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When I was
young, well in my teens, I was a kleptomaniac.
I used to steal at will, instinctually, sometimes without
realizing what I was doing. It
became a habit for me. I
did it for the thrill, I did it for the joy of getting away with
something but most of all, as I realized later, I did it for the
attention. A part of
me wanted to get caught I think, so that someone would notice me,
my parents, my friends, my classmates, the people I passed on the
street, I think I just wanted someone to notice.
Near the end of Steven Spielberg’s delightful but
heartfelt Catch Me If You Can, the main character confronts his
father and says “ask me to stop, just ask me to stop”.
It was the most powerful and telling scene in the movie.
In those moments, the whole reasoning behind why someone
would pretend to be several different things, knowingly breaking
the law, deceiving others, hurting those who loved him, came
screaming out us. It
was done with such a subtlety that we barely realize the power of
the words and the message. That
whole theme pervades this wonderful effort.
It explodes with color, it breathes with a zest and life,
it is simultaneously playful, intense, powerful, thought provoking
and full of an energy that has been sorely lacking in the films
this year. With this
effort, Spielberg has created a unique and twistedly inspirational
tale that is original in attitude, spirit and telling and
definitely cinematic experience that true fans will wish was
neverending.
The movie kicks
off with a delicious opening sequence.
It is Pink Panther style animation set to the very Mancini-esque
score of John Williams. It
is playful, fun loving, colorful and sets the tone for the rest of
the film.
Hanratty and
Abagnale are not that far removed from each other.
They are both lonely people in the world, they have been
isolated by life and the events of fate and each is driven to make
their mark in it. To
watch these to in their cerebral chess match is truly a pleasure.
Hanks and DiCaprio simply make magic when they play off of
each other. One of my
recent criticisms of DiCaprio is that he relied too much on his
looks and less on his talent, which I know exists because of
Gilbert Grape and Basketball Diaries.
Gangs of New York helped him find his dramatic teeth once
again, but this lets him use both his talent and his charming
looks in unison to
give Abagnale a disarming appeal
Ultimately,
Catch Me If You Can is a joyous ride through a make believe world
of the realistic search for belonging.
Most of us can relate to the struggles loneliness and
finding yourself and your place in the world.
Sometimes it is so much easier to deal in the world of make
believe than to face the harshness of reality.
As a writer, I can not only relate to this, but also am apt
to make this attempt to escape and even bring others with me on
the journey. Writers
could be considered one degree of seperation from con artists.
They generate entire creations based on experiences and
talents and sometimes live within these worlds to escape from the
one they’re in. With
Catch Me If You Can, Spielberg’s direction and the words of the
writers help to take us on a 2 plus hour journey into escapism.
It’s lighthearted nature, but serious message make this
film an overall delight and one that won’t be overlooked when
awards season rolls around
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