Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Leonardo DiCaprio: Frank Abagnale Jr.

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Quotes 

• Carl Hanratty : [Frank is making one last attempt to run by impersonating a pilot once again. Carl catches up with him at Dulles Airport]  How'd you do it, Frank? How'd you pass the bar in Louisiana?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [Frank continues to walk. Carl walks several paces behind]  What are you doing here?

  Carl Hanratty : Listen...

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I'm sorry I put you through all this.

  Carl Hanratty : You go back to Europe, you're gonna die in Perpignan Prison. You try to run here in the States, we'll send you back to Atlanta for 50 years.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I know that.

  Carl Hanratty : I spent four years trying to arrange your release. Had to convince my bosses at the FBI and the Attorney General of the United States you wouldn't run.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Why'd you do it?

  Carl Hanratty : You're just a kid.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I'm not your kid. You said you were going to Chicago.

  Carl Hanratty : My daughter can't see me this weekend. She's going skiing.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : You said she was four years old. You're lying.

  Carl Hanratty : She was four when I left. Now she's 15. My wife's been remarried for 11 years. I see Grace every now and again.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I don't understand.

  Carl Hanratty : Sure you do. Sometimes, it's easier living the lie.

  [Frank stops, Carl catches up] 

  Carl Hanratty : I'm going to let you fly tonight, Frank. I'm not even going to try to stop you. That's because I know you'll be back on Monday.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Yeah? How do you know I'll come back?

  Carl Hanratty : Frank, look. Nobody's chasing you.

• Frank Abagnale Sr. : You know why the Yankees always win, Frank?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : 'Cause they have Mickey Mantle?

  Frank Abagnale Sr. : No, it's 'cause the other teams can't stop staring at those damn pinstripes.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [whispering to Joanna]  Hey... You should fold it.

  Joanna : What?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : That note. It's a fake, right? You should fold it.

  Joanna : It's... It's a note from my mom. I have a doctor's appointment.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Yeah, but there's no crease in the paper. When your mom hands you a note to miss school, the first thing you do is, you fold it and you put it in your pocket. I mean, if it's real, where's the crease?

  [Joanna folds note to give it a crease] 

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [In a letter]  Dear Dad, you always told me that an honest man has nothing to fear, so I'm trying my best not to be afraid.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Brenda, I don't want to lie to you anymore. All right? I'm not a doctor. I never went to medical school. I'm not a lawyer, or a Harvard graduate, or a Lutheran. Brenda, I ran away from home a year and a half ago when I was 16.

  Brenda Strong : Frank? Frank? You're not a Lutheran?

• [last lines] 

  Carl Hanratty : There's impressions on every line... looks like the original amount was for $60...

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [walks up and takes magnifier]  Mind if I take a look?

  Carl Hanratty : [looks up]  Cashed in Flagstaff a week ago. Cost the bank $16,000.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : It's a real check.

  Carl Hanratty : Yeah. Yeah, it's been washed. The only thing original is the signature.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : But it's perfect, Carl. I mean, this isn't hydrochloride or bleach.

  Carl Hanratty : No. Something new. Maybe a nail polish remover where the acetone removes the ink that's not been printed?

  [long pause] 

  Carl Hanratty : How did you do it, Frank? How did you cheat on the bar exam in Louisiana?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I didn't cheat. I studied for two weeks and I passed.

  Carl Hanratty : Is that the truth, Frank? Is that the truth?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I'll bet this guy steals checks out of mailboxes. He washes off their names and he puts on his own.

  Carl Hanratty : You're saying he's a local?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Well, if it were me, you know, I'd call the bank first... check out the balance...

  Carl Hanratty : Make sure there's enough money in there to make it worth your while...

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : You know, Carl, I think this guy's pretty smart.

  [Carl laughs] 

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Now, all we have to do is catch him.

• Roger Strong : Frank, would you like to say grace?

  [Long pause] 

  Roger Strong : Unless you're not comfortable.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Absolutely. Two little mice fell into a bucket of cream. The first mouse quickly gave up and drowned, but the second mouse, he struggled so hard that he eventually churned that cream into butter and he walked out. Amen.

  [All say: Amen] 

  Carol Strong : Oh, that was beautiful. The mouse, he churned that cream into butter.

• [Carl is working alone at his desk at the FBI listening to "Mele Kalikimaka" by Bing Crosby when his phone rings] 

  Carl Hanratty : This is Hanratty. Merry Christmas.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Hello, Carl.

  [Carl recognizes Frank's voice and turns his radio down] 

  Carl Hanratty : Hello. Barry Allen, Secret Service.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I've been trying to track you down now for the last couple of hours.

  Carl Hanratty : What do you want?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I wanted to apologize for what happened in Los Angeles.

  Carl Hanratty : Uh-uh, uh-uh. No, no. You do not apologize to me.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Do you always work on Christmas Eve, Carl?

  Carl Hanratty : I volunteered... so men with families could go home early.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Looked like you were wearing a wedding ring out in Los Angeles. I thought maybe you had a family.

  Carl Hanratty : No. No family.

  [beat] 

  Carl Hanratty : You want to talk to me? Let's talk face-to-face.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : All right. I'm at my suite at the Stuyvesant Arms, room 3113. In the morning, I leave for Las Vegas for the weekend.

  [Carl begins writing this down, but then stops himself] 

  Carl Hanratty : You think you're gonna get me again? You're not going to Vegas. You're not in the Stuyvesant Arms. You'd love for me to send out 20 agents Christmas Eve, we barge into your hotel, knock on the door so you can make fools out of us all.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I'm really sorry if I made a fool out of you. I really am.

  Carl Hanratty : Uh-uh. No.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : No, listen, I really am.

