Catch Me If You Can

Anyone seen any actually good movies lately?

Yeah, I just watched this one...

Man, oh man... honestly, if you look at how true this whole thing actually is, it’s just straight-up madness.

Just plain old lemonade... and a watered-down version at that... honestly, it’s not even worth mentioning...

I think my take is pretty much summarized by this local magazine's review of the movie. Check it out:

"Watching this flick is about as fun as sitting on a sharp screwdriver. It's based around the character of Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose character description involves the character description. Fortunately, Leo witnesses her infidelities, and the chaos ramps up when the walking pater (Christopher Walken) gets caught stealing from his bosses. Our protagonist heroically decides to pivot into check fraud to settle his old man's debts—which basically sets the stage for director Steven Spielberg to lean hard into every single American cliché imaginable. Leo spends the film flirting with women and playing fools with the bumbling police force, led by the chief idiot played by Tom Hanks. Honestly, the whole thing drags so much that any sensible viewer will just be sitting there for two hours wishing Leo would finally get caught so we could all just head home." 😁 😁

Hey Rebecca Taylor57... you must be living life on the edge if you think the movie version of Frank Abagnale's life is some kind of lemonade stand... good luck with that

All things considered, I wasn't exactly blown away. There were a few sharp segments, sure, but the rest felt dragged out. It ends on a happy note just because the guy managed to pull it off in the end.

Hannah Price3 said:Overall, I wasn't exactly blown away. There were a few decent moments, sure, but the rest felt kind of dragged out. It ends on a happy note just because the guy managed to pull it off.

So, the whole thing is actually based on true events—which is the kicker—because after he got caught by the authorities, the guy actually ended up working for the FBI.

Right... I get it... but why on earth should we turn a slow-burn movie into some kind of monumental masterpiece?

Look, I'll admit there are some decent parts—I won't sit here and list them all—but overall? It didn't blow me away. Just because it’s based on true events doesn't mean it suddenly gains this intense, fresh dimension. Sure, the fact that he started working for the FBI after prison is a fitting reward for someone with above-average talent according to my own values, but even that isn't enough to elevate the film. It doesn't stop you from zoning out during the slow bits or leave you feeling truly impressed by the story.

Walter Alvarez76 said:I think my take is pretty much summarized by how this local magazine reviewed the movie. They wrote:

"The angel-faced protagonist makes the admirable choice to turn to check fraud just to settle his old man's debts, which basically gives director Steven Spielberg the perfect excuse to lean hard into every single American cliché imaginable." 😁 😁

That description really hits the nail on the head, honestly, and I feel like the opening animated sequence captures that vibe perfectly too—you know, with all those dramatic sighs like, "Will they catch him? Oh, they will! Oh, they totally will... or maybe not!" kind of stuff, almost following some weird Pink Panther sort of poetic style. 🙂 The real issue with the movie is just how drawn out everything feels, which isn't surprising since it drags on for a full 140 minutes.

Tom Hanks is stepping back into the kind of role that basically built his career, but even so, if you ask me—and I mean with all due respect here—a whole panel of critics pretty much agreed that this is more of a movie for little kids than adults, and they mostly just pointed out how much of a missed opportunity it was because a more interesting director didn't helm it. So, like, is it actually worth spending money to go see it in a theater? I'd say no.

You’re probably better off just picking up some men's magazine instead. 😁

It’s alright. Just okay, really.

The movie is alright.

One of the more entertaining things I've watched lately. It doesn't drag, and honestly, it holds up. Of course, the usual crowd that loves to bash DiCaprio will tear it apart, but hey, that's what people do when their life's purpose is hating on outsiders.
Hanks is good—nothing groundbreaking, but he pulls it off just fine.
It could have been a bit heavier if they’d focused more on Hanks' family or leaned harder into Leo's situation, but even like this, it's a solid watch.
My only gripe is the ending. Like a few of Spielberg's recent ones, it feels way too manufactured, like it could have wrapped up three different times before actually hitting the credits.

Bottom line: worth catching in a theater if you just want to switch your brain off. Don't go looking for some deep message here—movies actually *do* have messages sometimes, but not this one. This is like a cold lemonade on a hot summer day—you drink it, it's refreshing, and then you forget about it.

restlesssurfer97 said:Hey, rebel... you must be living life in the fast lane if you think the movie version of Frank's life is just some cheap lemonade... lucky you.

Oh, I'm plenty lucky—my life is a total whirlwind, honestly...

The story—well, the actual screenplay—isn't really a "lemonade" situation; more like a massive lemon dump of a movie, considering how it was adapted from the source material...
(And I mean the kind of old, shriveled, rotten lemons where even a ton of sugar wouldn't save them) ... yuck...

People have truly lost their minds; all you have to do is slap "based on a true story" at the start of a film and suddenly the rating jumps three feet and five stars—it’s a joke, really.

Man, out of a 140-minute runtime, there were at least 120 minutes where I was just dying for them to finally catch that damn Leo!
The funny thing is, Leo wasn't even the worst part of this movie. Spielberg managed to cram every single tired emotional cliché imaginable into one film.
For starters, Leo didn't turn into a con artist because of some deep-seated trauma from his parents' divorce; he did it because he’s just a naturally crafty piece of work. That whole "it's not your fault" bit and the overly dramatic "emotional" run down the street? Total eye-roll territory. And that subplot about Hanks' family? Same thing. The movie tries way too hard to force this sentimentality that just isn't earned. Believe it or not, an FBI agent and a con man aren't supposed to be buddies.

I'm done talking about this movie—long story short (if you can even call it a movie), it was pathetic!

It’s a great movie; definitely worth your time.👍

The only downside is Tom Hanks. I just can't see it working.
Gandolfini would have been a much better pick.
Otherwise, it's a solid movie for a Sunday night. Though it would be a lot easier if some 8-foot giant wasn't sitting right in front of me...😁

man, this is boring....👎

Walter Alvarez76 said:...It's based around Catch Me If You Can (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose The character description. Pleasingly, Leo witnesses Her infidelities, and things get even worse when the walking pater (Christopher Walken) gets cought robbing from his employers...

I suppose this critic hasn't even actually watched the movie. I find myself wondering how people like this even claim any authority to write about cinema at all. A film might be liked or disliked by some, certainly, but this level of ignorance regarding a film they presumably haven't even seen is quite concerning, I guess. Do you actually agree with him?👎

Of course I agree. The movie is flawless...
And what's wrong with the critic? They just don't see eye to eye with you? 😁 People can love a film or hate it—that's fine—but seeing this kind of ignorance from your side regarding a movie you clearly haven't even watched is pretty concerning...

I honestly don't get what people found boring about this movie. For me, the pacing felt pretty quick, especially compared to something like Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, which felt way too drawn out...

And can we talk about the soundtrack and that opening sequence?? Man, that was absolutely incredible (in the best way possible)...

Overall, the movie is solid and definitely worth a watch. As for the cynics who just refuse to like Spielberg, maybe you should just stop watching his films altogether...

redowl90 said:Man, that movie was absolutely wild (in a good way)...

Did you pick this up from Duderin? (Or maybe he got it from you?)

I just can't bring myself to sit through that one in a theater... especially with DiCaprio and all that.

I'd much rather just wait until it hits DVD/streaming.