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27
Babylon A.D.
33
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82
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42
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20
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36
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54
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49
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34
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78
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71
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55
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61
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65
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79
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57
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73
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53
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24
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51
Mamma Mia!
43
Meet Dave
35
Mirrors
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
64
Pineapple Express
53
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53
Sex and the City: The Movie
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
36
Space Chimps
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
51
Step Brothers
47
Swing Vote
60
Traitor
71
Tropic Thunder
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
93
WALL-E
64
Wanted
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Tropic Thunder
71
Horton Hears a Who!
70
Vicky Cristina Barcelona
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
64
Pineapple Express
63
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, The
61
Incredible Hulk, The
60
Traitor
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
House Bunny, The
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
53
Longshots, The
53
Rocker, The
51
Mamma Mia!
51
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
47
Swing Vote
47
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
43
Meet Dave
42
Death Race
36
Space Chimps
36
Fly Me to the Moon
35
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
35
Mirrors
34
Happening, The
33
College
31
Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, The
27
Babylon A.D.
24
Love Guru, The
20
Disaster Movie
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

85
Alexandra
40
America the Beautiful
66
American Teen
73
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
62
Baghead
57
Beautiful Losers
xx
Beer for My Horses
47
Before the Rains
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
56
Bottle Shock
75
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
61
Bustin' Down the Door
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
xx
Cthulhu
86
Edge of Heaven, The
66
Elegy
52
Elsa & Fred
80
Encounters at the End of the World
64
Fall, The
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
83
Frozen River
68
Girl Cut in Two, A
62
Girls Rock!
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
54
Hamlet 2
25
Hell Ride
44
Henry Poole is Here
76
I Served the King of England
72
I.O.U.S. A
63
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
67
Jellyfish
62
Kabluey
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
78
Last Mistress, The
50
Last Stop for Paul
70
Love Songs
61
Man Named Pearl, A
89
Man on Wire
87
Momma's Man
74
Mongol
46
My Mexican Shivah
80
Order of Myths, The
66
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
72
Priceless
61
Red
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
51
Savage Grace
57
Sixty Six
57
Sukiyaki Western Django
83
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
71
To the Limit
72
Transsiberian
80
Trouble the Water
83
U2 3D
86
Up the Yangtze
79
Visitor, The
61
Wackness, The
54
What We Do Is Secret
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
XXY
53
Year of the Fish
xx
Young People F**king
75
Young@Heart
89
Man on Wire
87
Momma's Man
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Edge of Heaven, The
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Alexandra
83
U2 3D
83
Frozen River
83
Tell No One
80
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Trouble the Water
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Order of Myths, The
79
Visitor, The
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Last Mistress, The
76
I Served the King of England
75
Young@Heart
75
Boy A
74
Mongol
73
Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Priceless
72
Transsiberian
72
I.O.U.S. A
71
To the Limit
71
Roman de gare
70
Love Songs
68
Girl Cut in Two, A
67
Jellyfish
66
Elegy
66
Patti Smith: Dream of Life
66
American Teen
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
Brideshead Revisited
64
XXY
64
Fall, The
63
In Search of a Midnight Kiss
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Kabluey
62
Baghead
62
Girls Rock!
61
Bustin' Down the Door
61
Wackness, The
61
Man Named Pearl, A
61
Red
61
Brick Lane
57
Sukiyaki Western Django
57
Sixty Six
57
Beautiful Losers
56
Bottle Shock
56
Then She Found Me
55
Bra Boys
54
Hamlet 2
54
What We Do Is Secret
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
53
Year of the Fish
52
Elsa & Fred
51
Savage Grace
50
Last Stop for Paul
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Before the Rains
46
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
46
My Mexican Shivah
44
Henry Poole is Here
40
America the Beautiful
25
Hell Ride
xx
Young People F**king
xx
Bachna Ae Haseeno
xx
Goal II: Living the Dream
xx
Cthulhu
xx
Beer for My Horses
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Catch Me If You Can
DreamWorks Distribution LLC
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language
Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio,
Tom Hanks,
Christopher Walken,
Jennifer Garner,
Amy Adams,
Martin Sheen,
Frank John Hughes,
and
Brian Howe
Frank W. Abagnale (DiCaprio) worked as a doctor, a lawyer and as a co-pilot for a major airline -- all before his 21st birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill at check fraud had netted him millions of dollars in stolen funds. FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) has made it his prime mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice, but Frank is always one step ahead of him, baiting him to continue the chase. (DreamWorks)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Jeff Nathanson
Frank Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding (book Catch Me If You Can)
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Steven Spielberg
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: May 6, 2003
Video: May 6, 2003
Theatrical: December 25, 2002
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
140 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Nathan Rabin
Part of Spielberg's skill as a filmmaker comes in choosing the right collaborators. Janusz Kaminski's gorgeous cinematography, Michael Kahn's graceful editing, Jeff Nathanson's clever script, and John Williams' score all work well in unison, but the film's masterstroke is the casting of Walken as DiCaprio's utterly decent father.

100
Washington Post
Stephen Hunter
It's brilliantly acted. But best of all, it's brilliantly made.

91
Portland Oregonian
Shawn Levy
It's the most charming and buoyant film Spielberg's ever made.

90
The New York Times
Stephen Holden
Supremely entertaining.

90
Time
Richard Schickel
Results in about the nicest movie you could ask for at the holidays: a gently funny, sweetly adventurous film that makes you feel genuinely good, that is to say, entirely unconned by false sentiment or sharp, overmanipulative Hollywood practices.

