The Films of Bart Freundlich

The Myth of Fingerprints

World Traveler

Catch That Kid (February 6/04)

If you ever thought it was impossible to make a dull heist movie, Catch That Kid is here to prove you wrong. Though the premise is decent - three kids set out to rob a bank to pay for an expensive operation for one of their fathers - the execution is aimed squarely at youngsters, complete with simplistic plotting and over-the-top instances of "comedy." The biggest problem is that everything comes far too easily to the three thieves, thus removing any possibility of tension when the robbery actually occurs. There's a ridiculous sequence in which Maddy (Kristen Stewart), the trio's ringleader, receives a tour around the bank from her mother's boss - who helpfully reveals the password that will unlock every door in the building. It's not enough for Maddy to casually mention that adults treat her like a kid, and that's supposed to justify such an absurd plot twist. The rest of the film is similarly idiotic, although some of the performances are fairly good (Stewart deserves much better than this, as do Sam Robards and John Carroll Lynch).

out of

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