A Filmmaker's Dream-Come-True

Rating: 9/10 (9 August 2016)

This fact-based story about con-artist Frank Abagnale Jr. is a filmmaker's dream-come-true because it's absolutely incredible, outrageously funny and features an extraordinary protagonist. Based on his autobiography (which he wrote with Stan Redding), it charts Abagnale's exploits as a teenager who made millions of dollars through cheque fraud, travelled extensively at no cost to himself and assumed a number of fake identities with such success that he quickly achieved a glamorous lifestyle, great personal wealth and the attentions of numerous young women. Inevitably, his activities also attracted the attention of the FBI and led to him getting involved in a protracted cat-and-mouse game with one of their agents.
Frank enjoys a perfectly happy upbringing in New Rochelle, New York until his father, Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken), starts to experience problems with the IRS over some unpaid tax and can't raise a loan to cover the shortfall. As a result, Frank Sr. loses his retail business, his car and his home and has to move his family into a small apartment. Soon after, Frank's French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye) has an affair with one of Frank Sr's fellow Rotarians and this leads to the collapse of their marriage and the painful divorce that follows. Frank is devastated by the loss of his happy family life and runs away from home.
Frank looks older than his age and in his new circumstances, soon discovers that he has a natural ability to perpetrate cons by masquerading as an airline pilot and forging various documents and cheques. The wealth and respect that he gains through his activities give him a great deal of confidence and so, when FBI Agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) catches up with him at a hotel and confronts him at gunpoint, Frank simply claims to be a Secret Service Agent who'd also been pursuing the elusive Mr Abagnale Jr. and walks away from the premises before Hanratty realises that he's been duped.
Frank goes on to pose as a doctor at a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia where he meets and falls in love with a sweet young nurse called Brenda (Amy Adams) who wears braces on her teeth and is worried about losing her job. When he meets Brenda's parents, he claims that he's also a qualified lawyer, like her father Roger (Martin Sheen) who's a district attorney and then gets taken on as Roger's assistant. Numerous surprising developments follow before Frank is eventually given an opportunity to rehabilitate himself in a most unexpected way.
Frank Abagnale Jr. is a fascinating character and Leonardo DiCaprio absolutely shines in this role as it fully exploits his ability to be charismatic and funny whilst also subtly hinting at the vulnerability and sadness that remain with Frank as a result of his parents' divorce. The surprising relationship that he develops with the rather dull and humourless Hanratty is also an enjoyable feature of the story and becomes quite credible because of the grudging admiration that the FBI man has for Frank and the common ground that they share (both having lost their highly valued family lives). In a movie full of top class performances, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen and Amy Adams all make a tremendous impression.
The 1960s-type opening credits do a great job of establishing the period within which the action takes place and also signal the playful, upbeat style of presentation that contributes so strongly to all the fun that follows. As a highly amusing "stranger the fiction" story, "Catch Me If You Can" not only has a huge appeal that crosses many demographics but also, with its family drama, comedy and moments of suspense, provides such rich entertainment that it's no surprise that it did so well at the box office.