Chasing Liberty

I'm not going to say I went to this movie with any expectations, I'm not that foolish. I knew it was for 13 year old girls, and if I had to write down what the major plot points would be before I actually saw the movie, I think I would have had a pretty accurate list.

What drove me to the theater was Mandy Moore, She gave a surprising good performance in "A Walk to Remember", and you have to admire a pop princess who chooses to dye her hair brown.

Unfortunately, and I think this is more writing than Mandy's acting, her character Anna Foster is not very likable at all. She's going through the typical Disney princess "I want to see how the other side lives" phase, but her rebellion strangely includes wanting to drink as much as possible, making out with strange boys, and the need to go to the "Love Festival." A tad risque for the target audience if you ask me.

Anna's love interest, Ben (Matthew Goode) is a little more likable, and though his character succumbs to bad lines, Matthew's crooked smile and overall charisma shines through, and I hope to see him in more (and better) films.

Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra play Anna's bodyguards who have to chase Anna around Europe, and oddly enough, their scenes and interactions with each other are way more entertaining and interesting than what's going on with Anna and Ben.

The highlight of the movie is the Beautiful locations of Prague, Venice, and Germany. If I got nothing else from the movie, it was probably a deepened desire to travel around Europe.

A number of people have made the obvious comparison between this movie and Roman Holiday (which is an excellent film, and one of my favorites), and I'm going to go a step farther and say this flick was like a combo of two Disney TV Movies from 1998, "My Date with the Presidents Daughter" and "Sabrina (the teenage witch) goes to Rome." One had the beautiful European scenery, and the other had, well, the Presidents daughter rebelling while dragging along a guy. The thing that makes these two movies superior to Chasing Liberty is that they were free.

I know, I know. This is a teenybop, sickly sweet movie. But I can't help it. It is my biggest guilty pleasure. I have seen this movie over 10 times and am now buying the DVD.

In a world were most movies are so full of sex and/or violence...you have Chasing Liberty. Sure you can guess the end within the first 10 minutes, but so what?!? Mandy Moore is just adorable and Matthew Goode is just...hum...really great eye candy!!! He is just too cute for words!

The music in this movie is pretty techno and I really enjoyed the scenes in the concert and at the Love Parade. Keep looking for the CD of the soundtrack to come out.

Anyhow, I am sure 98 of 100 people will say don't waste your time, but I disagree. I just love this movie.

Though I'm not a Mandy Moore fan, I did enjoy the movie. Matthew Goode was wonderful and really cute and HOT! Hope to see him in more movies

Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra were adorable as the Secret Service agents trying to find Mandy. The premise was predictable and Mandy's acting wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. She has a decent career ahead of her.

It was a sweet movie, exactly what you'd expect it to be, but entertaining for a couple of hours.

I am a sucker for a good, sappy, romantic comedy. I have always liked Mandy Moore (especially in "A Walk to Remember") and I thought she was pretty good in this.

Nothing that will make you think which is nice if you're looking for a fun girly movie.

My only complaints are that the movie dragged a bit long for this type of movie... could've cut out some of the chase scenes. But I liked the different places they went, those are such beautiful areas of the world and the movie reminded me of my trip to Europe when I was in college.

If you're looking for something deep or an epic romance, this is not for you. But if you want something good to watch on a night home alone or with girlfriends, this is a great pick.

I am adding my comment as I was disappointed in the only one listed, mainly because it didn't give credit to the two real actors, Mandy Moore and Mathew Goode, and to the locations used. I am not sure who Stark Sands is, and I saw the movie a couple of times. But Martin Hancock as McGruff will definitely make you smile. I was enchanted by Prague and Venice, as presented in this movie while the two actors gave credibility to the two very improbable characters. I hope we will see Mathew Goode in many more movies in US. This one is a charming light movie and the chemistry between the actors makes it a pleasure to watch. For those who love to travel or did so as youngsters, or never did but wish they could have, this is a movie to warm your hearts.