As a story, Catch That Kid is derivative and clichéd, without a shred of originality in its inconsequential frame. While shamelessly borrowing from Spy Kids and The Fast and the Furious, it is itself a remake of a Danish film called Klatretosen. All of this is why I quickly lost interest in the details of the narrative and focused in on the performances of the three leads, which are surprisingly appealing.
Thieriot and Bleu play two friends whose hormones are just starting to kick in, and they begin to look at their friend Maddy (Kristen Stewart) in a new way. Maddy just sees them as friends, but cleverly prays upon their affections to help her plot a thoroughly preposterous bank heist in order to pay for a highly experimental, and costly, operation for her dad. It's all quite ridiculous, but kind of sweet.
Stewart is a talented young actress known mainly for playing the daughter in thrillers both good (Panic Room) and bad (Cold Creek Manor). It's nice to see her spread her wings a bit in the creative freedom of a central role. I wouldn't nominate her for any awards just yet, but she is very charming.
Maddy's mom (Jennifer Beals) conveniently happens to work as a security official at a bank, with a new security system that just so happens is not yet fully operational. The three kids use their combined talents (technical, mental and physical) and easy connections to execute their plan. Along the way, there are high-tech gadgets, and chases designed to dazzle the eyes and quicken the pulse.
I was surprised to learn that the film was directed by Bart Freundlich, whose World Traveler was an intriguing if not entirely satisfying film starring Billy Crudup and Julianne Moore. Here, he finds the right tone for the story—utterly silly. Realizing he doesn't have the most believable of plots on his hands, he responds appropriately. The adult characters are exaggerated, the action scenes unbelievable, and the kids tote around Maddy's baby brother the whole time, suggesting none of us should take this too seriously.
Catch That Kid isn't a good movie, though kids could do worse. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over 13, but that's the target audience anyway.