Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Catch Me If You Can’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

I think we can all agree upon the fact that sometimes, life can get incredibly overwhelming. It could be due to the fact that we are having money troubles, or a relationship that matters to us is on the rocks, or… someone we deeply care for is ill and we have to process the possibility of a life without them. But one way or another, the universe throws us a curve ball now and again, the kind that leave us stressed and worried and on the verge of a seeming collapse, and when these unfortunate moments arrive, we are presented with quite the choice in how we deal with them.  
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Because in essence, we can stand tall and handle these challenges head on, or, we can run and hide and try and wait for the mess to blow over, and while we often choose the first option since it is the right thing to do, option number two always has a strong pull. For it would be nice to simply escape our problems and get lost in the world for a change, but everyone knows you simply cannot outrun those parts of life, but that doesn’t stop some people from outright trying. And recently, I had the opportunity to revisit a brilliant motion picture revolving around a young man who stopped at nothing to escape his problems by way of constant reinvention in Catch Me If You Can.

Now for those unfamiliar with this particular motion picture, in it we are introduced to a teenager named Frank Abagnale, Jr. and dear Frank is facing some incredible hardships when we meet him. For his family unit is falling to pieces and he simply cannot handle the prospect of his mother and father splitting up and when given the chance to run away and escape this pain, he does so without giving it a second thought. But now that he is on his own, Frank has to figure out how to put food on the table and he does that by learning how to grift and scam, and well… it turns out that Frank is quite good at this trade. In fact, he’s so talented with people and selling a lie, that he is able to reinvent himself at every turn and he enjoys the life of an airline pilot, a doctor and a lawyer and anything else that catches his fancy simply because he can. But the good life won’t last forever, for the FBI is hot on his tale and it is only a matter of time before reality catches up with Frank and shatters his fantasy life. 

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So, I have to admit, that this is one of those motion pictures that I straight up regret not seeing on the big screen because this really is a special story. For not only is it loosely based on the biography of Frank Abagnale, Jr., since he pulled off this kind of fraud, it really is a fascinating character study on what happens to us when we run from life’s problems and work hard to keep them at bay. But while one would expect for that lesson to be heavy handed in nature, Steven Spielberg’s masterful direction takes us on quite the ride since we learn up front that getting away from it all really does have some merit. For Frank does enjoy quite the incredible, jet-set lifestyle while living on the road as a grifter. But it doesn’t take long for him to begin to learn that the lies and the isolation will eventually catch up with you.
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Which is where the film dives into some supremely fascinating territory. Because eventually Frank comes to realize that every lie has consequences and that we can genuinely harm people on a fundamental level with deception since we are trusting creatures when all is said and done. But despite learning these lessons, he presses on, desperate to enjoy that sense of freedom while only getting a taste of real life. That is, until his father dies. Because then and only then does he realize that the lies have pushed him away from what matters and that immersing himself in a fantasy cost him precious moments that will never come again. If anything, what I truly loved about this exploration was the sheer fact that it presents Frank in a human light. He’s not some super evil con man who wants to stick it to the world because he sees it as flawed. He’s just a broken human being who needed better guidance from his pop and he used lies to cope with the pain and that’s oddly relatable since we’ve known guys like Frank, or we’ve been him in some capacity.

Yet while all of this is incredible to watch, it takes great actors to sell this kind of story and thankfully this movie features that as well. For Tom Hanks does an amazing job as FBI Agent Carl Hanratty, the man who hunts Frank and he serves as the anchor for this film since he just wants Frank to be a good man and do the right thing. And of course, this movie wouldn’t work in the slightest without Leonardo DiCaprio in the lead role since his incredible acting skills bring gravity and emotional weight to Frank’s plight and I really am glad I got the chance to revisit this magnificent film. For it really is fun and moving and thoughtful and it is one filled with so many subtle layers that I may need to watch it again because it has a beautiful message about life and its hardships, since it reminds us that we can always come back from the darkness, when we choose to put in the work and face the problems that the world throws our way.  

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