I used to be in love with Leonardo DiCaprio as a tween. He was the ultimate heartthrob. So, it may come as a shock that I did not go out of my way to watch the many movies that he starred in. After his stint on Growing Pains, I wasn't exactly allowed to see some of the movies he was in. The talented and handsome actor has a thing when it comes to dramatic movies. While he may have the charm and good looks, he doesn't have the pull to get me to watch anything dramatic unless I have to. Let's just say middle and high school had me endure the dramatic romance movies that had everyone screaming his name.
Catch Me If You Can had young adult Leo roaming the country as Frank Abagnale Jr. I make this sound so innocent but teenage Frank was out here forging checks and had the FBI after him for swindling millions out of the banks. I vaguely remember seeing the advert for this movie. For years, I was under the impression that Leo was literally running across the nation with Tom Hanks, as FBI agent Carl Hanratty, nearly catching him in various places. Imagine my shock when I realize that there was less action than that! While the movie was a cat and mouse movie, there was an intelligent kid who wanted familial feeling that he lost when his parents separated. I know, it's pretty sappy but I call it as I see it.
Frank Jr. lived a life that most of us could only imagine. Granted it was all fake but who wouldn't want to try multiple job roles before the age of 18? He started off as a pilot, worked his way to forge a medical degree, and passed the bar. How he did it before the age of Google is astounding to me. All this was easier back then but even so, that is quite impressive resume. Leo was able to capture the raw emotion of a child that could fake it until he made it. The arrogance and fear was almost tangible. Tom Hanks, who was once a heartthrobe himself, came out as a gruff FBI agent irritated with the fact that a child nearly escapes and humilates him more than once but there is a certain confidence that he has every Christmas that leads to capturing his prey. The two actors played off of each other well.
I'll admit that I was expecting more flights and women throwing themselves at Frank but I was overall pleased with the end product. I'm quite amazed by the amount of damage the real Frank Abagnale Jr. was able to do. Bonus is Christopher Walken and many upcoming film stars were in the movie. That was fun for me. This is a movie that I would definitely enjoy again, just for the fun of it. I should probably let you know, that is if you don't already know, while this is based on a true story, not all of it is based on facts; read up on the guy. It's worth it.
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