Chasing Liberty

Plot synopsis:
Anna Foster (Mandy Moore) is the daughter of the President of the United States, James (Mark Harmon) and First Lady Michelle Foster (Caroline Goodall).When a hassle of Secret Service agents ruins a first date, Anna demands some freedom. Her dad agrees to send only two agents with Anna and Gabrielle La Clare (Beatrice Rosen) to a concert when Anna goes to Prague with her parents. A sexy new look for Anna causes her father to renege. When Anna discovers the concert is filled with agents and that her father has broken his promise, Gabrielle helps Anna elude her protectors. Outside the concert, Anna meets Ben Calder (Matthew Goode), and asks him to drive her to escape the agents. Anna goes to a bar with Ben and proceeds to get drunk. Unbeknownst to Anna, Ben is with the Secret Service, and tells agents Alan Weiss (Jeremy Piven) and Cynthia Morales (Annabella Sciorra) where Anna is. The President orders the three agents to have Ben guard Anna without telling her who he really is, to give her an illusion of freedom with a guarantee of safety. Believing herself free of her guards for the first time in years, Anna jumps into the Vltava River naked, mistaking it for the Danube, and Ben has to fish her out (he stays clothed). Weiss and Morales buy the camera from someone taking pictures of the skinny-dipping Anna. Anna and Ben climb a rooftop to watch an opera being shown in a plaza, where Anna eventually falls asleep with Ben guarding her, and Weiss and Morales watching from another roof.The next morning, Anna calls her parents to avoid getting into further trouble with them. Knowing she is safe, her father is initially indulgent, and Anna is about to return, but his tone changes when he is shown the photos of her nude in the river. The First Lady, however, asks, "What happened to 'let freedom ring?'" (That had been his earlier line when he had decided to let her stay out with Ben.) Anna is outraged at both her dad's sudden imperious tone and finding out that he traced her call. She decides to meet Gabrielle at the Love Parade in Berlin and return to her parents right before the plane trip home. Ben goes with her on the train, where they meet Scotty McGruff (Martin Hancock), a flighty romantic obsessed with Six Million Dollar Man stickers and the interconnectivity of the world, he gives them a stack of stickers and tells them to stick them up in random places, then one day when they are unhappy, they will see one and it will make them smile. Through him, the two learn that they have boarded a Venice-bound train. When they arrive in Venice, Ben calls the other agents to tell them where they are but has to leave the phone dangling when he realizes he can no longer see Anna. He finds her and McGruff getting new clothes, and the three explore Venice - until McGruff steals their wallets. Ben is about to tell the cafe they cannot pay when Anna is recognized and races off to avoid being identified as the First Daughter. Ben follows, and they tell a story of marrying, against the wishes of Anna's parents, to get a gondola ride from a kind-hearted gondolier, Eugenio (Joseph Long). Ben kisses Anna during the ride to hide her from the cafe staff's sight. Since they have no place to stay, Eugenio invites them to his and his mother Maria's (Miriam Margolyes) house. That night, thinking the kiss meant that Ben cares for her, Anna offers herself to him. To dissuade her, Ben is disingenuous and harsh. Anna finally gets in the bed alone, while Ben lies on the floor.The next day, Eugenio drives them to the Austrian border, as Weiss and Morales show up at Maria's looking for the gondolier with whom Anna and Ben were last seen. Maria tells them that Anna and Ben are married, which is reported to Anna's parents. Upset that Ben rejected her, Anna gets a ride on a truck, leaving Ben to chase her on a borrowed push-bike through the Austria countryside, Anna finds the Jumping Germans, a bungy group who are preparing to jump off a bridge. She also finds McGruff about to bungy as well. Ben arrives just as Anna is being strapped into the harness and insists on jumping with her. At the Germans camp that night, Anna and Ben sit by a fire and eat s'mores whilst keeping McGruff on a tree branch over the river. McGruff says he needed the money to find a mystery girl he has been chasing all over Europe. After one of the Germans asks Anna to share his tent for the night and she refuses, she once again reminds Ben of her attraction to him and after he rebuffs her once more, she walks away declaring that she will share the tent with the German. Insanely jealous, Ben finally admits his feelings for her. As Ben's repaired phone rings, he tosses it aside instead of answering and they spend the night together.The next day they make it to the Love Parade and find Gabrielle, who guesses that something has happened to Anna to make her so happy, Anna points out Ben on the payphone and admits she is in love. Whilst Ben is trying to explain his actions on the phone, Anna comes up behind him and finds out that he is an agent and he has lied to her all this time. Enraged and swearing mentally never to forgive him fully, she runs from him, only to be surrounded by some men who recognize her. After Ben fights them, he carries her to the helicopter that has come to pick her up.Back in the White House, we see Anna preparing for college and her mom asking how her heart is, to which her reply is, "It's a little bit broken." When at college, with Weiss and Morales protecting her, Anna sees a Six Million Dollar Man sticker and smiles in spite of herself, as it reminds her of her European adventure. On her Christmas break, she visits her father who tells her that Ben has resigned and is now working as a photographer in London. She goes there on an exchange to Oxford College and visits Ben at an opera, where they kiss and reconcile with Agent Weiss and his new bald, moustache wearing partner looking on. Then, as in the beginning of the movie, Anna asks his help to get her out of there.A subplot involving Weiss and Morales (Anna's two secret agents) is also in the story. Weiss makes snide comments about Morales, even once asking her to strip naked. Morales then asks him what kind of women want his "construction-break" attitude. Weiss suddenly treats her coldly after this, until they make up later on. Weiss tells Morales that he has had no girlfriends since his hairline receded. Morales tells him that he should get it cut short because some women like that. Later, Morales sees that Weiss has cut his hair and she says it is sexy. He kisses her. He says sorry and pulls away. He begins to walk away, but she grabs his arm and kisses him back. At college with Anna, we see that their relationship is still going well, with Weiss mentioning that he will need to get a new partner, preferably an "old, fat guy."

