Anna Foster (Mandy Moore, SAVED!) is the 18-year-old daughter of the U.S. President James Foster (Mark Harmon, FREAKY FRIDAY). Anna so desperately wants some freedom from the oppressiveness of being watched by Secret Service agents at every turn. The Fosters are going to Prague and Anna convinces her father to let her go out with the French president’s daughter Gabrielle (Beatrice Rosen), accompanied by only two agents Alan Weiss (Jeremy Piven, JUST WRITE) and Cynthia Morales (Annabella Sciorra, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME).
However, the President doesn’t keep his promise and sends out a horde of agents. When Anna discovers this, she runs away to the Love Parade, which he father strictly forbid her to go to. In her dash from the agents, she hitches a ride with a complete stranger named Ben Calder (Matthew Goode, Woody Allen’s upcoming MATCH POINT), who happens to be an undercover agent. So when the President finds out, he allows Anna to go with Ben so that she feels like she has some freedom.
Everything dealing with the presidents' daughters and running away is dealt with in a very naïve way. The film’s rose-colored look on life even paints a thief as a sympathetic fellow just looking for love. However, what raises the film above its fairly routine foundation is charming performances from Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. They are convincing and likable, even when Moore is acting pretty stupid. But hey, the Bush twins think they can pull off using fake IDs, so I guess presidents’ daughters aren’t all with it in general.
However, the film can’t break free from its standard romantic comedy formula. The sub-plot romance between agents Weiss and Morales is really tired. Only Piven saves those moments. For people looking for an innocent romantic comedy or one for younger girls, this film is a safe bet. For others, I recommend watching SAVED! instead, because you still get Mandy Moore, but you get a great movie as well.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
