Catch Me If You Can

Synopsis: At sixteen Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) learns the hard way that life doesn't always turn out the way you think it will. When he discovers that his family is not the happy unit it appears to be, he makes a run for it and finds the best way to survive is to pretend to be a grown-up. He takes on a range of roles including posing as an airline pilot, doctor, teacher and lawyer. He does this so effectively and leaves a trail of bogus cheques behind him so vast that he soon catches the eye of Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) an FBI agent specialising in cheque fraud. Frank becomes his Holy Grail, and the chase begins.

The world of Catch Me If You Can is enticing. It captures the romantic ideal of the 1960s in a way that should earn its production designer, Jeannine Oppewall, and costume designer, Mary Zophres, nominations for the respective Academy Awards. With a title sequence that leads you directly into this handsome world, we zero in on the subject of the story, Frank Abagnale Jr. From the opening scenes, there is no doubt that Frank is a fake. We first meet him as one of the contestants on the show, To Tell The Truth, where a panel of celebrities have to work out which is the real fake.

This is the true story of a real fake, as the tagline says. The real Frank Abagnale Jr. has declared his approval of the film as being based on his life but taking certain liberties in order to make an entertaining two hour film. And it is entertaining in its preposterousness. How could a sixteen-year-old kid fool so many for so long? Spielberg suggests it is because the world was a different place in the mid-sixties; it was a time when you trusted people on face value. Abagnale took major advantage of this level of trust. Spielberg also suggests that the reason a young boy would do such a thing was the devastating effect of the breakdown of his parent's marriage.

Yet, after all, aren't families splitting up everyday? How many kids decide to live a life of deception that falls easily into the "truth is stranger than fiction" category? The key lies with Frank Abagnale Sr (Christopher Walken). Here we discover a life view so flawlessly passed from father to son. His philosophy on life is based on the notion that the Yankees always win because the other teams can't stop staring at those damn pinstripes. Frank Jr's dad taught him how to spin a line. And what a line was spun.

I doubt Spielberg would have made this picture if Abagnale Jr in real life hadn't eventually used his talents for the power of good rather than evil. However maybe if this change had not occurred, it would have been a more interesting film. DiCaprio is charming as the gormless teen, and Hanks is totally believable in the role of the over-committed FBI agent. But, in the end, it is all just a little too nice and considering the subject matter, this seems odd. Is this what Spielberg considers necessary to make a two hour film entertaining? Or needn't I ask?

 

 

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