Review
CATCH THAT KID
Starring Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu and Jennifer Beals
Directed by Bart Freundlich
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Move over, Spy Kids – and while you’re at it, take that little wuss Cody Banks with you. Catch That Kid, the latest pint-sized superspy action adventure, has little use for gizmo gimmicks or big name villains (that is, if we can still label Stallone a big name).
See, Catch That Kid has something else going for it – this movie, despite a couple of improbable stunts and goofy sideline gags (c’mon, you think the target audience can get through something like this without even a tiny dose of go-carts, bumbling security guards or attack dogs?) is in touch with reality. And the result, unlike the caffeine-paced headache known as Spy Kids 3-D, is surprisingly refreshing.
But then, Catch That Kid owes more to Ocean’s 11 than James Bond – this isn’t really a spy flick at all. It’s a heist film for the tween set. Hopefully, the concept alone will prevent you from expecting too much walking into this one. The bar hasn’t been set overly high, but even so, the youngsters involved clear the thing with ease.
The story involves the puppy love triangle of Maddy (Kristen Stewart of Panic Room), Austin (Corbin Bleu, sporting a hairdo that pays wonderful homage to Welcome Back Kotter’s Epstein) and Gus (Max Thieriot).
When Maddy’s dad (Sam Robards) faces a costly surgical procedure to avoid paralysis, Maddy uses her womanly ways (she manipulates the hell out of the burgeoning hormones of her male pals) to convince Austin and Gus to help her steal a quarter-million dollars from a bank vault, whose security is headed by her mother.
And lemmie tell ya, Maddy’s Mom has got it goin’ on. Grown-ups should have some fun with the casting choice of Flashdance’s Jennifer Beals here, acting all motherly when we know darn well that her claim to fame is the role of a stripper-welder.
Not that the over-12 crowd will get all that bored with Catch That Kid anyway. Director Bart Freundlich, re-polishing a Danish film called Klatretosen, puts enough kick behind this kiddie caper to keep pretty much everyone entertained – and maintains enough sensibility to not treat his viewers like morons.
It’s not brilliant, but it beats another wasted afternoon in front of the X-Box. |
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