January 9, 2004 | Chasing Liberty , the latest custom-made star vehicle for perky pop star Mandy Moore, is a light but likable romantic comedy that may remind some moviegoers of Roman Holiday , William Wyler’s classic 1953 fairy tale about a runaway princess (Audrey Hepburn) on sightseeing spree with an American reporter (Gregory Peck). Of course, if you do remember the Wyler film, you’re likely two or three generations beyond the target demographic for this confection. But never mind: Chasing Liberty can be enjoyed as engaging escapism by anyone who remains young at heart.
Mandy Moore isn’t Audrey Hepburn, of course, but she wisely doesn’t try to be. In some scenes, however, she bears an uncanny resemblance to Valerie Bertinelli – the younger daughter on TV’s One Day at a Time , remember? – as she chafes under the restraints of being the daughter of an over-protective, easily-distracted U.S. President (Mark Harmon).
As First Daughter, 18-year-old Anna Foster ( Moore ) does her best to appear poised and personable while under constant media scrutiny. But her social life is seriously restricted by Secret Service ops who monitor her every move. It’s hard to enjoy a date under those circumstances – especially when her guardians tend to tackle any suspicious stranger in her orbit.
Which is why, when she accompanies her father and mother (Caroline Goodall) to a G8 summit in Prague , Anna contrives to slip away on her own to see the sights, check out the clubs – and, maybe, board a train to Berlin to witness the celebrated Love Parade. But Anna’s AWOL status is more apparent than real: Early in her escapade, she’s joined by Ben (Matthew Goode), a hunky photographer who’s really a British-based Secret Service agent. He’s assigned to protect and serve, and he takes his duties very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that it takes at least 15 minutes before he begins to fall in love.
Anna and Ben spend most of Chasing Liberty wandering through Europe, remaining reasonably chaste by contemporary movie standards (except for a brief skinny-dipping scene involving Moore’s body double) even as the chemistry between them slowly simmers. If you’re not charmed by the attractive lead players – and you’re not amused by the bickering of two Secret Service ops (Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra) in pursuit of the wanderers – you can still enjoy the movie as an attractive travelogue. And if that’s not enough to hold your interest, well, Roman Holiday may still be available at your friendly neighborhood video store.
