The Secret Life of Us
March 31, 2008
Chasing Liberty Even when she’s playing a girl with a head full of air in a plot full of holes, Mandy Moore manages to make Chasing Liberty wholesomely appealing. It’s too bad that “wholesome,” in this case, means frolicking around Prague, Venice, and Berlin as the U.S. President’s daughter, eluding Secret Service agents, defying her second-term President father (Mark Harmon, totally miscast), and trusting complete strangers in a world where potential terrorism seems like nothing more than a pesky distraction. In other words, first daughter Anna Foster (Moore) is a complete idiot, oblivious to danger in a fluffy romantic fantasy that’s part Roman Holiday (the good part) and part bubble-gum star vehicle. Don’t blame Mandy for daring to shed her good-girl image; even her innocent skinnydipping scene was handled by a “butt double,” and she’s irresistible as she falls for the mutually smitten Secret Service agent (promising newcomer Matthew Goode) assigned to keep her out of harm’s way. Another budding romance involving two bickering agents (Annabella Sciorra, Jeremy Piven) is perfunctory at best, but if you’re looking for a picturesque, sweet-natured tour of Europe with a pair of likeable lovebirds, Chasing Liberty makes for a pleasantly brief vacation. –Jeff Shannon
Customer Review: Am I Too Old?
I think this film was made for the teeny-bopper set and my own daughter (who was a teeny-bopper) dissed it because her set was very critical of Mandy Moore’s move from singing to acting. Still, this movie was for ME. A romantic comedy with a cute male lead!
Customer Review: A cute movie
While the story line is pretty predictable, I do enjoy the work of Mandy Moore, she is a talented actress that contributed to this movie.
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