Tags: cute

Review:
Mandy Moore is just adorable and Matthew Goode is just...hum...really great eye candy!!!
I have always liked Mandy Moore (especially in "A Walk to Remember") and I thought she was pretty good in this.Nothing that will make you think which is nice if you're looking for a fun girly movie.My only complaints are that the movie dragged a bit long for this type of movie...
I also really enjoyed the story line of the two secret service agents who are trying to find Anna- Weiss and Morales- in many ways their romance is even more enjoyable storyline than that of the main characters.
Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode are new actors but they have palpable chemistry and both work perfectly in their roles.
But the events of the movie are really entertaining and also suggest a message for those girls who are chasing their liberty or whatever.I caught this movie on HBO about two years ago and I enjoyed it pretty much mainly because of Mandy Moore's unique on-screen charisma and her beauty.
it was generally Mandy Moore and her ability to absorb the character she is playing without letting herself get in the way, (like the way i find Jennifer Love and Gwyneth Paltrow let certain elements of themselves come out).
The concert where the Roots are playing, the opera movie, the big dash for the train scene and the music, Venice and the gondolier, walking across Europe, bungee jumping and the love parade shows excitement and fun, urging the audience to see the world.
i don't know if its Mandy or just a coincidence that i love her 'chick flick' movies, but Chasing Liberty is a movie i could watch over and over..
Now don't get me wrong, this isn't a great movie in any way, but I happen to think that Mandy Moore has a likable screen presence.
No, I didn't think so.Speaking of the cheesy pop songs, man, things started off so well with Mandy dancing around to Tom Petty's "American Girl." But aside from a Chris Isaak song later in the movie, the rest were pure Velveeta.
Better yet, just catch it when it eventually airs on TV.If you're a teenage girl, a Mandy Moore fan, or someone who loves cute romantic comedies no matter how cheesy or predictable they are, then you'll probably enjoy this.
Mandy Moore plays Anna Foster, the 18 year-old daughter of the President of the United States (Mark Harmon).
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.
Pop singer Mandy Moore plays Anna Foster, the 18-year-old daughter of the President in this romantic comedy set in Europe, as she tries to ditch her Secret Service handlers to enjoy a bit of fun and romance with her new boyfriend (Matthew Goode).It's pretty obvious that not a lot of thought went into this film.
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.
I thought Mandy Moore did quite a good job acting (except for one scene near the beginning that seemed a little overdone) and Matthew Goode was fabulous in this role (and I'm not just saying that because I happened to notice his extremely good looks...of course I won't deny it may have influenced my opinion just a smidge).
The chemistry between the two actors on screen was excellent, there's a great mix of comedy, romance and drama throughout, plus brilliantly chosen songs to go along with every part of the movie.All this, plus many other positive aspects, leads me to believe that despite the less than shining reviews it has gotten, this is still the perfect feel-good and completely romantic chick flick I've seen in awhile and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for something fun and easy to watch..
Anna Foster(Mandy Moore) is the teenage daughter of President James Foster(Mark Harmon) and First Lady Michelle Foster(Caroline Goodall) who's not too happy with the Secret Service agents interfering in her personal life.
As the pair travel across Europe, they start to fall for one another while the two other agents try to catch them up.On an airplane for around about 7 hours is not the place to tell me that my entertainment will consist of a movie aimed at teenage girls that I have never heard of!
