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In Reply to: That just informs us that Catch Me If You Can will probably be the most entertaining of the bunch. posted by Audiophilander on December 26, 2002 at 09:04:29:
I would say the film is both more and less than I expected.I would not say that it is a comedy, although it has funny moments. So, it was less in that respect.
OTOH, it was more than I expected in that the relationship between boy/man Frank Abegnale and his father and Agent Hanratty was explored and developed -- which is more than lots of films do.
But I don't share this reviewer's take that the film is a celebration of the humiliations, large and small, that the Abegnale character inflicts on various persons. Maybe he thought those were funny -- but I didn't, with exception of a little harmless humiliation on Agent Hanratty.
And I don't see the comparison with "The Talented Mr. Ripley" as being particularly apt, except that they are both studies of the same type of character the con artist. However, unlike Abegnale, I never got the sense that Ripley had any remorse, experienced any kind of redemption, or was acting out of any motives other than just the sheer fun of fucking people. Ultimately, I saw Ripley as a sociopath; I never saw Abegnale that way.
Which is not to say that I didn't find both films worth watching, although "Ripley," because of its exotic setting and lush photography, is better eye-candy.
I think there are some critics who are predisposed not to like Stephen Spielberg, Leonardo Di Caprio and, perhaps, even Tom Hanks.
Follow Ups:
I am a movie fanatic. And though that confession alone does not guarantee nor warrant a credibility of myself with regards to criticism on movies, I still feel like implying or speaking of "Catch me if you can" as "not-so-wonderful-movie" is quite an absurd idea. After seeing the movie twice, I could not but commend Spielberg, Hanks & di Caprio on their performances as a genuinely creative people. All of them did their part well and had in fact inspired a lot of people(myself included). It was an indirect presentation of another psychiatric dilemma with regards to an upbringing of an individual. I truly appreciate the film more for its unique way of delivering its moral values (but I would highly recommend parent's guidance if minors are to watch this film so as not to confuse their judgment). As a whole, I give the movie a sincere 2 thumbs up!!
My wife and I thought "Catch Me If You Can" was one of the best comedic films of the year and while we both felt that the elements of comedy were stronger than you apparently did, we also felt that it was well balanced with pathos. You are exactly right that the aniable con-man Frank Abegnale was far removed from a sociopathic role player like Ripley (another excellent movie, but oceans away in terms character study). I should point out that the stadium seating theater was absolutely packed where we caught "Catch Me..." and the audience applauded at the end. This movie is a REAL winner, IMHO.
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