How sad is this?

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Continuing my plan to watch every Steven Spielberg movie in order, I come to Catch Me If You Can.I don't think this is a great movie, but it is a very entertaining one, carried by three great performances. Leonardo Di Caprio delivers a great performance, Tom Hanks is his usual reliable self, even if his accent wobbles at times, but it's the wonderful Christopher Walken who steals every scene he is in, and whilst he is not in it a lot, his presence looms large. It seems as if it is over long, as it gets a bit repetitive at times, but it is never boring and whilst it is full of the Spielberg trademarks, some are switched on their heads. In a year dominated by Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man and Star Wars, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Men In Black and Austin Powers sequels, Catch Me If You Can, grossed $164 million at the domestic box office, to end 2002 as the 11th highest grossing movie of the year.

Tom Hanks and Leonardo Di Caprio unite in this Steven Spielberg crime caper from 2002. Leo plays Frank Abagnale Jr. who happens to be a con artist of the finest order despite being only 19. He is pursued diligently by FBI agent Carl Hanratty played by Hanks. This is a great casual film to watch and appreciate. Apart from the aforementioned actors we also have minor characters played by the then new Amy Adams, Martin Sheen and Christopher Walken and all come together to create a near perfect feature film. Speilberg should be commended for taking on such a light fare and making something so interesting out of it.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is one of those films that it took me ages to get around to seeing because I thought I wasn't going to like it. I'm no huge fan of Steven Spielberg and the lavish devotion he attracts, even though he's made a lot of films I enjoy. It seemed to me to be a vehicle for a smug Leonardo DiCaprio outwitting the authorities at every turn. Now I've watched it, I admit that I was completely wrong. DiCaprio plays a thoroughly sympathetic character whose side you are on from the outset thanks to a clever set-up involving his relationship with his father, a decent Christopher Walken. The viewer can then sit back and simply enjoy watching him as he attempts to beat the system by becoming a master fraudster. The fact that this is a true story helps a lot too. It's not as assured as Spielberg's deadly serious fare like BRIDGE OF SPIES and MUNICH, but it's much better than his twee, sentimental body of work.

Movie Review: "Catch Me If You Can" (2002)Legendary Hollywood new-deal studio "DreamWorks" distributes solely this contemporary tragic-comedy with screw-balling crime-thriller elements in best Alfred Hitchcock directed "North by Northwest" (1959) manners under high-pitching director Steven Spielberg at the top of his game by letting 27-year-old Leonardo DiCaprio collide with dramatic-stability-bringing supporting actor Tom Hanks in collaboration for the 2nd time after "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), when this masterful-shot 1960s-indulging motion picture delivers high-class, dreamy Hollywood entertainment based on a biopic-dramatized life-story of Frank W. Abagnale Jr.'s book from 1980.Acting, directing and production values from cinematography by faithful Spielberg collaborator Janusz Kaminski in never-seen before massive in-auditorium crane-in shot, when Leonardo DiCaprio's witnesses a wonder-struck "007: Goldfinger" screening at a movie house in1964; and an instant-classic score by composer John Williams open with out-of-the-ordinary pre-picture-story opening sequence with 2D animations, on tips of further homage-sharing legendary graphic designer Saul Bass-inspirations by Agnés Fauve in pain-staking detail and timing to set the relentless executive tone of motion picture fireworks with Steven Spielberg's interpretations of Frank Abagnale's life on-the-run by coming through life with local to federal felonies, forged checks and constantly-improvised live-action, on-the-spot acting-stunts to impose as co-pilot in an cockpit's airplanye, a decorated doctor fouling medical colleagues and a licensed lawyer speeches in front of a judge to engage in sweet-romantic scenes featuring adventure-loving females, actresses cameos by Elizabeth Banks and Ellen Pompeo, known for her leading role in tv series "Grey's Anatomy" (2005-2018) plus mesmerizing portrayals by blue-chip call-girl-playing Jennifer Garner and 21-year-old newcoming actress Amy Adams as timid nurse trainee to schoolgirl daughter of a rich man alike down-to-her-beats to faithful-American-Dad-playing Martin Sheen and last but not least the Academy-Award-nominated role by Christopher Walken as Frank's father, who gives "Catch Me If You Can" the flavor of a remarkably-morale as positive picture to non-stop entertainment factors for the whole family.This stand-out, purist entertainment movie marks together with science-fiction-thriller "Minority Report" starring Tom Cruise, released in the same year of 2002 the very best pictures, which had been produced under Steven Spielberg's too-short-lived vision, alongside with enterprising partners Jeff Katzenberg and David Geffen in their Major Hollywood studio-contender DreamWorks Pictures LLC, which in 2005 had to gain collaboration gears with the Big Five of Hollywood to prevail a continuous motion-picture quality label accompanied with Spielberg's home-base production company Amblin Entertainment, Inc starting with "E.T. The Extra-terrestrial" in season 1981/1982. © 2018 Felix Alexander Dausend (Cinemajesty Entertainments LLC)