She doesn't like being followed around by Secret Service agents, so while in Prague she escapes them with a charming guy she just met (Matthew Goode) and has an adventure, basically.
There is some beautiful cinematography as the pair travel from Prague to Venice to Berlin (especially a truly charming scene where they sit on a high rooftop in Prague, looking out over the city and watching a movie projected on a giant screen below), and a secondary love story between the two bumbling Secret Service agents on their trail (Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra) that is, predictably, much more interesting than the one between Moore and Goode.
In other words, when "Chasing Liberty" opens with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' classic "American Girl", you get the feeling that not only does Moore know that song, but she likes it too, and that kind of thing matters to me.
Mandy Moore carries the film a lot better than she would do later in 'License to Wed' and Matthew Goode plays a sarcastic Brit well.
"Chasing Liberty" from 2004 is a film for young people, much younger than I am, certainly, but I rented it because I am a huge fan of Matthew Goode.
The film stars Mandy Moore, Mark Harmon, Jeremy Piven, Annabelle Scioorra, and Caroline Goodall.The President's teenage daughter (Mandy Moore) is sick and tired of never being alone and being unable to date anyone who doesn't become intimated by practically being strip-searched when he picks her up and surrounded by secret service.When the First Family goes to Prague, she gives the secret service the slip and takes off on a motorcycle with a handsome young man (Matthew Goode).
Without telling her, the president orders Calder to take her on a cross European trip ending at the Love Parade in Berlin.Mandy Moore is perfectly likable if somewhat a little bland.
Chasing liberty:Biographical information: America, 2004 World premier: 02/07/2004 Running length: 1:11 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (sexual content and brief nudity) Cast: Mandy Moore, Matthew Goode, Jeremy Piven, Annabella Sciorra, Mark Harmon, Caroline Goodall, Stark Sands, Miriam Margolves, Beatrice Rosen and The Roots.
Pictures Genre: Romantic comedyFilm review: The story is about Anna "Liberty" Foster who is the 18-year old daughter of the American president.
Like many other 18-year-old well-built beauties, Mandy Moore (as Anna Foster) wants to get drunk and have sex (after meeting the right guy, of course).
Matthew Goode is totally and absolutely gorgeous (I looove the way he speaks!), and I must say, it makes one more point to this movie (cut me some slack, I'm just a girl...
:) Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode just have this charisma, compatibility, and chemistry that makes the movie even better.
"First Daughter" was a bad film, with the best of intentions, and without trying to make any comparisons; somehow "Chasing Liberty" is a little bit better, when it isn't even good.The format presented gives the main characters more freedom to develop their own relationship.
These are Mandy Moore as Anna, the president's rebellious daughter; and Mathew Goode as undercover agent Ben Calder.
It's good to see actors that play characters as the movie passes by, and these two agents are played by Jeremy Piven and Anabella Sciorra.
The concept of the President's daughter running away from home to seek independence, freedom and LIBERTY has been frequently used but this movie tries to be away from the stereotypical storyline.She unfortunately finds herself in love with Ben, the spy that her father places on her track.
Andy Cadiff, its director, doesn't add anything new to the formula these movies follow and the result, while not unpleasant, leaves us with a feeling we have seen it all before.The film becomes a great travelogue where Anna, the daughter of the American president escapes from Prague with a young man she has met and seems to like.
Oh well, leave it to the creators of the movie to take the cute Anna all over the continent trying to find herself.Mandy Moore is a young actress that could do better.
I found Mandy Moore convincing in the role of sheltered first daughter, Anna Foster, and Matthew Goode perfectly charming as her reluctant undercover bodyguard, Ben Calder.
Chasing LibertyThe President's daughter (Moore), unable to experience life like a normal 18 year-old, escapes from her entourage of Secret Service agents while traveling in Europe.
She falls in love with a handsome British stranger (Goode), who also happens to be working undercover for her father (Harmon).Mandy Moore, in my opinion, is one of the smarter teens out there.
Matthew Goode (as her undercover minder) and Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra as secret agent partners who begin as dueling personalities and predictably fall in love make this movie utterly painless.
Matthew Goode was a delight, as was Mandy Moore - both are charming and adorable and they had some great moments of nice banter, but overall they and the spectacular European landscape couldn't save the film from is poor writing and contrived plot points.
Chasing Liberty is definitely your molded romantic comedy, but its colorful cast and nice settings bring it all together.From the moment the movie started I knew what the story would be, but the creators throw in so many plot twists and turns that you can't help but enjoy the movie.
It also helps that the cast is fun and unique.I would recommend Chasing Liberty to anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy..
I would first like to start off my review for Chasing Liberty by saying I love Mandy Moore.
