What would be the formula for a typical heist film? Let’s see, how about getting together a ragtag gang that comes up with a plan to rob something, have something go wrong during the robbery yet still pull it off, then get chased by the police. Ultimately, there is payoff, either the gang gets away and rides off into the sunset, or they are caught, but their wrongdoing is still vilified in some way or another. Sound about right?

In “Catch That Kid,” writers Nicolai Arcel and Hans Fabian Wullenweber use that same formula, but add the word “adolescent” to the ragtag gang. The only problem is that targeting a film about robbing a bank and breaking laws towards a teenage crowd seems inherently wrong. Although “teens” would be the more correct age group, these are still kids shown evading police and stealing large sums of money from a business. It’s just wrong.

The story, if actually geared towards adults, might not have been half bad.

When a father, also a world-class mountain climber who scaled Mount Everest, is suddenly paralyzed as a result of a fall he took while climbing, his daughter Maddy Phillips (Kristen Stewart) desperately wants to obtain the $250,000 needed for the experimental surgery. She enlists the help of her friends, one, a mechanical wiz, the other, an electronics wiz, to pull off a heist. Combined with her climbing skills, they attempt to rob a bank vault whose security system was designed by Maddy’s mother (Jennifer Beals). The twist: the vault is ultra-high-tech and suspended 100 feet off the ground.

The idea that the central character Maddy is an independent, strong willed girl is a good one. However, that she sees her only resort to getting the money is by robbing a bank is the first shortfall of the film. What could have been a strong family values message gets lost in the robbery attempt and action of the heist.

Since this is a “kids” film, throw in a bumbling pair of security guards and a talkative bank Supervisor (played by John Caroll Lynch, probably best known for his role as Drew Carey’s drag-queen brother on “The Drew Carey Show”), and you have all the key ingredients needed for the kids to pull off the stunt. Passwords, luck, and idiocy all lead to an easy robbery, and although the crime is not completely pulled off, the kids are still ultimately rewarded for their wrongdoing.

If there are any positive things to note about the film, it is in the action of the heist, and the acting of the teens.

The action itself is down to earth, and not nearly as so unbelievable as the “Spy Kids” franchise has become. While there are the obvious comparisons to those films, the high-tech gadgets and technology in “Catch That Kid” are ultimately more reality based, and therefore more believable. Revved-up Go-Karts, holographic displays, and high-tech security systems are about as off the wall as it gets. With the exception of the very over-the-top gadgets that the “electronics wiz kid” seems to have his hands on, staying low-key keeps the story much more grounded, and gives you the sense that this actually could happen.

As for the kids, their dialogue is believable, and the way they act seems normal for kids their age. Kristen Stewart’s Maddy seems like a typical teenage girl, albeit more of a tomboy than most. While the two boys have a crush on their friend, they show off and have fun as most teenagers would.

Overall, the story isn’t bad, but when it has been “dumbed-down” a bit for the adolescent audience, it loses its edge and excitement. Fun Go-Kart chases and a few funny moments cant help the overall project, and the underlying message is still wrong. It is not ok to rob a bank to help your family, and it’s not ok to take your 3-year old brother along for the heist. Sure, it’s just a movie, but the next time an underage teenager doesn’t stop the car when being told by the police to pull over, you can bet I’m going to think of “Catch That Kid.”