Catch That Kid

Name: Catch That Kid
Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family
Released: February 6, 2004
Duration: 91 min
Rating: 33
Cast: Jennifer Beals, Kristen Stewart, Sam Robards

2004

METASCORE

Generally unfavorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Ratings

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5.4	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Ratings

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Catch That Kid

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Movie Details & Credits

Fox 2000 Pictures | Release Date: February 6, 2004 | PG

Starring: Jennifer Beals, Kristen Stewart, Sam Robards

Summary: They are specialists in their fields: a rock climber, a computer genius, a mechanical whiz. Their task: to rob one of the world's most impenetrable banks to save an ailing father. Their plan is foolproof; their methods are ingenious. And they're not old enough to drive. (20th Century Fox)

Director: Bart Freundlich

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Family

Rating: PG

Runtime: 91 min

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Critic Reviews

Paula Nechak

Cast and crew have a blast making a family movie that spoofs its James Bond-like premise, is jam-packed with action, sweaty-palm suspense and adventurous, high-tech fun effects, and yet never loses its at-the-core heart and sympathies. Read full review

Premiere Peter Debruge

While this Kid isn't up to "Spy Kids" standards, the good news is the film hews closer to the high-concept kids' movies of the 1980s than to all that Disney Channel goo that's been repackaged for the big screen lately. Read full review

Ty Burr

Flatters its audience by dividing the grown-up world into mean idiots and nice idiots, which might be interestingly subversive if the movie had anything on its mind. Instead, it's just a Hollywood crash course: Heist Films 101. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Angel Cohn

This heist flick is far more likely to drive audiences away than catch and keep anyone's interest in the title kid -- or more accurately, kids. Read full review

J.R. Jones

The plot of this PG action thriller, a remake of the 2002 Danish film Klatretosen, is so full of holes that even middle schoolers might give it the raspberry, but a bigger problem is the three leads' lack of on-screen chemistry. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Offers little in the way of originality, real excitement or even genuinely transgressive behavior. Read full review

Ben Kenigsberg

A stale, overbudgeted, child-empowerment fantasy that's every bit as excruciating as the director's previous work. Read full review

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User Reviews

AnnaR.

Jun 25, 2006

Incredible. Absolutly loved it.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

RogueVader1996

Apr 3, 2019

It's cheesy, it's stupid, it's self-aware, but it's a great pleasure to see. A young Kristen Stewart having a lot of fun is always nice to watch. The rest of the cast are enjoying themselves too, not even caring about the script.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MasterRiley

Feb 19, 2017

Catch That Kid was a really cool movie I enjoyed watching growing up. Its not without its flaws, but for kids it can be really entertaining and somewhat thrilling to watch.

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TheQuietGamer

Mar 8, 2017

Escapist fantasy for the pre-pubescent. There's a novel idea here. Take the typical heist movie, something usually reserved for adults, and turn it into a more kid-friendly affair with some charming young leads. While I wasn't the biggest fan of it as a kid, I remember thinking it wasn't tooEscapist fantasy for the pre-pubescent. There's a novel idea here. Take the typical heist movie, something usually reserved for adults, and turn it into a more kid-friendly affair with some charming young leads. While I wasn't the biggest fan of it as a kid, I remember thinking it wasn't too shabby. I still kind of think that today. It's just that now the flaws are a little more noticeable to me (curse getting older!).

Everything you would expect to see from a heist movie is in Catch That Kid. You've got your death-defying stunts, computer hacking, and even a high-speed car chase. Only now it's done with 13 years old and go-karts. This all leads to an intentional sense of absurdity and a knowing, tongue in cheek style. Suspension of disbelief is definitely required for just about anyone over the age of 12, but the movie is definitely in on the joke so it's a little easier to swallow.

Of course the whole things runs on the old "all adults are idiots" rule that so many movies that put in the kids in the hero roles rely on. The adults are only just enough of a nuisance to slow the kids down, but not smart enough to actually stop them. The biggest threat they encounter are two bumbling security guards who, as expected, are little more than comic relief. This is basically where the movie's biggest flaw comes to light. With the majority of the people onscreen being the butt of the joke, you'd think the people behind the movie would made sure that joke was funnier. A lot of the movie is trying to get by on laughs. There are gags for the kids, and knowing winks to their parents to hopefully elicit some chuckles. The problem is that almost all of the movie's attempts at humor fall flat. It's also not entirely clear why. It could be the delivery, the direction, or just the fact that the writing itself isn't very good. Whatever the case, even when I saw this as a kid when it first came out I distinctly remember not laughing much.

Still, it's not an awful movie. Sure, the concept is perhaps a bit stupid, and it's definitely not as funny as it wants to be, but it's still entertaining enough for the kids. Parents might even be able to get through it just do to the delightfully cheesy nature of, well, everything. It also helps that they just don't make movies like this anymore. I'll let you decide whether or not that's a good thing.… Expand

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