Amusing joy ride of a film

Rating: 7/10 (15 December 2002)

"Catch Me If You Can" is easily Spielberg's best film since "Saving Private Ryan", and his best comedy ever. The film is a funny, exciting, adventurous journey into the world of conman extraordinaire Frank Abagnale Jr. If you don't know who he is now, you will after seeing this movie.
Truthfully, I wasn't expecting much going into this. Spielberg's films have become so premeditated recently, with just the right angle, just the right piece of music and just the right look of awe on the actors' faces, that his films haven't been truly enjoyable for some time. He's like a novelist who, despite great diction and flawless punctuation, has lost his touch when it comes to story and character. With "Catch Me If You Can", Spielberg has finally loosened up and let the story take center stage. It's an understated but mesmerizing success. I even forgot that I was watching a Steven Spielberg film, which is a sign of how good it is.
Christopher Walken, who did a Q&A after the screening, said that this movie was filmed very quickly. Maybe that's why Spielberg didn't burden the movie with too much style -- he didn't have time to.