 Catch Me If You Can (2002) I'm talking about Spielberg, of course. Here, he finds the perfect metaphor for his own career in the life of Frank Abagnale, Jr., who ran away from home at 17 and managed to bluff his way into illustrious careers and relationships, all the while funding his joyride with check forgery. Spielberg seems to be genuinely trying to break his own compulsive lying habit by turning out what in his mind is probably a small, honest film … but Catch Me If You Can is way overlong, incredibly unsubtle, and plays a shell game with the truth of its subject. That said, it's an entertaining ride, buoyed by sparkling performances (Leo DiCaprio and Christopher Walken are especially good) and faux-60s eye-candy cinematography. The story itself is so cool that I ultimately didn't care that it was just another Spielberg snow-job. I'm glad to see the guy trying to do new things—who knows what coolness he might create if he truly unbound himself and started cranking out smaller movies like Steven Soderbergh, the Spielberg of hipness. But for all his phenomenal craft and easy way with a fable, Spielberg just can't let a story speak for itself—he makes damn sure you never lose your place, or miss an important detail. But you know: I want to lose my place. I like ambiguity. So this film is as much a handsome swindler as its main character … a dashing, flattering heart-throb afraid of its deep, dark heart, showing you gold and then stealing your money. But it does this so charmingly that you're kind of grateful for the robbery.
Review by La Fée |