While a man and wife face the kitchen sink and wash dishes in rhythmic unison to Judy Garland’s lovely rendition of "Embraceable You," a younger man gazes wistfully at them, quiet and unnoticed. He’s Frank Abagnale, the main character in Catch Me If You Can, Stephen Spielberg’s engrossing movie based on a true story about a notorious imposter. Leonardo DiCaprio’s portrayal of Abagnale combines elements of pathos, comedy, and drama in one of the best performances of his career. Still, as a no-nonsense FBI agent obsessed with capturing Abagnale, Tom Hanks runs away with this film.

Who among us hasn’t fantasized about being someone else?  (I still dream about dancing up a storm with the famous Radio City Music Hall Rockettes or jockeying into Triple Crown history on a horse sired by Secretariat.) But Frank Abagnale lived out his fantasies back in the late 60s and early 70s, fooling practically everyone. He successfully impersonated a French teacher, an airlines co-pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer – all while in his teens. In addition, he became an expert at writing and cashing fake checks.

"This story could only have taken place in an age of innocence, which we are no longer about in a global community," explains Spielberg. "Today people are more suspicious of each other, whereas in the sixties there was a community of trust. That innocence is something all of us are nostalgic about."

Spielberg’s comments illustrate why timing seems perfect for release of Catch Me If You Can. With security at airports tightened (and rightly so) after the horrific 9/11 tragedy, it’s refreshing to see a young man disguised in a pilot’s uniform swagger through crowds of travelers -- with nothing more on his mind than feeling important and meeting attractive stewardesses. So much of this movie evokes a longing for past "days of innocence." Even the opening title sequence brings back memories of those clever 1964 titles introducing The Pink Panther.

What caused Abagnale to become a con man? Evidently, his parents played a key role here. Indulging in classic "enabling" behavior, his father (Christopher Walken – terrific, as usual) laughs when the lad is disciplined by a principal after pretending to be a "teacher. " The dad also expresses excitement over his son’s exploits as a "pilot" while encouraging the boy to keep up his charades instead of telling him to stop. And the mother (Nathalie Baye) has serious problems of her own. When the inevitable divorce occurs, Abagnale begins his impersonation adventures in earnest.

An exciting cat-and-mouse game gets underway as soon as Agent Carl Hanratty (Hanks) is assigned to Abagnale’s case. Little details in Hanks’ portrayal of a lonely man with no sense of humor simply amazed me. I admired his practically perfect Boston accent, his "I-told-you-so" expression while watching Abagnale tell a government official how to identify a fake check, and his projection of genuine concern for Abagnale – in spite of everything.

With Hanratty’s help, redemption comes for Abagnale -- but only after some very rough times. Although it’s difficult to believe all this really happened, Abagnale himself verifies that 90 per cent of the film is accurate. "The movie is based on my life but it’s not a documentary," he declares. Truth is stranger than fiction, so the old saying goes. In Catch Me If You Can, it’s also more entertaining.

(Released by DreamWorks and rated "PG-13" for some sexual content and brief language.)