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Back Shelf Beauties
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Chasing Liberty
You have to admit that Mandy Moore knows her audience. This former
Britney-Spears- wannabe has practically left music behind to become a full
time movie star for 13-year old girls (and dirty old men who are willing
to buy tickets). In Chasing Liberty,
she makes another movie that is the embodiment of a romantic, tween girl
Moore stars as Anna - the 18-year old daughter of President Foster (Mark Harmon). Like any gal on the precipice of attending college, she wants to be as free as an adult, which is tough to do when you are followed by the Secret Service everywhere you go. Anna is sick and tired of them ruining her social life, and makes a deal with Dad. While on their big European trip, Anna will get some time to attend a rock concert with her pal and only 2 Secret Service agents will be assigned. Things get all complicated when she decides to flee her Secret Service protection and take off across Europe with the hunky British photographer she just met, Ben (Matthew Goode). Will Anna enjoy her first taste of freedom? Will Ben and Anna fall in love? Chasing Liberty is one of those movies that is charming and enjoyable if you are willing to throw out any sense of reality. The number of times the script calls for an action that isn't realistic are too innumerable to count here, but be advised that you will catch many of them. From the media not caring that the President's daughter has suddenly disappeared to strange yet convenient coincidences populating much of the film to the modern love story clichés, anyone in the audience who has an ounce of intelligence will have to raise their eyebrows a bit. And, let's face it, how stifling can Secret Service protection of the first daughter be if the Bush twins are allowed to get drunk and start dancing on tables in Texas bars? Not that these are the only faults you will find with the script. Chasing Liberty is not a movie that needs two hours to tell its story. Writers Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman throw in a nice sub-plot about the burgeoning love between two Secret Service agents, Weiss (Jeremy Piven) and Morales (Annabella Sciorra), that is fun and entertaining, but unnecessary. It doesn't contribute to the overall plot, even if it does give two supporting actors a chance to get some of the spotlight for themselves. Anna and Ben's journey becomes tedious as our writers throw in one too many twists that get the couple sidetracked yet again. Guiley and Schneiderman even have to resurrect a character we thought was long gone just to keep the action moving along. The audience has already seen enough by the time we hit the 90-minute mark, and some editing could have kept the pace moving instead of watching Chasing Liberty fall apart as time goes by. Its two charming leads and some decent dialogue save Chasing Liberty. Moore is a fine leading lady with some comedic ability, but has much more of a handle on teen angst. Her best moments are when Anna pines away for the boy who might not love her, and the inevitable sparring match between the two when we know they are falling in love, but they don't want to admit it. Goode will quickly become the Teen Beat flavor of the month with his non-threatening cuteness and British accent that will drive all of the tweens crazy. Look for him in a picture on the wall of your 13-year old's room very soon. Goode shows an ability that exceeds what is needed with his quick, well-timed delivery of one-liners and strong command of the character's emotional moments. While the script might be a little weak, he excels by giving it his all. Chasing Liberty is far from the worst movie that you could see this week, but certainly not the best. It's light-hearted, teen romantic comedy that won't offend. 2 Waffles (Out Of 4) Copyright 2004 - WaffleMovies.com
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