Catch Me If You Can (2002)
From the wonderfully kitschy animated
opening credits of Steven Spielberg's "Catch Me If
You Can" until its final frame, it delights, engrosses
and entertains. This is a film that you can lose yourself
in. The story is amazing and it is true! And every
detail, from the period look to the surprisingly catchy
score by John Williams, works perfectly. If there
was any doubt that Steven Spielberg is a master filmmaker
(and we all had some doubt after "A.I." didn't we?),
then "Catch Me If You Can" waylays that disbelief.
What more is there to say? I don't
want to ruin too much of this film for you. It's a
good old fashioned caper film. If you dug Steven Soderberg's
"Ocean's Eleven" remake, then you'll love this film.
It has that same jive, that same spirit, that same
ebullience. It has action and plot and great characters
and dialogue. The period details are cool as hell.
Spielberg doesn't just do everything right, he hits
the nail on the head squarely in every frame.
The acting is top of the line. Dicaprio
has never been better. Never. Not even in "Titanic."
Not even in some showy thespian role like "Gilbert
Grape." Here he plays a normal guy who just happens
to be extraordinary. Yet he's human and flawed and
still little more than a child. He's excellent. Christopher
Walken may barely step out of his Walkenesque shell,
but he's marvelous just the same. Like a traditional
jazz musician, he hits all the right notes. Perhaps
he doesn't surprise you, but he doesn't disappoint
either. And then there's Tom Hanks.
Hanks is phenomenal. After he won
the Oscar for "Philadelphia" and "Forest Gump," I
felt that he should of three-peated with "Apollo 13."
He was amazing in his blandness in that role. Yet
he made every frame of that film resonate with tension
and created more than just a celebration of American
heroism. And, hell, he wasn't even nominated. That's
a shame too because, up until this film, it was his
best performance yet.
As in "Apollo 13," Hanks takes what
could be a very bland character and turns him into
a person that we grow to understand, like and care
about. And he does it with virtually nothing. I'm
not saying that the script by Jeff Nathanson doesn't
give him anything to say or do; it gives him a plethora
of stuff to say and do. What I'm saying is that Hanks
takes all the little things that aren't even barely
there in the script and uses them to make the character
all his own. Hell, look at the glasses he wears in
the film. As utilized by Hanks, they are just as important
as anything he says or does. And I don't think he
ever even touches them.
To be even more precise: Hanks tells
a "knock knock joke" in the film and this one simple
jokes says everything, EVERYTHING, that you need to
know about his character. Wow!
More than a great film; more than
a masterpiece of cinematic art, "Catch Me If You Can"
is entertaining and fun. This isn't a forgery. This
glorious motherfucker is the real thing! See it immediately.
Notes:
Also with Martin Sheen and James
Brolin.
Based on the autobiographical book
by Frank Abagnale, which has the same title of the
film and was co-written by Stan Redding.
Dicaprio is nominated for a Golden
Globe.
The film was going to be directed
at one time by Gore Verbinski. David Fincher, Cameron
Crowe and Lasse Hallstrom were also asked to direct
before Spielberg, who wanted only to produce, took
over. Part of the problem was timing because Dicaprio
had to work overtime on "Gangs of New York." Also
because of this delay, James Gandolfini, who was going
to play Hanks' role, had to drop out. Chloe Sevigny
and Ed Harris were also considered for roles at times.
This is Hanks' and Spielberg's forth
project together, the others being "Band of Brothers,"
"Saving Private Ryan" and "Joe Versus the Volcano."
The Internet Movie Database lists
a plethora of factual and period-oriented errors in
the film. If you notice any of these in the film,
you need to get a life and stop seeing movies. This
is a film to kick back and enjoy, not evaluate and
disect.
Viewed at the Alamo Drafthouse North
in Austin on New Year's Eve day (about 4pm that day),
2002. The Alamo showed an episode of Hanks' TV show
"Bosom Buddies" before the film started. The place
was packed.
