and leaps off the beautiful angular geometry with a sixties flair untainted by irony. Remember when lava lamps weren’t kitsch?
Tom Hanks, as I said before, is excellent as Hanratty. If he continues to spurn the vainglorious oscar-bait crap he’s usually in, I may just have to rescind his title as antichrist. Leo, on the other hand, doesn’t really have the moxie for Frank. His vulnerability is touching, but his moves as a charming and consummate conman feel a little unbelievable. I guess nobody back then had seen The Beach. No, the real surprise of Catch me if You Can is Christopher Walken, who turns a mindless cliché into a well-modulated performance.
Catch me if You Can is really something the whole family can enjoy, and I mean that in the good way. So, what do you give an engaging, mainly fun, if somewhat uninspired film these days? I reckon a B+.
Patrick Garson.
Click here to discuss this review on our forum.
GC(uk) Email Advanced Site Search