  Carl Hanratty : No. No. You-- You do not feel sorry for me. The truth is... I knew it was you. Now maybe I didn't get the cuffs on you, but I knew.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Ah, people only know what you tell them, Carl.

  Carl Hanratty : Well, then, tell me this, "Barry Allen, Secret Service". How'd you know I wouldn't look in your wallet?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : The same reason the Yankees always win. Nobody can keep their eyes off the pinstripes.

  Carl Hanratty : The Yankees win because they have Mickey Mantle. No one ever bets on the uniform.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [chuckles]  You sure about that, Carl?

  Carl Hanratty : I'll tell you what I am sure of. You're going to get caught. One way or another. It's a mathematical fact. It-- It's like Vegas, the House always wins.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Well, Carl, I'm sorry but I have to go.

  Carl Hanratty : [realizes something]  Ah, you didn't call just to apologize, did you?

  [starts laughing] 

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : What do you mean?

  Carl Hanratty : [still laughing]  You -- you have no one else to call!

  [laughs louder] 

  Carl Hanratty : [Frank hangs up the phone quickly. Back at the FBI, Carl happily turns up his radio and begins singing along. Later, we see Frank exit his hotel room - it is indeed room 3113 at the Stuyvesant Arms, proving Frank was telling Carl the truth] 

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [as Frank Conners]  Your honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, this is irrefutable evidence that the defendant is, in fact, lying.

  Judge : Mr. Conners, this is a preliminary hearing. There is no... defendant. There is no... jury. It's just me. Son... what in the HELL is wrong with you?

• Assistant Director Marsh : [Carl and Mr. Marsh are visiting Frank in prison; Carl hopes to convince the FBI to let Frank out of prison]  I'd like for you to take a look at something, tell me what you think.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [Marsh hands Frank a fake check as Carl looks on]  It's a fake.

  Assistant Director Marsh : How do you know? You haven't looked at it.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : There's no perforated edge, right? This check was hand-cut, not fed. The paper's double-bonded, much too heavy to be a bank check. Magnetic ink, it's raised against my fingers, not flat. This doesn't smell like MICR, it's some kind of, uh, some kind of drafting ink. The kind you get at a stationery store.

  Assistant Director Marsh : Frank, would you be interested in working for the FBI's Financial Crimes Unit?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I've already got a job here, you know. I, uh, deliver the mail.

  Assistant Director Marsh : Frank, we have the power to take you out of prison. You'd be placed in the custody of the FBI where you'd serve out the remainder of your sentence as an employee of the Federal Government.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Under whose custody?

  [Carl raises his hand] 

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : The truth is I'm not a doctor or a lawyer. I'm not an airline pilot. I'm nothing really. I'm just a kid in love with your daughter.

• Frank Abagnale Sr. : She's so stubborn, your mother. Don't worry, I won't let her go without a fight. I've been fighting for her since the day we met.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Dad, out of all those men - you were the one who took her home, remember that.

  Frank Abagnale Sr. : Two-hundred men sitting in that tiny social hall watching her dance. What was the name of that town?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Montrichard, Dad.

  Frank Abagnale Sr. : I didn't speak a word of French, six weeks later she was my wife.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Stop chasing me!

  Carl Hanratty : I can't stop, it's my job.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [when Carl catches up to him in the print shop in Montrichard]  Carl? Carl! Merry Christmas! How is it we're always talking on Christmas, Carl? Every Christmas, I'm talking to you!

  [laughs] 

  Carl Hanratty : Put your shirt on, Frank. You're under arrest.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Christ! Terry! This is Italian knit.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [of the FBI]  Carl, how long do I have to work here?

  Carl Hanratty : 7:15 in the morning, 4:00 in the afternoon, 45 minutes for lunch.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I mean, how long?

  Carl Hanratty : Every day. Every day, Frank, until we let you go.

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : [donning a James Bond style suit and mimicking Sean Connery in the mirror]  Hello, Pussy.

• Frank Abagnale Sr. : Where's your mother?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I don't know. She said something about going to look for a job.

  Frank Abagnale Sr. : What's she gonna be, a shoe salesman at a centipede farm?

• Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Dr. Harris, do you concur?

  Doctor Harris : Yes?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Do you concur?

  Doctor Harris : [confused]  Concur with what, sir?

• Roger Strong : A doctor, a lawyer, a Lutheran. So what are you, Frank? 'Cause I think you're about to ask for my daughter's hand in marriage and I have a right to know.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Know what, sir?

  Roger Strong : The truth. Tell me the truth, Frank. What are you doing here? What is a man like you doing with Brenda? If you want my blessing, if you want my daughter, I'd like to hear it from you now.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : The truth is, sir, that... The truth is that... I'm not a doctor, I'm not a lawyer, I'm not an airline pilot. I'm... I'm nothing, really. I'm-I'm-I'm just a kid who's in love with your daughter.

  Roger Strong : [beat]  No.

  [sits down next to him, his demeanor still stern] 

  Roger Strong : You know what you are?

  [brightens] 

  Roger Strong : You're a romantic. Men like us are nothing without the women we love. I must confess, I'm guilty of the same foolish whimsy. I proposed to Carol after five dates with two nickels in my pockets and holes in my shoes because I knew she was the one.

  [stands] 

  Roger Strong : So, go ahead, Frank. Don't be afraid. Ask the question you came here to ask me.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Sir, uh, uh... w-what would I have to do to take the bar here in New Orleans?

  [Roger chuckles a bit] 

  Roger Strong : No, the -- the other question.

  [smiles, looks expectant] 

• Frank Abagnale Sr. : ...I am your father.

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : Then ask me to stop. Then ask me to stop.

  Frank Abagnale Sr. : You can't stop.

• Carl Hanratty : I've always wondered, how did you pass the Bar Exam?

  Frank Abagnale, Jr. : I passed it.