Chasing Liberty. Warner Home Video, 2004.Cast: Mandy Moore, Matthew Goode, Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra, Mark Harmon, Caroline Goodall.
Director: Andy Cadiff.
Writers: David Schneiderman, Derek Guiley
Rating: PG-13.
Length: 101 minutes.
ASIN: B000P0J08S
Plot:
Anna is a normal teenage girl with a very abnormal family. She is the only daughter of the President of the United States, who also happens to be a very over-protective father. His insistence on having her followed by several Secret Service agents often ends up ruining Anna’s social life. When the family takes a diplomatic trip to Prague, Anna thinks she has convinced her father to let her attend a concert with only one agent as an escort. After discovering that he went back on his word, Anna decides to run away for the night. She seeks the help of an attractive stranger named Ben, who is actually a Secret Service agent in disguise. Her father decides to take advantage of the fact that Anna doesn’t know who Ben is to let her have some “controlled freedom,” but when she gets a little out of control he sends his agents to get her back. The agents chase her and Ben around Europe as she tries to get to the Love Parade in Berlin. All the while Ben tries to protect her without revealing his identity. In the process the two fall in love, but Ben can’t hide who he really is forever.
Critical Evaluation:
Chasing Liberty is completely unrealistic, fairly predictable, and kind of ridiculous. Despite that, it’s also totally adorable. It might have received pretty poor reviews from critics, but it suits its target audience. After all, very few critics are actually teenage girls. This is most definitely a teen girl movie. The combination of gaining freedom, finding yourself through exciting new experiences, and falling in love with a cute stranger hold massive appeal for that age group. The movie does well with all of those. There are very little consequences to anyone’s actions; everything works out fine in the end. This isn’t something to criticize, however, since it helps the movie maintain it’s light tone.
As the idealistic teen searching for freedom, Mandy Moore is cute as always. The viewer really feels for her when her optimism is crushed by the betrayal of her father and Ben. Matthew Goode is charming as her Secret Service agent love interest. The secondary characters are funny additions, in the style of the typical road trip movie. This isn’t a movie with a lot of substance or incredible talent, but it is a cute and fun watch.
Annotation:
Sick of spending all her time followed by Secret Service agents, Anna decides to experience freedom for the first time by running around Europe with a sexy stranger.
Director Information:
Andy Cadiff is a native of Newton, Massachusetts. He attended Harvard University intending to be pre-med, but his grades forced him to reconsider. He instead became interested in theater. After graduation, he moved to New York where he worked with legendary theater producer Hal Prince. He has co-written and directed several plays.
He has worked in film since 1988. He has worked as a director on 49 television series, 4 tv movies, and 3 feature length films. He has also produced and worked in cinematography. Some of his more well-known series include Home Improvement, Spin City, My Wife and Kids, and The War at Home.
Genre:
Movie: Romantic Comedy
Curriculum Ties:
None
Movie Talking Ideas:
- Discuss whether or not it was right for Anna's father to put her under so much security.
- Talk about the appeal of being free and on your own.
- Talk about what it would be like to have the president as your father.
Interest Age:
13 and older
Challenge Issues:
Sexual content
Alcohol use
Challenge Defense Ideas:
- Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
- If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
- Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
- Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.
Reasons for Selection:
This is a cute movie that appeals to the teenage sense of romance and longing for freedom.
