Vacation time for serious actors

Rating: 8/10 (3 February 2003)

This movie was an absolute delight. It is lighthearted in tone (with a touch or two of darkness), breezily shot and acted, and painted in a kaleidoscope of '60s colors. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks get to retire their serious acting chops for a bit and seem to be truly enjoying their roles. The supporting cast is strong from top to bottom, especially Amy Adams as a clueless naif and a heartfelt turn by Christopher Walken as DiCaprio's father. Concerning the story, the tale of Frank Abignale, jr. (DiCaprio) is as much a yarn about mankind's willingness to trust someone who says all the right things as it is a commentary on how confidence opens doors which, for you, should rightly remain shut. Spielberg, who has been producing heavy, ominous fare for the last decade or so (Schindler's List, Amistad, and Minority Report, just to name a few), puts a sense of magic and enjoyment into his movies that calls to mind earlier work like E.T.
One final note: it's also amazing to note that what Frank Abignale did could never be duplicated--because of Frank Abignale himself. You'll have to see the movie or read the book to understand exactly what I mean.