Chasing Liberty (2004) Movie Review, Trailer, Film Still and Poster

USA 2004
Director: Andy Cadiff
Cast: Mandy Moore, Matthew Goode, Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra, Mark Harmon
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: 9 January 2004
Running Time: 1 hour 51 minutes

The Movie Review

Aptly entitled Chasing Liberty tells a story of a girl named Anna Foster, a daughter of the president of the U.S., in desperate need for a little freedom. Free from round the clock surveillance of the Secret Service around her, just like the other teenagers where Liberty could go on a date and do fun things (girls just wanna have fun, right?).

In a concert in Prague, her Father grants her the permission to have a little liberty under the protection of only two secret service Alan Weiss (Jeremy Piven) and Cynthia Morales (Annabella Sciorra), but when Anna Foster discovers that she is being guarded by a dozen of Secret Service agents, she escapes those agents by fooling one of them.


CHASING LIBERTY
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Outside the building, she meets a young photographer named Ben Calder (Matthew Goode) and asks Ben to help her escaping the agents. Ben agrees to help her, he even accompanies Anna on a train to Venice, chases Anna in Austria . Unknowingly to Anna, Ben is also a secret service sent by the president to guard her.

Speaking of the movie, well, there's nothing special with it. First of all It's a romantic movie, which loosely translated that almost all hopes depend on the chemistry between the lead actors, which is none, and that's also not supported by their fairly standard acting. Mandy performs beyond expectation, recalling that this is her acting debut, she performs well as a spoiled teenage and with her genuine flabbergasted look in her face while touring across Europe, I surely hope Mandy could performs much better in her next film, since she has what it needs, aside that she is also a likable character, but Matthew seems to just gape in the entire running length of this film, and gaping all the time is not a sign of a good acting (at least in this case). Interestingly, it's more fun to see the relationship built between Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra, they got the chemistry right.

I feel like singing!

Lonely Planet, the AA Travel Guides and alike have to start making movies like this. This movie introduces and promotes Europe. In a professional and fun method. Mandy and Matthew figuratively are the tour guides for Europe, and the audiences are the tourists. That's much about it, the movie guide to Europe. Imagine seeing this movie without the European countries, what would you have? A clueless and cool-wannabe Secret Service agent chasing and babysitting a first daughter. I have to admit, the real reason why I watched this movie is for the European thing, I didn't really care for what the actors have to say, since their dialogue is also cheesy, luckily the musical score and soundtrack help a lot.

Chasing Liberty is to be enjoyed with one main principle in mind, and that is The Love Sparks across Europe. With all the downsides and the upsides, All in all, Chasing Liberty is a one entertaining movie (or) travelogue.

© iwan pranowo of Movielogy.com