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‘Catch Me If You Can’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

February 28, 2023 · Catch Me If You Can (2002) · Biography · Crime · Drama · 1:45:36

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Most Rewatchable Scene

Bill Simmons▶ 35:04Multiple scenes including Frank pretending to be substitute teacher, Frank becoming Pan Am pilot, Frank giving his dad a Cadillac, Frank almost getting caught by Carl in Hollywood, and the FBI crashing Frank's engagement party
Chris Ryan▶ 35:39The Pan Am pilot sequence including interviews, uniform fitting, and first deadhead flight, plus the Cadillac scene with Frank's dad

Big Kahuna Burger Award

Bill Simmons▶ 49:23The airplane eclair
Chris Ryan▶ 49:31The airplane eclair

Butch's Girlfriend Award

Bill Simmons▶ 51:06The Hanks accent
Chris Ryan▶ 51:20Hanks hamming it up
Sean Fennessey▶ 51:10The Hanks accent

What's Aged the Worst

Bill Simmons▶ 55:11The True Romance Hotel on Sunset
Chris Ryan▶ 54:51Los Angeles Motel Inns, specifically the Tropicana

Ron Burgundy Flute Award

Bill Simmons▶ 56:19The last 15 minutes, specifically the scenes with Amy Adams and her family
Chris Ryan▶ 55:38The last 20 minutes after Carl arrests Frank

Is There a Better Title?

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:44Suggests 'To Tell the Truth' or 'Tell the Truth' as alternatives but likes the original title
Chris Ryan▶ 1:00:47No, Catch Me If You Can is a fucking awesome title

Best Quote

Bill Simmons▶ 1:00:57People only know what you tell them

Casting What-Ifs

Bill Simmons▶ 1:03:09Claims to have a casting what-if but doesn't reveal it in this segment
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:03:12Discusses how this is Leo's first great performance where the movie entirely relies on him being good and charming, unlike his previous films

Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:04:25Tom Hanks is not the GOAT actor - his accent work in movies like Charlie Wilson's War, The Post, Captain Phillips, and Catch Me If You Can is terrible and unnecessary
Chris Ryan▶ 1:09:13Supports the criticism of Hanks by arguing Tom Cruise is better at staying in his lane and knowing what he's good at, while Hanks can't do action movies like Mission Impossible
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:07:42Tom Hanks is neither the GOAT movie star nor the GOAT actor - not even close. He's made too many movies that suck in the last 20 years

Overacting Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:26Amy Adams — Mentions Amy as a potential pick but unclear if definitive

Teddy KGB Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:19:30Amy Adams

Dion Waiters Award

Bill Simmons▶ 1:21:04Nathalie Baye — Frank's mom

Half-Assed Internet Research

Bill Simmons▶ 1:22:24The development history from Norman Lear buying rights in 1980 after seeing Frank on Tonight Show, the real Abagnale never saw his father again (Spielberg invented father-son story), real FBI agent Joseph Shea didn't want to be used, and Frank Abagnale Jr. appears as the French officer who arrests Frank
Chris Ryan▶ 1:23:14157 different locations shot quickly by Spielberg, with Miami/Atlanta scenes actually filmed in California (Ontario Airport as Miami Airport), and Janusz Kaminski watched Maysles Brothers documentaries for preparation
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:23:55Questioned whether the verite style of the Maysles Brothers is actually visible in Janusz Kaminski's photography for the film

Apex Mountain

Bill Simmons▶ 1:24:30Titanic — Leo's Apex is Titanic (could do anything after it, biggest star on planet), Walken's Apex is 1993-94 period (SNL hosting, True Romance, Pulp Fiction), conman movies is The Sting, Joe Garagiola is World Series, Aston Martin DBS is Goldfinger
Chris Ryan▶ 1:24:18Titanic — Agrees Leo's Apex is Titanic, suggests Walken's could be Pulp Fiction or More Cowbell era, favorite Walken performance is Annie Hall
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:24:45Titanic — Agrees with Titanic for Leo's Apex Mountain, agrees with Catch Me If You Can as best resource name

Is This Movie Better With

Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:24Amy Adams — Swap Catherine Hahn for Amy Adams - better movie
Chris Ryan▶ 1:39:33Jon Bernthal — Jon Bernthal as the pilot when Frank first rides the airplane

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Bill Simmons▶ 1:40:42How did he cheat on the bar? He didn't. Could you escape from an airplane through the toilet? No. Why don't more people in the 60s try to forge checks?
Chris Ryan▶ 1:41:08Could you escape from an airplane through the toilet? People probably did forge checks in the 60s, but when you got tagged with that, it was like being a horse thief - it really followed you around. Why is Tom Hanks using that accent?

