“Sometimes, it’s easier living the lie.”
The most audacious con in the story isn't the forgeries—it's the autobiography. Catch Me If You Can, our second member bonus episode in our True Lies series, is Spielberg's crime comedy-drama built on a biography journalist Alan Logan has since largely debunked—which makes the film more fascinating, not less. Set in a 1960s America where a uniform commanded automatic trust, it was Spielberg's first film about a real living person, and he leaned into the parts that felt most personal: fractured families, absent fathers, and the distances between them.
We dig into whose story this really is—making a strong case that it's more Spielberg's than Abagnale's—and track the father-son dynamics running through both the Frank/Frank Sr. relationship and the unlikely surrogate bond with Carl Hanratty. We also argue about what makes Christopher Walken's performance so quietly extraordinary, and why the role couldn't have landed the same way with anyone else.
The formal elements get serious attention too—Janusz Kamiński's glossy cinematography, John Williams's jazz score, and the Kuntzel + Deygas opening title sequence as a Saul Bass homage that sets the film's entire register before a word of dialogue is spoken. If you've shelved Catch Me If You Can as lighter Spielberg fare, this is the conversation that earns it a second look. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in. The Next Reel—when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
If You Want to Keep Going
The Next Reel

• Tom Hanks series: Pete and Andy have covered a number of films in Tom Hanks's filmography—find the full series here
• More Spielberg on The Next Reel: Browse every Spielberg film the show (and a few others) have covered here
• True Lies series: Catch Me If You Can is part of the ongoing member bonus series on real people who lied, fabricated, or constructed false identities—explore the full series right here 

🎬 Watch & Discover

• 🍿 Watch the Film: Apple TV | Amazon | Letterboxd
• 📽️ Original Theatrical Trailer
• 📚 Adapted from Catch Me If You Can: The True Story of a Real Fake by Frank W. Abagnale

Want More?
This is a member bonus episode! While we'd love your support, you'll love what membership brings: monthly bonus episodes like this one, ad-free listening, early releases, exclusive Discord channels, and voting rights on future member movies. It truly pays to be a member.Ready to join? Visit TruStory FM to learn more about supporting The Next Reel Film Podcast through your own membership.