Catch Me If You Can (1989)

A hotshot, teenage car racer persuades the class president of a small Minnesota high school to gamble on illegal car races to raise money for their school facing closure.

Director:

Stephen Sommers

Writer:

Stephen Sommers

Stars:

Matt Lattanzi, Loryn Locklin, Grant Heslov

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Lattanzi	...	Dylan Malone
Loryn Locklin	...	Melissa Hanson
Grant Heslov	...	Nevil
Billy Morrissette	...	Monkey
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Mr. Johnson
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Johnny Phatmun
Dan Bell	...	Manney
Jefferson Slinkard	...	Dirk
Kevin Dewey	...	Quarterback
Chad Bell	...	Stoner
Tara Trooien	...	Debutante
Rhonda L. Rubertus	...	Cheerleader
Robert Kempe	...	Band Kid
Kathryn Lamb	...	Drama Kid
Peter Breitmayer	...	Stackowski

Storyline

The local highschool is threatened to be closed, unless they collect $200,000. The students' president Melissa struggles to collect the money, but lacks the support from her fellow students. So she accepts when car fetishist Dylan suggests to bet on him in car races against underworld king Phatman. At first everything goes well - too well ...

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Plot Keywords:

money | high school | american football | street racing | wrecking yard | 

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Taglines:

If you can't win the race, move the finish line.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Heart Power

Filming Locations:

Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$7,000,000 (Europe)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Management Company Entertainment Group (MCEG)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When pulling the '57 Chevy out of the trailer it is red with the insert on the rear painted white. In the car wash when the guy is using a rag on the side its easy to see that the insert is now the aluminum used on the Bel-air.

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Soundtracks

"Hard Headed Woman"
Written by Claude Demetri
Performed by Elvis Presley

User Reviews

First Big-Screen Effort by Stephen Sommers

A funky little film that was the first effort by "Mummy" director Stephen Sommers. Cliched, unbelievable plot is played in a light-hearted manner by leads Matt Lattanzi (My Tutor) and Loryn Locklin. Co-star Grant Heslov later had a major role in "Congo", while veteran character actors M. Emmett Walsh and Geoffrey Lewis are recognizable from various roles in other films. Somewhat of an ode to director Sommers' hometown of St. Cloud, MN, the film's plot involves high-school kids trying to raise money for their school through illegal road races. Yeah, right. The film is helped by a great soundtrack of 50's & 60's teenybopper staples, and by the fact that none of the major players take themselves too seriously. Trivia alert: Matt Lattanzi is the ex-husband of Australian songstress Olivia Newton-John. Oh, and by the way, being that this was filmed in St. Cloud, yours truly has a "blink and you'll miss it" cameo in one of the football scenes' crowd shots. (As if anybody CARES, I'm wearing a red winter jacket and ski mask.)