Freundlich, Bart

Catch That Kid

Get ready for an exciting, high-stakes adventure with Maddy, Gus and Austin: three kids on a top-secret mission! They're close friends, each with special talents: a champion rock climber, a computer genius and a mechanical whiz specializing in high-speed go-carts. Their challenge: to crack a high-tech bank vault and pull off the biggest heist their homeroom has ever seen --all to save Maddy's ailing Dad! They may have a plan that's foolproof, but they're not even old enough to drive!

The Myth of Fingerprints

A Sundance Festival special, this indie family comedy-drama was given unduly harsh treatment by critics when it was released. Starring as the long-estranged son of an emotionally distant father, Noah Wyle comes home to his family for Thanksgiving in hopes of reconnecting with his old girlfriend, and receives unexpected results. But he's not the only one coming back. There's the brother with a cute fiancée (Hope Davis), who doesn't quite understand what all the tension is about. There's the glum sister (a hilarious Julianne Moore) who is down on love and everything else until she connects with a childhood acquaintance. And Mom (Blythe Danner) is there to referee it all. But the central conflict involves Wyle and his father (Roy Scheider in a wonderfully eccentric performance). --Marshall Fine

World Traveler

Cal (Billy Crudup) is a handsome, hard-drinking guy driving across the country with no particular destination in mind--but this is no romantic road trip. Cal has abandoned his wife and child and is running from a misery he can't even articulate; his encounters with other lonely people in bars and airports only render him more confused, while his inviting good looks routinely get him into trouble. World Traveler delves into the heart of a certain American grief and rootlessness, one that corresponds to the vast open space of the country itself. The movie doesn't explain itself, but the nuanced script and direction by Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints) and superb performances by Crudup, Julianne Moore, James LeGros, David Keith, Karen Allen, Mary McCormack, and others make World Traveler completely compelling. A subtle but deeply felt movie, akin to 1970s character portraits like Five Easy Pieces. --Bret Fetzer

Catch That Kid

You may not have heard of Kristen Stewart, but she's a promising young actress who's previously appeared in Panic Room, the underrated The Safety of Objects, and Cold Creek Manor. Her charm gives a lift to preteen heist flick Catch That Kid, in which she plays an aspiring mountain climber who gets knocked off balance when an injury paralyzes her father. Unable to raise the money for an expensive operation, she commissions her two best friends (Corbin Bleu and Max Thierot) to help her rob the bank where her mother (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance, In the Soup) works as a security consultant. This hokey but serviceable premise quickly turns into an insult to logic and common sense; Catch That Kid is a disappointment from intriguing director Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints, World Traveler). Stewart has charisma; let's hope she can find a better vehicle for her talents. --Bret Fetzer

Catch That Kid [Region 2]

You may not have heard of Kristen Stewart, but she's a promising young actress who's previously appeared in Panic Room, the underrated The Safety of Objects, and Cold Creek Manor. Her charm gives a lift to preteen heist flick Catch That Kid, in which she plays an aspiring mountain climber who gets knocked off balance when an injury paralyzes her father. Unable to raise the money for an expensive operation, she commissions her two best friends (Corbin Bleu and Max Thierot) to help her rob the bank where her mother (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance, In the Soup) works as a security consultant. This hokey but serviceable premise quickly turns into an insult to logic and common sense; Catch That Kid is a disappointment from intriguing director Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints, World Traveler). Stewart has charisma; let's hope she can find a better vehicle for her talents. --Bret Fetzer

Family Comedy A

Catch That Kid / Like Mike

Catch That Kid

You may not have heard of Kristen Stewart, but she's a promising young actress who's previously appeared in Panic Room, the underrated The Safety of Objects, and Cold Creek Manor. Her charm gives a lift to preteen heist flick Catch That Kid, in which she plays an aspiring mountain climber who gets knocked off balance when an injury paralyzes her father. Unable to raise the money for an expensive operation, she commissions her two best friends (Corbin Bleu and Max Thierot) to help her rob the bank where her mother (Jennifer Beals, Flashdance, In the Soup) works as a security consultant. This hokey but serviceable premise quickly turns into an insult to logic and common sense; Catch That Kid is a disappointment from intriguing director Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints, World Traveler). Stewart has charisma; let's hope she can find a better vehicle for her talents. --Bret Fetzer