Movie · Crime, Comedy · 2002 · PG-13

Catch Me If You Can: parents' guide

13+our pick

Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and brief language.

A breezy, stylish crime caper that suits teens 13 and up. Loosely based on a con man's memoir, it follows a teenager who runs away when his parents split up, then poses as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer while cashing forged checks, with a dogged FBI agent on his trail. There is almost no violence, but he sleeps with several women in non-explicit scenes, including a call girl, and there is one f-word in a joke. His parents' divorce and his father's death give the story a sad undertow. The sexual content is the main reason for 13.

What's in it

Violence

Mild

Very little. FBI agents and police draw guns without firing, and a guard holds a gun to the young man's head. One hospital scene shows a boy's bloody, badly injured leg, which makes the main character retch.

Language

Moderate

One f-word, delivered as the punch line of a knock-knock joke, a couple of s-words, and several uses of damn, hell and goddamn, plus a crude word for breasts.

Sex and nudity

Moderate

Sex is implied several times without explicit nudity: a fling with a flight attendant ending in moans, a night bought from a call girl, and kissing in underwear. A boy learns of his mother's affair, and a young woman was disowned after an abortion.

Drinking, drugs and smoking

Moderate

Characters drink and smoke through much of the film, and his mother smokes heavily. Young people get drunk at a party, and a man is shown passed out in a bar.

Scary or intense scenes

Mild

Light tension from chases and close calls. The sadder moments are emotional: his parents divorce, and he learns while being flown home that his father has died, which hits him hard.

Sensitive topics

  • Death of a parent

Worth talking about

Frank's lies bring him money and admiration but leave him lonely. What was he really searching for, and why is it so hard for him to stop?

Where to stream →

On our lists

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Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, Wikipedia, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.