PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 2/9/04)

Hollywood's target demo just keeps getting younger. Case in point: Catch That Kid, a heist movie starring three preteen perps "on a mission without permission." Think of it as The Italian Job for the kids who can't even get into PG-13 flicks.

This kid-tested, mother-approved action movie attempts to do for bank-robbery flicks what Spy Kids did for the secret-agent yarn. But whereas endlessly creative Spy Kids director Robert Rodriguez set out to reinvent James Bond for the younger generation, Bart Freundlich merely piggybacks on the successful Danish film Klatretøsen. His half-hearted remake suggests this project was more likely an easy paycheck for the celebrated indie director than an offering for his own two kids (Freundlich is married to actress Julianne Moore).

While this Kid isn't up to Spy Kids standards, the good news is the film hews closer to the high-concept kids' movies of the 1980s than to all that Disney Channel goo that's been repackaged for the big screen lately. No one dreams of being a pop star here; the movie serves up three kids with real kid hobbies (Maddy, a wall-climber; Gus, a go-kart mechanic; and Austin, a computer geek) who decide to rob a bank so they can afford a $250,000 operation for Maddy's father.

Still, if they must steal the money, surely these kids could've picked an easier target than the most high-tech bank in town. Not only did Maddy's mom install the bank's security system (one that depends a little too heavily on ferocious attack dogs), but Gus's older brother works as a rent-a-cop in the building (he's the kind of loudmouth movie sibling who resorts to insults like "fart-knocker" and "butt-munch").

Catch That Kid turns out pretty much the way you'd expect, but still manages a few surprises toward the end. The threat of flashing red lights, wailing sirens, and growling Rottweilers might make these junior felons nervous, but that's nothing compared to the grounding they're gonna get when their parents find out.

—Peter Debruge