Buy this DVD at Amazon.ca Buy this on VHS at Amazon.ca

---

The tagline very succinctly says the most important thing about Catch Me if You Can--(it's) the true story of a real fake.  In the 60's teenaged Frank Abagnale Jr. runs away and makes his life as a con man when his father's trouble with the IRS causes his mother to leave.  Frank starts out with $25 in a chequing account his father got him for his birthday.  With that chequebook as a start Frank manages to fraud his way into a few million dollars and gets under the skin of an FBI agent bent on catching him even if he has to travel the globe.  Not only is the money from fraud, but so is the rest of Frank's life as he impersonates an airline co-pilot, a doctor, and a criminal prosecutor.

Leonardo DiCaprio is more than credible as the con man who is now and again just the fearful young man that he really is.  Tom Hanks gives one of his usual great performances as Carl Hanratty the FBI agent who just has to prove that he can catch Frank.  The directing is there in some scenes while in others everything just plays out as if the audience were there witnessing the real events the film is based on.  The pacing is a little slow in some spots.  The comedy isn't exactly heavy, but then again it is based on the situation and the way that it spirals slowly out of control.  There are some nice dramatic moments as well.  The interior sets are good as are the exterior locations.  The trimmings to make it feels like the 60s are good as well, though there are some occasional mistakes.  The musical score is excellent and the lyrical soundtrack is as well.  Catch Me if You Can is fun movie, and a good diversion for a couple of hours.

( Thank you for reading my review.
Bob Male)

All ideas, opinions, and information are from the reviewer and are not representative of any company or group involved with the creators and/or staff of the materials being reviewed.