Catch That Kid (2004)

11% of critics liked it
(85 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(22,028 ratings)

Bart Freundlich directs Catch That Kid, a Fox-financed U.S. remake of the Danish family action film Klatretøsen (2002). Adventurous 12-year-old Maddy Phillips (Kristen Stewart) is an excellent mountain climber. Unfortunately, her father, Tom (Sam Robards), was severely injured on Mount Everest and… More Bart Freundlich directs Catch That Kid, a Fox-financed U.S. remake of the Danish family action film Klatretøsen (2002). Adventurous 12-year-old Maddy Phillips (Kristen Stewart) is an excellent mountain climber. Unfortunately, her father, Tom (Sam Robards), was severely injured on Mount Everest and requires a 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. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Bart Freundlich
Written By: Derek Haas, Michael Brandt
Genres: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Feb 6, 2004 Wide
On DVD: Jun 1, 2004
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
This thing is so silly and so ridiculous.
Megan Lehmann, New York Post
Freundlich ... directs his first big studio film on autopilot, trudging through the motions and displaying little understanding of what appeals to young 'uns.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Offers little in the way of originality, real excitement or even genuinely transgressive behavior.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
The movie isn't only boring; it's troubling.
Brian Lowry, Variety
A tedious exercise that 6- to 10-year-olds may find mildly diverting.
Mike Clark, USA Today
The young actors are irredeemably bland, and two of the adults are hammy enough to make James Brown seem controlled.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Painfully bad. A real head-scratcher.
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Neither the planning of the heist, nor its execution is done with the skill needed for it to be compelling.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Here's a sweet, little family film for you, all about children robbing banks.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
Catch That Kid, though not produced by Disney, has all the feel of a Disney Channel TV special.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
If screenwriters Michael Brandt and Derek Haas atempted to write a servicable script, it isn't obvious.
Oz, eFilmCritic.com
Your 8-year-old sister will love it... but then again, it was only a few years ago that she was eating poop - clearly her judgment can't be trusted.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
Catch That Kid? Let's not.
Jim Lane, Sacramento News & Review
The script by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas strains credulity -to say the least! -- but if nothing else, it manages to work in all the obligatory heist movie cliches.
Frank Ochieng, Movie Eye
...[an] implausible hyperactive giddy go-cart caper...this junior-sized Mission: Impossible wannabe is nothing but an overwrought knockoff that doesn't measure up
Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
It's neither as funny as it needs to be nor serious enough to elicit more than a few crinkled brows from kids and their parents alike.
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Hmm. A mixed bag of messages for kids.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
Apart from a few serious leaps in logic, the story moves along swiftly and painlessly, and is not needlessly cute or stupid. But that's not much of a recommendation.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, James LeGros, Stark Sands, Kevin G. Schmidt, Meagen Fay, Audrey Wasilewski, Michael Des Barres, Christine Estabrook Director: Bart Freundlich Summary: Three specialists in their… More
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, Max Thieriot, Jennifer Beals, Sam Robards, John Carroll Lynch, James LeGros, Stark Sands, Kevin G. Schmidt, Meagen Fay, Audrey Wasilewski, Michael Des Barres, Christine Estabrook Director: Bart Freundlich Summary: Three specialists in their fields -- a rock climber, a computer genius and a mechanical wiz -- take on the nearly impossible task of robbing one of the world's most impenetrable banks in order to save an ailing father. Their plan is foolproof, their methods are ingenious ... and they're not even old enough to drive! My Thoughts: "The movie is more of a kids film, obviously considering it is a kids film. But it's OK for us adults too. It is sweet to see a daughter go through such extremes for her father. But it's not very realistic. But not much is in kid films. The then kids, Kristen Stewart, Corbin Bleu, and Max Thieriot did a great job in the movie. But I think the kids will enjoy this much more then us adults."
KJ P

Alright, yes it is a very basic storyline, but to me, whatever they could do with it, they did to it. The 3 main leads are all upcoming stars, because all of their characters are extremely likable. It is pure family enjoyment, filled with thrills and some very touchy moments! Well… More
Alright, yes it is a very basic storyline, but to me, whatever they could do with it, they did to it. The 3 main leads are all upcoming stars, because all of their characters are extremely likable. It is pure family enjoyment, filled with thrills and some very touchy moments! Well worth watching, even if it's only once.
Leigh R

Cute and pretty clever. : )
Film C

its a good family movie worth a watch
Dean M

Amazing adventure and funny of kids' heist in a high-tech bank vault.
Deb S

"You're never too young to use sex as a tool to get what you want." A high-tech kid caper about a 12-year-old girl Maddy (a very young Kristen Stewart) who enlists her two best guy pals, one a good looking go-kart mechanic (Max Thieriot) and the other a computer geek… More
"You're never too young to use sex as a tool to get what you want." A high-tech kid caper about a 12-year-old girl Maddy (a very young Kristen Stewart) who enlists her two best guy pals, one a good looking go-kart mechanic (Max Thieriot) and the other a computer geek (Corbin Bleu), to help her steal money from her mom's high-security bank to pay for her father's medical operation because the Insurance won't cover it. Recommended for a young audience who will enjoy the action such as a go-kart chase by the police and watching a bunch of young teens pulling off a bank robbery. <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2chw8l0" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/2chw8l0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=17d8i9" target="_blank"><img src="http://i54.tinypic.com/17d8i9.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a> <a href="http://tinypic.com?ref=2n03ggm" target="_blank"><img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2n03ggm.jpg" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic"></a>
George K

Cute film. However the plot was a bit too simplistic for me. I would have liked more twists and turns. The three kids needed to be challenged a bit more in their pursuit of robbing a bank. But it's a good DVD for the entire family on a Friday night.