Chasing Liberty Reviews

Summary Fed up with being followed around every moment of every day, the 18-year-old daughter (Moore) of the president (Harmon) of the United States evades her Secret Service handlers (Piven, Sciorra) to begin a romantic road trip through Europe.

• Comedy

• Romance

As it turns out, "Liberty," a likable, light-as-air road comedy, is a much better movie than its sour-pun title.

Boasts exceedingly high levels of improbability and an embarrassment of continuity and character shortfalls, but still has a certain bubbleheaded charm.

At least some Goode may come from Chasing Liberty: I hope we'll be seeing more of the handsome and unboyish young man with big star potential who looks ready to take on more, not Moore.

Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra exert some charm as bodyguards tracking the couple; Mark Harmon and Caroline Goodall are OK as the heroine's parents. Andy Cadiff directed Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman's by-the-numbers script.

May find some fans among female teens. But even they may decide the project cares more about quick profits than real entertainment value, since the signs are hard to miss.

A not-bad idea lurks inside this insipid story.

The film does provide some nice shots of Venice and offers one solid reason to display a little patriotic fervor: We do have the freedom to avoid such rote, shallow dullness.

Chasing Liberty isn’t going to blow your mind, but it’s got that irresistible, feel-good vibe you can’t help but enjoy. Mandy Moore totally owns the screen, taking a pretty standard plot—girl rebels, finds freedom, and meets the guy—and giving it real energy. Sure, it’s predictable, but that’s kind of what makes it work. It’s a fun, lighthearted flick that doesn’t need to be anything more than it is. If you’re in the mood for a breezy escape, this one does the trick. And if you caught it growing up, it’s definitely one of those nostalgic go-tos that still feels like a good time.

It was so corny, cliche, and predictable, but not as much as A Walk to Remember. Still a better, better acted, and much less boring film than A Walk to Remember. Mandy Moore is still not really a good actress. I did kind of like Matthew Goode in this, though.