FIRST DAUGHTER

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: brief language, sensuality

Rated:

College life is hard enough without a security team following you around. Samantha Mackenzie (Katie Holmes) doesn't have the luxury of other girls. If she gets drunk, the entire nation knows about it. Her roommate's bags are searched whenever she comes to the dorm. And her daddy just happens to be the most powerful man in the world. It's an election year in the White House and "Sam" is just preparing to head off to college. President Mackenzie (Michael Keaton) is sorry to see his baby girl go, and makes sure that she's completely prepared for life in the real world -- by assigning her four beefy security guards. Her fellow students can't get within twenty feet. If there's any sign of rough stuff, she's packed off into a black automobile and raced to the nearest safe house. There's no hope of making genuine friends and definitely no possibilities for romance.

Her roommate Mia (Amerie) is a tough-talking inner city girl whose father is the Tire King of the Southern states. Used to being the center of attention and a boy-magnate, Mia isn't able to deal with the constant press hounds and light surrounding her illustrious friend. Mia wants what Sam has. Sam just wants to be normal for an hour or two. After a disastrous incident at a local frat party, Sam demands reduced security. Her father reluctantly agrees and the opportunity grants her the chance to meet James (Marc Blucas). A fun-loving, handsome guy packed full of more information than an Encyclopedia, he helps her sneak away from her security guards and takes her for a fun afternoon on the town. Escaping flashbulb reporters and eating pizza downtown, Sam finds herself falling in love with his subtle charm. With James she can be herself, not the president's daughter or an unwilling celebrity in the limelight.

Sam invites James to the White House for a social function and there the truth comes out. Her possible boyfriend isn't all he's pretended to be. It comes down to healing a broken heart, attempting to make him jealous enough to come back, and finding herself in hot water when one drink too many lands her a front page spot on the nearest tabloid. Through it all Sam has to deal with being a politician's kid, getting her dad reelected, and finding out the truth of who she is. It's a formula that's been done before but never with as much class. The movie has a good heart and one of its finest points is that it's unpredictable. The end isn't what you expect, nor is the relationship between father and daughter clichéd or shallow. Some of the best scenes are comprised of Sam and her dad eating chocolate cake in the White House kitchen after hours. You feel a little lump at the back of your throat when they say goodbye on campus grounds. Sam doesn't always get along with her mother but their relationship is also good. Her mother is right in many instances. Sam just doesn't always want to hear it.

There's nothing inappropriate in the romance between James and Sam. If anything it's portrayed as being very innocent and sweet, which is what any good love story should be. The emotions are very realistic and overall the film is enjoyable, if a little "fairy tale" -ish in places. That's what the director was going for and he's done a masterful job creating a world in which everything is realistic, but tinged with just a touch of fairy dust, from Sam floating down the hall to the kitchen in a beautiful nightgown or the whirling stars of a carnival in the background while Sam and James fall in love. There are a few rough spots but they aren't overly problematic. Mia is the ultimate flirt. She provides some innuendo and is shown kissing various boys on several occasions. When the girls have a violent argument, Sam accuses her of sleeping around and having abstinence "only for the one" she really cares about. On their first meeting, Mia tells her directly not to kiss her *** because she certainly won't kiss Sam's.

In an effort to make James jealous, Sam undertakes briefly a bad girl image. She wears a pair of extremely short shorts and a low-cut top to a local bar. After one drink too many she climbs on the table and dances. Tabloids the following morning enhance the story to exploit a story of the "president's daughter doing a striptease." Another momentary incident where she pulls on another girl's pants to climb up out of the mud winds up on the front page. Conversation briefly centers around the thong underwear the girl is wearing. College boys invite her to a party and ask her to wear a bikini, which she does. Her ball gown at the end is very low-cut. The flaws are minor and don't detract from a very sweet story. Every girl wants to be a princess... just without the security detail.