Release Date: February 6, 2004
MPAA Rating: PG for some language, thematic elements and rude humor
Directed by: Bart Freundlich
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, James LeGros

Plot:
12-year-old Maddy (Stewart) and her father (Robards) have always shared a love for mountain climbing. Their hobby, however, has a disastrous effect when an accident on Mount Everest injures his spine, paralyzing him forever unless he gets a very expensive operation. Determined to raise the money to pay for it, Maddy decides to recruit two of her friends to help her break into the super-high-tech bank (which includes a vault suspended 30 feet off the floor) that her mother (Beals) works at as the security chief, in an attempt to rob the funds her father needs using the amazing climbing abilities he taught her...

Review:
With a title like "Catch That Kid", one might think it has to do with parents running after children that are constantly causing trouble. Thankfully, it is nothing like that because it would be a pointless film with potential of ending up completely dreadful. The film's main actors are three children, Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu and Max Thieriot.

The film's main focus is for the kids to rob the bank and take in two hundred and fifty thousand dollars in order to pay for Maddy's fathers surgery. Maddy is played by actress Kristen Stewart and take the lead better than a average child. Actually, she doesn't give a bad performance at all in Catch That Kid and her potential to become a better actress is there.

The other two kids are not good actors and they are simply average at most. With a film centered for children, great acting is not the biggest priority and it is actually rather the story is worth it and if it entertains. The other two characters along with Maddy are Austin and Gus. They have average acting ability and look rather small for their age. However, Kristen Stewart certainly has future potential in acting.

The Director of Catch That Kid, Bart Freundlich, takes a rather different direction than with his past films. The Myth Of Fingerprint was his first feature and was quite an explicit film. He then followed that film with World Traveler which also has some sexuality. To make Catch That Kid after those two films was perhaps a daring move and different for what his experience has been.

Catch That Kid has an interesting script though and that's what makes its potential more clear. The solidary of the script comes out because you expect a film in the lines of Agent Cody Banks, but it actually has something more important at stake and that's family. With that simple, but complex plot, the film rides off of it to lead its sadness into happiness.

That's something different that Catch That Kid offers to the table and can be a good change. Well, it was not entirely handled to its full potential and that's the case here. Catch That Kid had all the necessities to leave kids and adults with a lasting impression, but the film is forgettable. Take it as fun for the moment, but after a week its no use.

One has to wonder as well why Hollywood would want to remake an overseas film that was released just two years ago. That is a rather quick remake and Catch That Kid is a remake from "Catch That Girl" which makes sense after viewing. After viewing Catch That Kid, you might want to see if "Catch That Girl" is any better.

The main problems that erupt with Catch That Kid isn't if its fun enough or entertaining enough, but rather if it uses its time to completely illustrate its point. That is where Catch That Kid fails and fails because it decides to take unfunny comedy and silliness over its focus on saving Maddy's father's life. The film instead races quick out of everyones minds once concluded.

Catch That Kid isn't a good film, but it does have some interesting elements. The mission they complete isn't thoroughly developed, but it is well plotted as it occurs. At times the film is incredibly silly and unrealistic, but it doesn't intend to be serious. The film has its flaws and the entire mission might be stupid, but its for a good cause. Catch That Kid is far from solid, but it has plenty of heart and that is without a doubt a virtue.