‘Catch’ this if you can; a sweet ‘Two Weeks Notice’

Audience applauds ‘Catch Me If You Can’

When I saw the previews for “Catch Me If You Can,” the

advertisements in the paper and even the credits, I thought it was a

comedy. It is not. It is drama, although it has some very funny

parts.

“Catch Me If You Can” is a story set in the mid-1960s about

16-year-old Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who was raised in

a proper environment only to have it all fall apart. His father’s

(Christopher Walken) business is assaulted by the IRS and his mother

(Nathalie Baye) is cheating on her husband, something that finally

leads to divorce.

There is a scene where Frank is asked to pick between his parents,

refuses to do so and runs away. It is at this point that Frank,

needing the price of a train ticket, discovers what a small piece of

paper called a check can do.

The FBI man pursuing Frank through the maze his life becomes is

Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks). In his single-minded pursuit, Carl has

come close to dedicating his life to chasing down Frank.

Hanks is so proficient at portraying emotions that you feel

exactly what he is feeling. At one point, he is in France to take

Frank home and he doesn’t know if he is being conned by Frank or if

Frank really is sick. You go through it all with him. You do know

that what he is showing you is utter frustration and not anger. In

the FBI agent, you see a very simple man who must get his man.

There are some hilarious parts where spontaneous reaction is

called for, and Frank comes through to the delight of the audience.

Throughout this short time, Frank has been school teacher, a

co-pilot, a lawyer, a doctor and a scam artist. One of his ploys to

get out of an airport involves training stewardesses. This is a

particularly funny segment.

Director Steven Spielberg also takes you down the dark side of

life. Frank calls Carl on Christmas ostensibly to apologize for the

airport fiasco, and Carl accuses him of having no one else to call.

That this is based on a true story is irrelevant. It is a good

yarn told by the highest quality storytellers. I would include

Spielberg, Hanks, Walken and DiCaprio in this category. I would say

the film itself is neither Spielberg’s nor Hank’s best. It is an

indicator of the sheer perfection of their craft.

This movie garnered that strange phenomenon at the end -- the

audience applauded.

“Catch Me If You Can” is rated PG-13 for some sexual content and

brief cursing.

* JOAN ANDRE is a Newport Beach resident who does a lot of

volunteer work.

It had to be Hugh for ‘Two Weeks’

Like Rodney Dangerfield, romantic comedies get no respect. With

the glut of heavy dramas released this holiday season, a predictable

but well-executed little movie like “Two Weeks Notice” may get

overlooked.

Co-stars Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock follow the formulas that

have served them so well in the past in such flicks as “Bridget

Jones’ Diary” and “Miss Congeniality.”

Once again playing a self-centered playboy, Grant manages to make

us like him in spite of his insufferable selfishness. It’s his innate

charm and chemistry with Bullock that really carries the movie. I

couldn’t imagine any other actor in the role who could pull this off

and make it look so easy.

George Wade (Grant) keeps his brilliant attorney Lucy Kelson

(Bullock) at his constant beck and call for every single detail of

his life, from handling his divorce to picking out a tie.

Naturally, they have a thorny relationship, but their conflicts

get happily resolved at the end when they realize they are mad about

each other. The audience can go “Awwww,” and everyone leaves the

theater happy.

Like many romantic comedies, “Two Weeks Notice” is enjoyable if

completely forgettable after a couple of hours, and it’s bound to be

a popular rental. There are some very funny lines, and Bullock is

quite skilled at physical comedy.

Of course, there are some elements that defy credibility. What

Harvard-educated environmental attorney would put up with such

nonsense from her boss, even someone as attractive as Hugh Grant? And

if you were making $200,000-plus a year and then went to a

lesser-paying job, would you also suddenly lose your fashion sense? I

think not!

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant

for a financial services company.