Chasing Liberty is not the type of movie I would ordinarily make an effort to go see in theaters, but my daughter is still here and we decided to go on a marathon yesterday. This one just happened to fit right in there timing wise. I'm glad it did, actually.
The story has been done countless times. The President's daughter, Annie, is a good kid, but at 18 she's sick to death of being babysat by the Secret Service guys everywhere she goes. She needs some freedom.
On a trip to Prague, she sees her chance to escape for a little bit and grabs it with gusto. Code Name 'Liberty' has escaped. The chase is on.
Yes it's predictable. Very predictable. But ya know what? I really enjoyed it anyway. Mandy Moore (Princess Diaries) is the lead role as Annie and is delightful. She's not likely to win any awards, but she had fun with the part and her smile is infectious. She pouts well and just gives off this feeling of elation from time to time that had me smiling from ear to ear.
Matthew Goode (South from Granada) is Annie's love interest, Ben Calder, in this madcap spree across Europe and is just excellent. He's not a classic hunka-hunka, but his cool mannerisms put him in that league. Goode's only got two credits prior to this, I've seen neither. I do think he may just go far though. I hope to see more of him anyway. Exasperation is his forte. He's a delight to watch.
Mark Harmon (Freaky Friday plays a stern yet devoted father as President James Foster. I wasn't thrilled to see he was going to be in it, but he really did do a good job with it after all.
Then you have the sub-plot happening with the two agents who are fighting love tooth and nail. Annabella Sciorra as Agent Morales and Jeremy Piven as Agent Weiss play very very well off each other. It's like a running gag with him acting like a crude construction worker and her being the prude. They were just perfect together.
After a slew of TV movies, this is Director Andy Cadiff's first big screen release. He chose a safe one for his debut and it worked. It doesn't show any stretch at all, but it's a fun romp of a tried-n-true formula. Not very daring on his part, but like I said.. I enjoyed it.
If nothing else, you may enjoy the scenery in this. It was filmed in Prague, Venice, and Berlin. I liked the variety of the locations and the shots in Prague were great.
Rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief nudity. I'm saying any age at all without reservation.
I am recommending this one and going with 3 stars for fun value. I think teens and pre-teens will like this best, but parents should have fun with it too once it's on DVD. Sometimes you just do want something familiar.. like an old friend. Not worth full price admission, but worth matinee prices or rental when it's available.
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