Leonardo DiCaprio is Frank Abagnale, Jr. in a true story of a runaway turned counterfeiter and con artist. Frank leaves home the day he learns his parents are going to divorce, when he is forced to choose between them. At just 16 years old he goes on to impersonate a co-pilot, gleaning information posing as a school newspaper reporter. When he is on the verge of being discovered he simply reinvents himself and finds happiness as a doctor, though not in treating patients. He must lie low, because he knows nothing of medicine and the sight of blood and bone from a child's broken leg make him sick. What he does find is the woman with whom he will fall in love. Circumstances again change and he ends up working as a lawyer for his fiance's father.

Frank tries to leave all of his problems behind, in his old life, but he learns the hard way that the past is always there and that everything will catch up to you. No matter who he pretends to be, he cannot elude himself. Near the end we get to see DiCaprio's ability in a scene where Frank is on the verge of a breakdown that has been long in coming.

The man partly responsible for that breakdown and, ultimately, the one who saves him is Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks in a slightly one-dimensional role), an FBI agent pursuing Frank endlessly for years, staking his reputation on this one case. He and his partners provide many moments of comic relief, due to the fact that they are usually more than a step behind. Throughout most of the film, it feels as if Carl is just playing a game. Though, he redeems himself in the end when he actually turns into a feeling person. He realizes that he is starting to care for Frank, not just as a collar, but as a young man who's life took a wrong turn. It turns out that Carl had a reason to be closed-off, but I think the writer(s) might have done well earlier on to flesh out the character by infusing a touch more humanity.

Last, but nowhere near least, Christopher Walken - as Frank Abagnale, Sr. - delivers a beautiful, achingly vulnerable portrayal of a wounded and weary heart. His eyes convey such devastating loneliness that it is hard to watch. Here is a man who looses his business, his car, his home, his wife and then his son; working all his life to ultimately end up with nothing. In a restaurant scene, he starts crying while reminiscing on the day he and his wife met. He tries to choke back the tears and the more sensitive of us will be doing the same. Unfortunately, in 2 hours and 16 minutes (or so) a relatively small amount of screen time is spent with Frank's father.

Great actors can make us forget that we are only watching a movie. They affect us, sometimes in deeply personal ways. They let us see their hearts. Mr. Walken is of that class. You will want to see more of him.

Even though the movie is lengthy, it does not delve deep enough into each succeeding profession that Frank deftly slides his way into. I would have liked to see a few more scenes with Frank evading capture, by both the FBI and his "employers," and some more and deeper conversations with his father. Even so, Catch Me if You Can is a wonderful true story that is funny, tender and tragic. If you love movies, then this one should not be missed.

NOTE: Just so everyone knows, I wanted to give this film 4-1/2 stars, but Epinions does not allow for that.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older