October, 2000

Harry Knowles' Opinions on CMIYC

Has he read the script??

LEO’S MAKING QUITE A CATCH!! And now for some names that might not be familiar. Jeff Nathanson. Barry Kemp. Devorah Moss-Hakin. Gore Verbinski. You may know one of them or maybe even a few of them, but at first glance, this film would seem to be an odd inclusion in this article. Wes Anderson, PT Anderson, Steven Spielberg, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Barry Sonnenfeld... even Dave Barry is a more recognizable name. All that’s going to change, though, by the time CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is released by Dreamworks. For one thing, Leonardo DiCaprio has signed on to star in the film as Frank Abagnale, Jr. For another thing, Dreamworks is releasing Verbinski’s THE MEXICAN next year, and the buzz that’s building on that film is amazing. Wouldn’t surprise me. I thought Verbinski’s MOUSEHUNT was underrated, a dark and witty little bit of fun. I still regret the fact that he didn’t get to make THE SKY IS FALLING, a completely out of control script by Eric Singer. His sensibilities struck me as setting him in the same class as David Fincher and Spike Jonze, video filmmakers who had become truly individual directors. I figured it was just a matter of finding a great piece of material. And CATCH ME IF YOU CAN is exactly that piece of material. Jeff Nathanson is the screenwriter, and it was developed by Bungalow 78 Productions. They were the people behind COACH on television, but they’ve had a quiet little film division chugging along for a while now. This is the biggest thing they’ve ever been attached to, and it’s proof that there’s nothing more important than having a great story to tell. This isn’t some clever twist of an idea like "dinosaurs are cloned for an amusement park" or some star vehicle that’s just been cobbled together. It’s just an amazing story that will both entertain and astonish people. It’s an easy sell, too. Just tell people the bare bones details about the true story and they’ll be hooked. I’m actually amazed that no one has done a film about Frank Abagnale before now. After reading this script, I’m dying to pick up the recent book about him and find out more. He was the youngest person ever put on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted list. He posed as a pilot and few millions of free miles all over the world. He forged payroll checks and bank deposit slips and personal checks, and he was the most succcessful bank robber in US history, all without ever using a gun. He was the head of a pediatrics unit, posing as a doctor, and he was an assistant district attorney in New Orleans. And all of this was before he was eighteen years old. The script is surprisingly funny and doesn’t feel like a film based on true events. There’s none of the formal stuffiness that can kill a project like this. It’s not THE HURRICANE, overly serious and too aware of itself. Instead, Nathanson has wisely placed the focus of the film on the bizarre relationship that developed between Abagnale and Joe Shaye, the FBI agent who tirelessly pursued him around the world. One of the moments that most delighted audiences in THE FUGITIVE was the brief face-to-face between Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones, whose dry delivery of the single line "I don’t care" practically won him his Oscar. There’s a similar beat here, one I actually prefer, a scene where Shaye surprises Abagnale in a hallway, and Abagnale somehow talks Shaye into letting him walk away. It’s funny and it’s heartstoppingly tense and it’s perfectly balanced. From that point forward, the two men antagonize one another in any way possible, maintaining a friendly chase. I’m not going to give away the mechanics of the plot here, since it’s just so much fun to watch unfold. I love movies in which someone is scamming someone else, and the scam is laid out, explained in loving detail. Abagnale was a bit of a genius, and Nathanson manages to etch in a solid, believable reason for Frank’s moral evolution without ever judging Frank. He’s good at what he does, and the thrill is undeniable. Shaye’s no bumbler, either. He’s a bit of a maverick, pushing the FBI fraud division to think outside the box, to be smarter in the way they pursue suspects. He does some damn fine detective work in the movie. It’s refreshing to read a script where we’re allowed to just enjoy the characters without having heavy-handed judgements about them imposed on us. The result is a piece where we are drawn to both main characters for the same reasons: passion, intelligence, determination. Whoever steps in to play Joe Shaye is going to be stepping into a duet that he’s going to have to share with DiCaprio. I hope whoever it is creates a dynamic where they’re both pushed to do stronger work than ever before. The opportunity for greatness from cast, director, and all involved is certainly there.

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