Catch Me If You Can (2003, VHS)

Seems like all I've seen for the last week is hype around this Catch Me If You Can. First there was the preview. Then, a cardboard still set up in the movie theater, cleverly placed so that you see it on the way out, not in. (Ya know, so you actually have an idea what it's about and are more likely to be swayed by its presence there.) Then ads all over MSN, in the newspaper, and everywhere.

So it was out of sheer curiosity that I made my way out to the theater on Christmas afternoon to catch a look for myself. I won't say that I'm sorry I did see it, because the concept was played out very well and the performances were top of the line. But, the concept itself is not all that interesting. Or at least, for what little bit of interesting it is, it's not entirely entertaining. That is, unless you're the one doing it.

Lord only knows what hell I'll catch for rating The Hot Chick the same as this. What can I say? I'm a fungi.

Check out those performers
It's not all bad! I will say this much -- Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks pulled off their respective roles with stunning finesse. These are two guys who know how to embody their characters and effectively infuse them with the right amount of whatever characteristics are needed. Leo's taking over the role of Frank Abagnale, the guy who hit it big by forging checks, playing roles, and seducing babes, and in the end, nailing guys just like himself. Isn't it ironic? Hanks gains another five pounds or so (or is it just the wide screen?) and plays the humorless, no nonsense FBI fellow who is in hot pursuit of Frank. And he's just plain fun to watch. Check him out really closely when he tells the "knock knock" joke in the car. The hint of a smile crosses his face before he delivers the punchline. Part of what I love about him, he's still Josh Baskin deep down inside. Too bad the joke has to be so lame!

The supporting cast was nothing to sneeze at, either -- Amy Adams III as Brenda, Frank's first serious girlfriend and eventual fiancee, had to go to every end of the emotional spectrum, from the boss' lecture, to the meeting with Frank, to the heartbreaking revelation of a past decision, to the reunification with her parents (boy was that easy) to the inevitable spilling of the beans. Christopher Walken, from what I understand, plays against his usual type, as a loving and understanding father to Frank; his eyes are some of the most expressive I've seen. Nathalie Baye doesn't get a lot of time but bravely plays the role of his runaroundhosue mother.

The other interesting thing about the film was in John Williams' score. This is not what you're typically hearing out of the guy -- it's a lot more upbeat and really carries the atmosphere of the movie well. When the timing is right, you feel like you are sitting right there.

True story... hey, maybe I should make one
I have no problem with movies that are based around true stories, as long as it's an entertaining true story. And sure, there are a lot of entertaining things about a guy who can forge checks to himself and cash them at the bank, or pose as a Pan Am pilot... er, co-pilot, a doctor, or a lawyer. But the closest thing to a reason for his doing all of it is that his father is in trouble with the IRS and he is doing all this to "get it back", because he wants to see his father and mother get back together again. You can't exactly idealize this kind of behavior on a foundation that brittle.

I guess the whole "they think they got him, they don't, repeat three times, they got him" routine is wearing a bit thin too, no matter how much you pepper it with James Bond spoofs, cute puppy-love tales or having the story told through flashbacks. It's not a game of cat and mouse at all, it's more like hide and seek. Pretending to be something you're not is funny for a while, but he does it over and over ad nauseum. First he's this, then he's that. He's the Boured Identity. Your emotional investment goes bankrupt every time he changes his mind. By the time he meets the girl, you know better than to care. That's a sad part of the real world and it doesn't feel much better in the movies.

Whatever the real Frank Abagnale was doing, I'm sure it was far more complicated than the boundaries of filmmaking allow. Especially on what limited resources he had. I'm sure it was a lot more than something as simple as buying models of Pan Am planes, removing the logo from the rudder and applying it to the forged check. Of course they're not going to show us how he really did it, so why even try? In this day and age of check scanners, that kind of thing would never fly. I guess it would have back in the 60's. Lucky for Hollywood the guy didn't decide to make counterfeit money instead, 'cause Lord knows that would have been boring.

Okay, so it is a lot more than a movie about a guy who gets away with breaking the law at such a young age. There are the subplots such as the introduction, how he gets inspired to do it all in the first place, the flings with the babes, the more serious fling, the separation. But somehow it just doesn't add up to a sum greater than or even equal to the parts combined. The phone calls with Tom Hanks are among the better moments, but even they hardly lead to anything in the long run besides speculation. He tells Tom Hanks where he is. Tom Hanks doesn't believe him. Then he leaves. Turns out he was telling the truth about where he was. WHOA. There's plenty of teenagers out there smart enough to tell the truth in that situation, knowing that the other guy is not going to believe it. I guess the real question is whether or not you really know if the other guy is going to know that you know he's not going to believe you. But who has time for all that crap?

Oh, just look at him...
I think the most surprising thing about Frank, at least in the movie anyway, was how nice of a person he actually ended up being. He was friendly to total strangers, respected his women (even the little ones), and never had to use weapons or fists to get what he wanted. The fact that he actually had some semblance of redemption in the end made the exit quite a bit less of a drag. But hey, it's Speilberg, what do you expect?

Maybe I was just in the wrong mood at the wrong time, maybe it's that I hate traveling, but I didn't "get it". All I can think about the whole Frank Abagnale story is, "Who cares?" You may take a closer look at the numbers across the bottom of your next paycheck; you may giggle the next few times you walk past model airplanes. But you won't feel inspired to keep working toward that retirement.

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