Best Double Feature

Bill Simmons▶ 1:41:37Gangs of New York — Gangs of New York (because it came out five days apart) and The Aviator
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:41:32The Fabelmans — The Fablemans

Coach Finstock Life Lesson

Bill Simmons▶ 1:42:51Check forging is the best crime - no real victims, just banks, and it's all insured
Chris Ryan▶ 1:42:56Questioned whether check forging is actually a good life lesson, noting that real victims were individuals who were scammed
Sean Fennessey▶ 1:43:18Supported the check forging take by noting FDIC insurance makes it less harmful

Who Won the Movie

Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:09Leonardo DiCaprio — Leo

Movies Referenced (107)

Gangs of New York (2002)

9 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 3:13IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Titanic (1997)

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 4:48IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Forrest Gump (1994)

7 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 22:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Terminal (2004)

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 22:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cloud Atlas (2012)

6 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons▶ 20:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Inception (2010)

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 12:44IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Minority Report (2002)

6 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 5:37IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jerry Maguire (1996)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan▶ 1:13:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Beach (2000)

5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons▶ 3:42IMDb ↗Lb ↗

The Fighter (2010)

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan▶ 58:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

True Romance (1993)

5 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 55:11IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Arrival (2016)

4 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey▶ 58:49IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Directors Referenced (15)

Steven Spielberg

30 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Schindler's List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Saving Private Ryan▶ 2:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Scorsese

6 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Taxi Driver, Killers of the Flower Moon, Mean Streets▶ 4:32IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cameron Crowe

3 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky▶ 1:16:43IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Gore Verbinski

3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Rango▶ 1:16:08IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Clint Eastwood

2 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Million Dollar Baby, Gran Torino, Unforgiven▶ 5:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Kosta Jokic

2 mentions · Bill Simmons▶ 1:44:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Mann

2 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for The Insider, Collateral, The Last of the Mohicans▶ 1:35:20IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Quentin Tarantino

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, From Dusk Till Dawn▶ 6:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ridley Scott

2 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Martian, Blade Runner▶ 5:57IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ron Howard

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for A Beautiful Mind▶ 20:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Bud Yorkin

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Blade Runner 2049, Blade Runner▶ 1:22:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Danny Boyle

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for 127 Hours, 28 Days Later, Shallow Grave▶ 4:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Actors Referenced (72)

Tom Hanks

66 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Cast Away, Big, Forrest Gump▶ 2:14IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Tom Cruise

54 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Top Gun, Minority Report▶ 21:06IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Sonny Abagnale

17 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Once Upon a Time in America▶ 31:47IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Christopher Walken

11 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Catch Me If You Can, The Deer Hunter▶ 26:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Martin Sheen

10 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for The Departed▶ 41:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Harrison Ford

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Fugitive▶ 1:35:56IMDb ↗Lb ↗

James Gandolfini

8 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons · Known for Enough Said, Get Shorty▶ 55:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jennifer Garner

8 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Daredevil, 13 Going on 30▶ 39:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jack Nicholson

7 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey · Known for Chinatown, As Good as It Gets, The Departed▶ 8:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Daniel Day-Lewis

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans, Lincoln▶ 7:04IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Leonardo DiCaprio

6 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey · Known for Inception, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Departed▶ 2:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Brad Pitt

5 mentions · Sean Fennessey, Chris Ryan · Known for Fight Club, 12 Monkeys, Mr. & Mrs. Smith▶ 13:29IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Writers Referenced (10)

Frank Abagnale Jr.

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Catch Me If You Can▶ 1:53IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Malcolm X

2 mentions · Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan · Known for Malcolm X▶ 1:15:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Alex Garland

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Ex Machina, Civil War, Annihilation▶ 4:55IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Damien Chazelle

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Whiplash, La La Land, First Man▶ 6:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jeff Nathanson

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Catch Me If You Can▶ 31:45IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Jim Carroll

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for The Basketball Diaries, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial▶ 10:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Dinner

1 mentions · Chris Ryan▶ 1:20:36IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Norman Lear

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Fried Green Tomatoes▶ 1:22:24IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Philip K. Dick

1 mentions · Chris Ryan · Known for Blade Runner, Minority Report, Total Recall▶ 29:19IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Ted Jessup

1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Ted 2, The Girlfriend Experience▶ 1:38:10IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Cinematographers Referenced (3)

Janusz Kaminski

7 mentions · Chris Ryan, Sean Fennessey, Bill Simmons · Known for Schindler's List, Minority Report▶ 29:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Grantland

2 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Other Guys▶ 1:30:05IMDb ↗Lb ↗

Michael Kahn

1 mentions · Sean Fennessey · Known for Jurassic Park, Minority Report▶ 29:54IMDb ↗Lb ↗