Catch That Kid

The above line, which is actually spoken in "Catch That Kid", should be enough for you to decide whether this is your type of film or (hopefully) not, but let me just add a few more details. They say that when a music score calls attention to itself it's either very good or very bad. The score of "Catch That Kid" falls into the latter category: it's an insultingly over empathetic piece of work that is constantly telling you what you're supposed to be feeling (awe, danger, joy, mysticism). Apart from that, the story is dull, since you always know that everything will turn out all right in the end, and the baby is way too cute - its "assistance" in the climax is a real groaner. All this film has going for it are some dangerous and well-performed physical stunts. Where to begin. This is a horrible family film, very unrealistic. The original was an excellent Danish family movie, it had values. "Oh, it's OK to steal if it's for the right reasons, mommy!". Believe me, there are much better family films out there. But they were made in the '90s, when film-makers actually spent good money on talent and excellent scripting with values. I agree, people who make kid's movie have now realized kids will watch anything, no matter how low quality and terrible it is and what untalented actors star in it. Once again the entertainment industry has totally botched an opportunity to make a wonderful and heart-warming film about a beloved and extremely popular Danish movie. I should have known better. It was wishful thinking on my part that just this once, they would get it right. I only hope that this movie does not deter viewers from watching the wonderful Danish movie, which actually had some morals. If you have seen this movie, I am very sorry. I sat through this terrible film one afternoon and wound up actually kicking myself for it. The acting is bad, but what do you expect from a young girl and 2 young boys. The script was just awful, and there was absolutely no excitement or value whatsoever to this film. The events are both predictable, and highly unlikely. The worst part about it is there aren't even any laughable aspects as in other terrible movies such as Troll 2 or Future War. If you haven't seen this movie, don't go out of your way to see it. Actually, do everything you can to avoid seeing it. What a waste of 5 hours...what's that? the movie was only an hour and a half?! Huh??? This movie drags and drags, and has well, about 0 good qualities. I was literally kicking myself for having wasted my time to view this atrocious mess of the cinema. The plot is lame and very forced, the acting is bad at best, and the story is quite predictable. I understand that this was no attempt to make another Citizen Kane or anything, but oh man, this is seriously painful to watch! If you are looking for good "family" entertainment there are tons of other options. However, if you are looking to torture yourself and/or others, then check this movie out...it's something that you'll never forget, though more than likely you'll wish you could. Kristen Stewart gives an awful, horrible, terrible performance. Her delivery of lines were terrible and she was extremely over the top. While I do appreciate her talents in other films like Speak and Panic Room, she's just awful here but I guess I can't blame her since it's the dumb ass director's fault, he gets her to totally overact in every scene. As I am sure everyone knows Ms. Tylor is like a big kid sometimes and really enjoys watching the wholesome family films like Alaska, Fly Away Home etc. So very needless to say I was looking forward to Kristen Stewart's new movie Catch That Kid. So on Friday afternoon, opening day I went to see Catch That Kid.

The movie is about an adventurous 12-year-old girl named Maddy Phillips (Kristen Stewart), who is an excellent mountain climber. Unfortunately, her father, Tom (Sam Robards), was severely injured on Mount Everest and requires costly surgery to repair his spine. With the help of her friends (Max Thieriot and Corbin Bleu) and her climbing skills, Maddy develops a plan to rob a bank in order to finance her father's medical bills. Also starring Jennifer Beals as Maddy's mother, Molly, who happens to be the security chief at the bank. . Well a confusing bad scripted film ensues but luckily Kristen Stewart, who's pretty bad uses her charm to manage to save the film from totally sucking.

The two main characters in the film were decent. The highlight character of course is Kristen Stewart's character Madeline. You can kinda enjoy the character. Also Max Thieriot's character Gus is also decent but then when you get into the supporting cast that is where is gets bad. I mean Corbin Bleu's performance, as Austin was so poor, it seemed as though he just fell out of acting class. John Carroll Lynch who played Mr. Hartman was nothing short of annoying in the film. So the casting was so/so.

Michael Grant who wrote the awful movie 2 Fast 2 Furious wrote this movie. Yes I said that right 2 Fast 2 Furious. Maybe that's why the script sucked so badly. I was expecting a totally different movie from what the trailer led me to believe. I thought I was watching a movie about a girl who loved climbing things and her dad gets an operation is how the film did start out but then got really involved with this stupid I have to go to get this money *evil gleam in eyes* which then basically became the entire film. The movie then ended with the climbing thing that seemed to be the point of the film when it first started. The problem here to me was they tried to take two ideas and mesh them together and it failed. I would have rather seen the movie about a girl who wanted to get an operation with actual values over a film about 1 girl and 2 boys who wanted to steal the money for their dad's expensive operation. It's just not interesting enough. But if you do hold through until the end it tries to make things better but by that time your already disappointed with the film.

The director, Bart Freundlich, didn't do much to help the film out. He directed four films before this, which I never heard of. I have to blame the director for this film because he read the script and he should have made changes. I enjoyed how the film started. I liked his view of the racing track and I liked how he imaged Maddy to be. I liked that but when it came to become a film about robbing a bank because that's where she should have said wait cut isn't this about a girl who is dreaming of becoming a climbing with real family values but no she let it go and that's why it turned out the way it did. Also the whole ending of the film felt rushed. They rushed in all four songs and a whole play at the end in less than 5 minutes.

I may be sounding kind of mean but the film wasn't all that bad in the end. It had that wholesome touch and was OK at some points. Sadly in the end this movie was disappointing to me. I wanted to give the film a 6/10 but I can't give it that anymore. I have to give it a 3/10 or maybe a 4/10 just because of the great soundtrack. I was overall disappointed though with the film. I really wanted to enjoy myself here but instead I was let down. I only hope that Kristen Stewart's new film Speak is better than this one. I think it will because it's at Sundance. So I eagerly await its release. Kristen proves though that she has enough talent to pull her way through even poorly written films. This movie truly makes me sick. With cheesy teenybopper lines coming out of the mouths NOT teenyboppers. "Oh, it's OK to steal for the right reasons!". What the hell kind of moral is THAT?? Kids should not watch this garbage.