Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. (Tony Curtis) is arrested by two state policemen. His aliases are too numerous to list. He starts recalling his past. As a child, he is taught by Father Devlin (Karl Malden). He's always playing the angles. His father leaves them. He joins the Army, but he faces hurdles. With falsified papers, he lies to get his way and he never stops lying.
This is basically 'Catch Me if You Can' without the FBI agent chasing him. Both movies work for the same reason. It has a charming lead doing all the lying. One can understand the women falling over themselves for him and the men willing to follow him. Tony Curtis can sell me anything. All that is missing is someone chasing him. The movie needs the FBI agent for the whole movie.
This is basically 'Catch Me if You Can' without the FBI agent chasing him. Both movies work for the same reason. It has a charming lead doing all the lying. One can understand the women falling over themselves for him and the men willing to follow him. Tony Curtis can sell me anything. All that is missing is someone chasing him. The movie needs the FBI agent for the whole movie.