Catch Me if You Can

After scowling his way through Gangs of New York, Leonardo DiCaprio has found a role much better suited to his talents. In Catch Me If You Can, directed by Steven Spielberg and co-starring Tom Hanks, DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, Jr., a con artist who achieved notoriety at an age when most kids are usually scrambling for a date to the prom.

Compelled to run away from home after his parent’s divorce, Frank impersonates a host of characters, including a doctor, lawyer, and airline pilot, in order to get by. At the same time, he discovers a way to forge checks, and ultimately winds up swindling close to $4 million.

Implausible as it may sound, the film is based on a true story, and DiCaprio, despite being surrounded by a sea of bad New York accents, delivers a charismatic lead performance that helps bring it to life.

Still, this being a Spielberg film, there is always room for some sappiness. For instance, Abagnale is shown making a heartfelt phone call to his FBI pursuant, Carl Hanratty (Hanks), every Christmas Eve, and a fixation on father-son relationships runs throughout the film (indeed, it seems to be a popular theme this year, cropping up in Minority Report, Road to Perdition, and About a Boy as well).

Another Spielberg hallmark – that is, female characters wholly lacking in substance – can also be found in abundance in Catch Me If You Can. Although Abagnale shares a warm relationship with his father (Christopher Walken, in an effective, startlingly low-key performance), his mother (Nathalie Baye) comes across as a selfish and materialistic, and winds up shouldering the blame for the divorce between her and her husband.

Jennifer Garner makes a brief appearance that strikingly contrasts her role as feisty undercover agent Sydney Bristow on TV’s Alias. Her role: a passive supermodel who agrees to sleep with Frank in exchange for $1000.

Finally, Frank takes up with a shy hospital worker named Brenda (Amy Adams), who is given so little personality that one is left wondering why he risks so much for her. Brenda could have been an interesting, multi-layered character, but instead comes across as dull and simpering.

These things aside, Catch Me If You Can makes for a highly entertaining film. The confrontation that takes place between Abagnale and Hanratty in a hotel room is filmed with considerable panache, and Frank’s increasingly outlandish schemes easily pique viewer interest. Ultimately, however, it is DiCaprio’s performance helps the film coast through its rough spots.