Steven Spielberg’s 2002 Masterpiece Crime Thriller That Is Unbelievably Based on a True Story Hits New Streaming Home

by

A fantastic, but often overlooked, film by Steven Spielberg is now available to stream! Catch Me If You Can, the thrilling crime story starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks, has joined the lineup on Paramount+ this November. The streaming service also added other classics like Chinatown, American Beauty, and Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan and The Terminal.

In the movie Catch Me If You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Frank Abagnale, Jr., a talented con artist who’s skilled at impersonating others. What begins as a playful deception evolves into a sophisticated forgery operation. The FBI agent Carl Hanratty (played by Tom Hanks) begins pursuing Abagnale, revealing the full extent of his elaborate scheme. According to Rotten Tomatoes:

I still can’t believe the story of Frank Abagnale, Jr.! Before he even turned 18, he managed to pose as a doctor, a lawyer, and a pilot for a major airline! But what really got him known was his incredible ability to forge documents – he was a total master! By 17, he’d actually become the most successful bank robber the FBI had ever seen. This FBI agent, Carl Hanratty, became obsessed with catching him, but honestly, Frank was always just too clever, staying one step ahead the whole time. It’s an unbelievable true story!

Let me tell you, Steven Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can, released back in 2002, is a genuinely fantastic film. It was a huge box office success, pulling in over $352 million on just a $52 million budget. But more than that, it really connected with critics, and a lot of the praise rightly went to Leonardo DiCaprio – he’s captivating as this young, incredibly charming con artist. Even today, it’s holding strong with a 96% score on Rotten Tomatoes and that coveted “Certified Fresh” badge. And it wasn’t just critics who loved it; the film received two Academy Award nominations, recognizing Christopher Walken’s brilliant supporting performance and John Williams’ beautiful score – no surprise there, really.

Steven Spielberg’s Achievements of Releasing Two Great Films in the Same Year


DreamWorks Pictures

Throughout the 1980s, Steven Spielberg consistently demonstrated an ability to release multiple films each year, sometimes as director and sometimes just as a producer. For example, 1982 saw the release of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Poltergeist, and 1985 brought The Goonies and The Color Purple. In 1989, he took a risk and directed two films – Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Always – within the same year. While one film was far more successful than the other, he repeated this feat in 1993, achieving even better results.

In 1993, Steven Spielberg released two blockbuster films: Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List. Schindler’s List earned him his first Academy Award for Best Director, while Jurassic Park became the highest-grossing film ever at the time, a record it held until Titanic came out. The intense experience left Spielberg exhausted, and he took a break before returning in 1997 with The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad – proving he wasn’t slowing down!

The director consistently delivered strong films, repeating this success three times. He released two acclaimed movies in 2002: Minority Report and Catch Me If You Can. Then, in 2005, he followed up with Munich and War of the Worlds. This pattern continued in 2011 with the releases of War Horse and The Adventures of Tintin. What’s truly remarkable isn’t just that he managed this demanding schedule, but that all these films were well-received by his fans. In fact, there isn’t a single flop among them—even the Jurassic Park sequel, despite its imperfections, is enjoyable.

Read More

2025-11-04 23:05