Catch Me If You Can

release year: 2002
genre: drama
viewing setting: home DVD 9/19/22 and 2/4/10 and 1/19/04

synopsis: A teenage con man generates millions of dollars while posing as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer. Based on a true story.

impressions: Very good. Basically this kid teaches himself counterfeiting and then tricks his way into more and more opportunities to make money. He'd have kept getting away with it, too, except he repeated his patterns and was too young to understand the ramifications of what he was doing. The film starts with his capture and then uses long flashbacks from there. This is just a fun, easy-to-watch movie and you can't help but cheer for the kid.

acting: Leonardo DiCaprio does a great job as the kid: young and foolish, and scared and lonely, but also crafty and confident. Tom Hanks is also excellent as an FBI agent so dedicated to his work that he's in the office on Christmas Eve and has been divorced for a while. Christopher Walken is the kid's father, who's also somewhat of a con man due to a run of bad luck and poor decisions.

see the kid today: http://www.abagnale.com

final word: Very well-done, watchable drama.

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