10 Recent Movie Truths We've Just Found Out
6. Catch Me If You Can Is Mostly Fictional
Catch Me If You Can is an absurdly entertaining crime caper following legendary conman Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who allegedly cashed more than $2 million in false checks before he turned 19 years of age, while posing as a pilot, doctor, and lawyer.
It's a hell of a story, though in recent years there's been concentrated scrutiny on the veracity of Abagnale's tale, with various journalists' research suggesting that Abagnale's greatest con was actually that most of his stories were largely untrue or wildly exaggerated.
Alan C. Logan's 2021 book "The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can" received rave reviews for its deep dive into the extent of Abagnale's deception, ascertaining that he was actually in prison during most of his alleged years as a conman.
Abagnale of course denied this, and though word went quiet throughout 2022, earlier this year The New York Post's Abby Ellin filed a piece detailing her interviews with numerous people who knew Abagnale.
The article further substantiates that Abagnale was largely in prison from the ages of 16 to 21, and most of his lofty claims were at least embellished if not entirely fabricated.
It doesn't make Catch Me If You Can any less entertaining a movie, though does provide a deliciously ironic post-script to it.