"Â… the most enjoyable and fun film this holiday season."

Rating: Null/10 (1 January 2003)

Spielberg has done it again. Somehow he's managed to bring us his second hit this year just in time for Christmas and what a cinematic present this is! Inspired by a true story, it's almost hard to believe that the events in the movie actually happened. With the combination of a truly amazing tale and Spielberg and Co.'s magic Hollywood touch, this semi-nostalgic piece reminds us just how different things have become since the 60s. It's definitely his most lighthearted film to date, and for sure the most enjoyable and fun film this holiday season.
Leonardo DiCaprio recovers within a week of his dreadful miscast performance in Gangs of New York with an inspired and seemingly youthful turn as the boy genius Frank Abagnale, Jr. His boyish charm and onscreen radiance are remarkable and really night-and-day compared to the aforementioned disaster. He brings back the elements of performance that made him so likeable and seem so promising in the first place. He's not alone, though. Tom Hanks gives a similar charming, if not deadpan performance as the uptight FBI agent after Abagnale. His New England accent is right on the nose and his now-plump figure give way to a new era for a more mature Hanks. This is a great turn after his well done but prickly character he played earlier this year in Road to Perdition. Also notable is the great Christopher Walken, who gives one of his best performances in years as Abagnale, Sr. All in all, Spielberg, DiCaprio, Hanks, and Walken really remind us in this film why we like them so much in the first place.
Despite it's 2 hour and 20 minute running time, it breezes by as you find yourself lost in the colorful cinematography, the fantastic sets, impeccable costumes, and lovable characters. Even with all of the character flaws that each seems to display, though, each of them seem to have a warmth and vulnerability that's easy to identify with. The playful cat-and-mouse game that Hanks and DiCaprio are caught up in is obviously one that could not happen these days and really seems impossible in the first place, but that's part of the appeal. It's cinematic escapism, folks, and it couldn't have come at a better time. This is definitely one to catch in the theaters.