So on Saturday evening I went to see Chasing Liberty.The film stars my future girlfriend (Yeah I wish), Mandy Moore as Anna, the daughter of the president of the United States who is played by Mark Harmon.
That's why it was nice to see Mandy Moore back in action in this good movie.
This movie is my second favorite Mandy Moore film; A Walk to Remember is still my favorite because I really feel for the characters and I can at times I can really relate to the film.
Mandy plays the "sick of being controlled teenager" role very well, and Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra add a lot of humor to the film as well as the Secret Service agents assigned to Mandy's character Anna.
The love comes in time like in real life.Anna Foster is the United States president's daughter.
This film was great, if only Mandy Moore was like this all the time.
There is something to be said for simplicity and happily-ever-after endings and the good girl getting the good guy with a little adventure thrown into the mix.I found the movie to be entertaining in the same vein as Clueless or Ten Things I Hate About You. I watched it three times just this weekend, and I imagine that when I need a pick-me-up that this film is one that will be able to do the job again and again.I'm not awarding Chasing Liberty any Oscars, but it will have a place on my DVD shelf along with some other tried and true films that are just simple entertainment when I'm not looking for a deep and meaningful story that will change the world..
I mean yeah its all been done before but I think its one of the few teen movies that I can tolerate these days.Mandy Moore does a great job as Anna Foster, the president's daughter, who yearns for a normal life and freedom that she hasn't been able to have.
Mandy Moore gives us an endearing interpretation as Anna, the daughter of the President of the United States, rebelling against her lack of freedom and the difficulties of her love life.
In Prague, she meets handsome brit Ben (Matthew Goode), who was perfectly casted for his role of an aloof, dutiful secret agent who, predictably, falls in love with Anna while trying to protect her while chasing her through several European cities.
Because we are boring to look serious movie all the time, we need something that can relax us like this film..
The casting couldnt really be very much different, most of the best female leads are now too old for Mandys role, and to her credit, given her dialogue, she did very well.If you want to escape for a few hours, visit some of Europes best sites and feel a little love - by the end of the movie, Chasing Liberty ticks all the boxes..
Chasing Liberty was definitly a good premise to a movie and the casting was great minus the lead.
Not to be to hard on Mandy Moore but there are a ton of better actresses out there that good have made the movie ten times better..
"Chasing Liberty", though an unnecessary and flawed reworking, is still a sweet little romantic comedy starring occasional singer Mandy Moore.
That, and it's not even that funny.A purported "romantic comedy" about the U.S. President's daughter trying to escape the political and social confines of a high security environment, only to hook-up with with a deep-voiced British-accented "hunk," who happens to be secret service agent himself, and on clandestine assignment to watch over said daughter.I can see how a segment of young female-America would fall for this film.
Harmless romantic comedy with Mandy Moore as the daughter of the President (Mark Harmon) who runs off in Europe with a young stud who happens to be secretly a secret service agent..
Chasing Liberty (2004) * 1/2 (out of 4) Why am I watching a Mandy Moore film?
In the film, Moore plays the daughter of the President of the United States and she's tired of having the Secret Service follow her around so she runs away, meets a photographer (Matthew Goode) and decides to live life for the first time.
I saw him in the movie "Imagine you & Me"...good movie...odd story line but believable in the world we have today...haven't seen him in "Match Point" yet...the actress Mandy Moore will be able to "stay the course" of her acting career...when the character "Ben" in the movie says that "she looks like a 50's starlet...he is so right!
In Prague, on a state trip, Anna manages to escape her protection detail by running off with British supposed tourist (but actually another Secret Service agent) Ben Calder (Matthew Goode).
Of course, since this is a romantic comedy, something happens between the two of them.In addition to the main story, there is a great subplot with Jeremy Piven and Annabell Sciorra who play two Secret Service agents pursuing Goode & Moore.Recommended for any Romantic Comedy fan..
If you are looking for a good clean family fun movie, this one is right on.Mandy Moore plays the Presidents daughter and is frustrated with the secret service ruining her dates with the boys.
Thie is a really great film with Mandy Moore and up-incoming actor Matthew Goode.
The movie shows how Ben an undercover secret service agent follows Anna the presidents daughter all over Berlin.
And i really like Mandy Moore in this movie,is good character for here, after the bestfrom the movie "A Walk To Remember".I believe is a great actress and a singer, and i hope to see and other movies with here.If you have the chance to see this movie don't loser.Thanks.
Mandy Moore plays Anna Foster, an 18-year-old girl who has discovered that being the daughter of the President of the United States can put quite a crimp in one's dating life.
This is a movie about a teenage girl, who just happens to be the president's daughter, who wants freedom and fun.