CHASING LIBERTY

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: brief nudity, implied sensuality

Rated:

I admit, after seeing Mandy Moore stick to her guns about saving her virginity in A Walk to Remember, I was expecting better stuff. Chasing Liberty looks adorable from the previews, but what they fail to tell you is the film includes repeat attempts from a young woman to lose her virginity (including disrobing a couple times for a boy) and going skinny dipping in the Danube. The plot is promising enough but does contain other rocky points as well that turn this into a "wait for the video," or "own edited" teenage romance. Anna Foster (Mandy Moore) is the repressed daughter of the President of the United States. Her boyfriends all have to undergo debriefings and wherever they go to party, Secret Service agents follow. After one such escapade, her date dumps her, unable to take the pressure. Frustrated about the way her life is heading, Anna decides to take matters into her own hands.

While accompanying her father on a diplomatic mission in Prague, she gives her guards the slip. At least, she thought she did. In reality, the cute local boy only too willing to rush her off on his motor bike is a junior agent. Ben (Matthew Goode) must pretend to be romantically interested in her long enough to return her to her father. But -- you guessed it -- a few wires are crossed and the romantic young pair actually start falling for one another. In the meantime, daddy (Mark Harmon) is getting worried. And two official agents are hot on their journey across Europe. It can be dangerous being the president's daughter, but Anna will go to any lengths to find her liberty.

Chasing Liberty (the title is never really explained unless you're smart enough to catch a single use of Anna's friends calling her "Liberty" as a nickname) is for the most part a feel-good romantic comedy ruined with an over-emphasis on premarital sex. Rebellious daughters who are selfish enough not to care how their behavior affects their father's public standing are nothing new. Anna is likable despite being totally self-absorbed. The movie never really seems to point out how shallow this is. Maturity is all about learning to put other people first, not chase your own desires to the determent of your family. (Though I must also ad, even though she disagrees with her dad, Anna does respect him.) The characters are all basically lying to one another, but their relationship has such good sparks we want them to wind up together and, after some bumpy roads, they do. In this sense it's satisfying, but also misleading. The movie has some truly wonderful moments, but unfortunately also some problems.

The most obvious (and disappointing) flaw comes from sexual content. After getting drunk, she takes off her clothes in front of shocked onlookers and prances into the river. She takes off her clothes for him later, taking advantage of the lie that they're a newly married couple, and invites him to sleep with her. He turns away and refuses. Eventually he gives in and the two wake up beside one another. There are a few jokes and/or references about "third base," the Clinton administration, and making love, as well as some innuendo. The girls all wear immodest clothing. There's very little violence except for someone being socked. Language is fairly general but do contain some abuse of God's name. Another bad influence is how freely alcohol flows among teens at parties. The romantic couple, short on cash, leave a restaurant without paying.

There are many nice things about Chasing Liberty, but the message filmmakers are getting across here is that you can't really experience life unless you break the rules. Get drunk a few times. Have sex at least once with a cute boy. Do whatever you want in order to prove your independence -- even if it means skinny dipping in public. These messages are all anti-scriptural and selfish. Unless you're intelligent enough to escape their protective lure, you'd be better off chasing another film.