Catch Me If You Can
Movie, 2002, The 2000s, Set in The jazz title
Catch Me If You Can is #20 of 29 in release order and #20 of 29 in chronological order in the John Williams.
The story
A true story about Frank Abagnale Jr. who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor. An FBI agent makes it his mission to put him behind bars. But Frank not only eludes capture, he revels in the pursuit.
Catch Me If You Can recap
Catch Me If You Can (2002) follows Frank Abagnale Jr., a teenage runaway who forges millions in cheques while posing as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer. Steven Spielberg directs this crime comedy-drama, based on Abagnale's disputed memoir. In 1963, Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) watches his father Frank Abagnale Sr. (Christopher Walken) lose his business to tax trouble, and when his mother Paula (Nathalie Baye) leaves for his father's friend, he runs away. Needing money, he poses as a Pan Am co-pilot and forges the airline's payroll cheques. FBI agent Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks) takes up the chase and corners him in a hotel, but Frank convinces Carl he is a Secret Service agent and walks out. As Dr. Frank Conners, he falls for nurse Brenda Strong (Amy Adams), passes the Louisiana bar exam with help from her father, and gets engaged. The jazzy title music, built on alto saxophone and finger snaps, sets a 1960s caper tone over the animated opening credits; the film follows Chamber of Secrets and precedes Prisoner of Azkaban.
Catch Me If You Can ending explained
Catch Me If You Can ends with Frank working for the FBI's fraud unit beside Carl, choosing to come back to work after Carl lets him decide. Carl breaks up the engagement party, Frank escapes to Europe surrounded by student stewardesses, and Carl finally arrests him in his mother's French hometown. On the flight home Frank learns his father has died, escapes through a toilet and finds his mother with a new family. He serves prison time until Carl brings him in. Closing text says the real Abagnale stayed friends with Hanratty, though much of his story has since been questioned.
Post-credits scenes
No. Catch Me If You Can has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Catch Me If You Can
Catch Me If You Can is streaming on Paramount+, Peacock, and Kanopy in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 96%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- Chronological order: after Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, before Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Abagnale Jr.
- Tom Hanks as Carl Hanratty
- Christopher Walken as Frank Abagnale
- Martin Sheen as Roger Strong
- Nathalie Baye as Paula Abagnale
- Amy Adams as Brenda Strong
- James Brolin as Jack Barnes
- Brian Howe as Earl Amdursky
- Frank John Hughes as Tom Fox
- Steve Eastin as Paul Morgan
- Chris Ellis as Special Agent Witkins
- John Finn as Assistant Director Marsh
Directed by Steven Spielberg.