Funny portait of a con artist (Leonardo di Caprio), who is being pursued by detective Tom Hanks. Will Di Caprio pull of the perfect con and stay free from persecution?

Rating: 7/10 (21 February 2019)

The bad: this movie does last about an half hour too long to be really captivating till the very end. Because when all the con tricks have been played out, the magic of this upbeat con story has somewhat faded. At 2 hours and 15 minutes this movie overstretches it's attention span.
The good: cheery, upbeat story about a boy who wants to be succesful and figures out a conning way to do so, when he knows that the honest way to achieve succes is out of his league, because of poverty problems. By simply impersonating pilots, doctors and lawyers this boy succeeds in achieving the succes he always dreamt of. It is a very alluring story about tricking your way into succes and the constant chase between Di Caprio and Tom Hanks makes for a suspenseful game of cat and mouse.
Really enjoyable watch for young and old, with a romantic interlude with the very young Amy Adams.
Biographical end note: director Steven Spielberg parents got divorced, when he was a kid. Many of the themes in Spielberg's films are about single parents and this movie is no exception. It is striking to see that this movies plot is also about a boy, who sees his parents struggle with financial problems and end up in a divorce. The boy copies his father's behaviour to solve his financial difficulties, by trying to con his way out of debt, in order to bring home the bacon. The father fails at his con jobs, whereas the son, played by Leonardo di Caprio, succeeds in conning his way into succes... Quite charming.