90
Newsweek
David Ansen
Never less than engaging; all thats missing is a proper crescendo. The picture moves along briskly, even at two and a half hours, but it seems to be running on cruise control.

89
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Everything about this swift and gorgeous and tremendously enjoyable film is played out in a rush of staccato edits, crisp performances, and charmingly giddy subplots that coalesce into Spielberg's most purely entertaining movie in years.

88
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Nothing if not a celebration of our willingness to be gulled by life's charming strangers.

80
Dallas Observer
Robert Wilonsky
Breezy and easy to swallow. Its maker, Steven Spielberg, hasn't had so much fun in two decades.

80
The New Yorker
David Denby
Spielberg must have sensed that he owed us some fun, and the movie has a sleek and carefree look -- the lightness of a sixties comedy, made with the extraordinary speed and panache of our most fluent director. This is a true holiday film, a gift from some genuine pros who know how to entertain without sweat. [23 & 30 December 2002, p. 166]
80
Variety
Todd McCarthy
Like a trot around the track for the thoroughbreds involved, and one of the results is that it takes them far too long to get to the finish line.

80
LA Weekly
John Powers
As an actor DiCaprio has long been known for his ardor, not to mention his tiresome self-seriousness, but working for Spielberg, he plays his scenes with a comic deftness I thought he didn't have in him.

80
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Based on the real-life exploits of Frank W. Abagnale but played more for myth than believability.

80
The New Republic
Stanley Kauffmann
Spielberg directs so fluently that it takes a while to perceive how well made the film is.

80
Slate
David Edelstein
Feels more like The Bill Clinton Story than "Primary Colors" (1998). It's a paean to naughty boys who dream of potency and become enraptured by their own scams -- a great American archetype.

75
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
DiCaprio could hardly be better. He brings this outrageous character and his demons to life with skill, sympathy and a symphony of small, telling touches.

75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
The movie could have used a further dose of the resonance Walken gives it, and a more intellectually adventurous director might have brought the theme close to home.

75
Chicago Tribune
Michael Wilmington
Brilliant performances by DiCaprio as Frank Jr. and Christopher Walken as his fallen father - and an enjoyable one by Tom Hanks.

75
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
The film's charm ends up worn out by the very perfection of Frank's con. We look at this teen wizard of rotating identity, and we realize we know everything about him except who he is.

75
Miami Herald
Rene Rodriguez
Even in its somewhat unwieldy form, Catch Me If You Can is charming, sparkling entertainment.

75
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
What lingers in the memory is the impression of having experienced a frolic, a ride through the park on a bright winter day.

75
Philadelphia Inquirer
Steven Rea
In the end (and it's a happy end, to be sure), Catch Me if You Can is as crisp and trim as a new suit. Well, a new old suit - say, circa the 1960s.

75
New York Daily News
Jami Bernard
A pleasant romp through the land of Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction.

75
Christian Science Monitor
David Sterritt
Spielberg's directing is a tad less tricky than usual, but he doesn't have much talent for psychological suspense, which is the heart of the story. DiCaprio underplays nicely and Walken is superb as the con artist's downtrodden dad.

75
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
This is not a major Spielberg film, although it is an effortlessly watchable one.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
An enjoyable, although not ambitious, holiday outing.

75
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
Slight, enjoyable comedy.

75
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
You won't find a movie that's more fun this season -- but at 2-1/2 hours, it's probably too much of a good thing.

70
Los Angeles Times
Manohla Dargis
For all his genre-hopping and shape-shifting Spielberg seems to have become too big to tell small stories, which is one reason why the film sputters on one too many false endings.

70
Film Threat
Rick Kisonak
We aren't talking Oscar here. We're talking truly fine performances and an unexpectedly hep John Williams score. We are talking a story that rollicks with the most rollicking of them. Not great cinema; just a great time at the movies and certainly a film well worth catching if you can.

70
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
Finally seems like a bit of a con in its own right, but a marvelously smooth one.
70
New York Magazine
Peter Rainer
Breezily enjoyable but thin.

63
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
Spielberg's inchoate attempts at cultural observation stretch the movie out and dilute the giddiness instead of adding a pleasurable spike. When the movie doesn't feel inflated, it feels soggy.

63
USA Today
Mike Clark
Catch offers mild fun but never as much as its animated '60s-retro opening credits portend. They're the cutest of the year.

60
Salon.com
Charles Taylor
Well-enough made and highly watchable, but it lacks the one thing that would put some swing in its step and some swagger in its attitude: a sense of jazz.

60
TV Guide
Ken Fox
The whole lighter-than-air lark whizzes by like a brisk, kandy-kolored dream of the 1960s, flavored by a Saul Bass inspired credit sequence; a slinky, Henry Mancini-esque score; and a stunning array of period sets and evocative locales.

50
Village Voice
J. Hoberman
DiCaprio is far more successfully cast here than in Gangs of New York: His performance is all about acting; it's a mild kick to see how he'll manage to talk his way out of nearly every scrape.

50
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
What begins brightly gets bogged down over 140 minutes. A film that took off like a hare on speed ends like a winded tortoise.


The average user rating for this movie is 7.5 (out of 10) based on 60 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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