Esprit libre

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.

This film, it is true, requires little brainpower. It is, however, light and fun fare, particularly for teenagers. Moore is adequate but not stellar as the President's whiny daughter. My biggest complaint with the movie is that her repeated comments about wanting "freedom" get old very quickly, and she comes off as a spoiled brat, but that's more the fault of the writing, not Moore. Matthew Goode in his breakout performance is far more charming, showing off a relaxed, witty presence that make his character well worth watching (and if his performance isn't enough, his looks should be!). The sub-love-story of Moore's two bodyguards, Weiss and Morales, is also funny and at times more interesting than the lead characters themselves. The scenery easily makes up for the lack of depth. All in all, it's a cute and entertaining film and at times is outright funny. Worth watching and even buying, for times when you're not in mood for heavy drama!

"I...want to swim naked...in the Danube!" "Actually, it's the Vltava." "Who says they want to swim naked in the Vltava? Nobody says that." "That's because Vltava is Polish for 'unhealthy bacteria level'!"

Mandy Moore plays Anna Foster, the 18 year-old daughter of the President of the United States (Mark Harmon). She has a dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness without an army of Secret Service agents around her at all times. The movie begins with Anna going on a first date, and the Secret Service agents ruining it. On a trip to Europe, Anna ditches the Secret Service agents and meets Ben (Matthew Goode). Anna thinks she is finally free to live like other teenagers, and she sets out to tour Europe with Ben, with whom she falls in love. This is a lighthearted, enjoyable comedy. The story is thin, but the landscapes of Europe are beautiful. (Warner Brothers Pictures, Run Time 2:00, Rated PG-13) 4/10

I found this movie to be fun and enjoyable to just go see with the girls, but if you're looking at this movie as if was supposed to be more, you'll be disappointed. It was entertaining and fun, and I highly recommend it. Just remember that not all movies have to be intellectually stimulating, they are there to entertain you, and this one does just that.

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.