January 9, 2004 | Chasing Liberty , the latest custom-made
star vehicle for perky pop star Mandy Moore, is a light but likable romantic
comedy that may remind some moviegoers of Roman Holiday , William
Wyler's classic 1953 fairy tale about a runaway princess (Audrey Hepburn)
on sightseeing spree with an American reporter (Gregory Peck). Of course,
if you do remember the Wyler film, you're likely two or three generations
beyond the target demographic for this confection. But never mind: Chasing
Liberty can
be enjoyed as engaging escapism by anyone who remains young at heart.
Mandy Moore isn't Audrey Hepburn, of course,
but she wisely doesn't try to be. In some scenes, however, she bears
an uncanny resemblance to Valerie Bertinelli – the younger daughter
on TV's One Day at a
Time , remember? – as she chafes under the restraints of being the
daughter of an over-protective, easily-distracted U.S. President (Mark
Harmon).
As First Daughter, 18-year-old Anna Foster
( Moore ) does her best to appear poised and personable while under
constant media scrutiny. But her social life is seriously restricted
by Secret Service ops who monitor her every move. It's hard to enjoy
a date under those circumstances – especially
when her guardians tend to tackle any suspicious stranger in her orbit.
Which is why, when she accompanies her father
and mother (Caroline Goodall) to a G8 summit in Prague , Anna contrives
to slip away on her own to see the sights, check out the clubs – and,
maybe, board a train to Berlin to witness the celebrated Love Parade.
But Anna's AWOL status is more apparent than real: Early in her escapade,
she's joined by Ben (Matthew Goode), a hunky photographer who's really
a British-based Secret Service agent. He's assigned to protect and
serve, and he takes his duties very seriously. So seriously, in fact,
that it takes at least 15 minutes before he begins to fall in love.
Anna and Ben spend most of Chasing Liberty wandering
through Europe, remaining reasonably chaste by contemporary movie standards
(except for a brief skinny-dipping scene involving Moore's body double)
even as the chemistry between them slowly simmers. If you're not charmed
by the attractive lead players – and you're not amused by the bickering of two
Secret Service ops (Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra) in pursuit of the
wanderers – you can still enjoy the movie as an attractive travelogue.
And if that's not enough to hold your interest, well, Roman Holiday may
still be available at your friendly neighborhood video store.