January (Web-only) 2004

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Mandy Moore, star of A Walk to Remember, plays Anna, the President's daughter, in the new film Chasing Liberty. Director Andy Cadiff's film just might be the first big screen endeavor to make heroes out of the Bush twins.

Well, okay, Anna's not supposed to be one of the Bush girls. But there are certain … uh … behavioral similarities. Anna is tired of the high-security confinements of her daily life as the "First Daughter." So she heads off on a vacation, determined to enjoy all of the things that have been off-limits to her.

Here's the bad news: The film paints Anna's rebellious streak—her drinking, her hasty sex, and her evasions of responsibility—as acceptable and even admirable.

This is not winning the film any fans amongst religious press film critics.

"Does it seem archaic to suggest that a couple shouldn't sleep together after knowing one another for a whole two days?" asks Phil Boatwright (Movie Reporter). "Putting biblical teaching aside for a moment, doesn't that seem like a dangerous message for a pretty, famous ingénue to be sending out to her Tween fans? On the surface, Chasing Liberty seems to be another fluffy, teen romance, but there are some messages contained that parents should [heed.]"

Eddie Turner (Movieguide) says, "[Anna's] trip is motivated by rebelliousness and a desire to experience carnal pleasures that she would never be allowed while living under parental scrutiny. By the end, every character behaves in morally reprehensible ways, always choosing the most comfortable, self-serving option."

"[It's] as derivative and formulaic as they come," says Michael Elliott (Movie Parables). "The settings (Prague, Venice, and Berlin) are attractive, as is Ms. Moore, but there just isn't much else going on behind ...