Plot: What’s it about?
There were a few good things to say about “Chasing Liberty”, though I’m not sure if they have a place in this review. In what is essentially a modern-day version of “Roman Holiday”, this movie was as predictable and formulatic as they come. It’s not bad in any way, it’s just that these kind of “teen romantic comedies” are a dime a dozen. What separates a movie from being great is that it’s uniquely original, not the same stuff churned out with newer (and thereby younger) faces. This is the case with “Chasing Liberty”. Mark Harmon is the latest actor to portray the President of the United States. Thousands of actors have played this position and though Harmon is a good actor, he’s not convincing here and I’d go so far as to say that his character is a jerk. What place does that serve here? Exactly. Why even put it in the movie if only to make it an issue. A few years ago we had Brittany Spears, but as her image has gone downhill a bit she’s been replaced with a more wholesome icon in Mandy Moore. The line between singer and actor is so fuzzy now that I don’t know who does what. Moore, cute and perky as they come, seems to have the talent and chemistry to hold her own but how many of the same movie can she really make?
That being said, the movie stresses teen angst, albeit in the White House. Moore plays Anna Foster, first daughter and code-named “Liberty”. Her father (Harmon) has been President for the last six years and was Governor for the preceding eight – she knows no other lifestyle. Anna is eighteen, her hormones are raging and when the opportunity for her to go to Prague arises, she’s all for it. Under the commands of daddy, she’s to be watched by agents (who she all knows by name) so that nothing happens to her. However, she manages to give them the slip (by coloring her hair, no less) and ends up attached to Ben Calder (Matthew Goode). Ben is charming, handsome and there’s an immediate attraction between the two. But what Anna doesn’t know is that Ben is a Secret Service agent working in Europe. The two take the wrong train and end up in Venice. While trying to make their way back to Berlin (so she can make the “Love Parade”), a peculiar bond begins to form (think “The African Queen”). There’s a sub plot with two of the agents assigned to track her from a distance, Weiss (the always great Jeremy Piven) and Morales (the always beautiful Anabella Sciorra). Weiss uses every sexual harassment technique in the book to try and sway Morales, but wouldn’t it be great if these two would fall in love too?
I say again, this isn’t a “bad” movie, it’s just predictable. There are a few good moments and some characters tend to steal the show, McGruff (Martin Hancock) meets up with the two on a train, they trapse through Venice only to be robbed by him. They meet him again while bungee jumping off a bridge (my Europe is small, isn’t it) and all is forgiven. There is certainly on screen chemistry between Moore and Goode. He’s dry and sardonic, and you have to look pretty closely to see if he’s even into the role. I think that he is, as it’s good to see someone under-acting as opposed to over-acting. On a side note, his hobby is photography and throughout the movie he takes plenty of pictures. I had a little bet with myself as to if his photos would appear as snapshots when the ending credits rolled. They do. It’s that kind of predictability that made “Chasing Liberty” a movie that you watch and then forget a few weeks later. In the end, everything’s wrapped up and nice and neat. Still, there are those out there who will love this movie and though I’m nearly a generation away from teenagers now, I’m sure that there’s legions of fifteen year old girls who will eat this stuff up. In any case, the movie was released in January and by May we have it on disc. There’s a reason for that…
Video: How does it look?
This is yet another movie that is available in widescreen and full-frame formats, though if you want both on one disc you’ll be out of luck. The widescreen version was reviewed and the 2.35:1 anamorphic image is amazing. Obviously Moore is easy on the eyes, she’s glossy and that reflects the look of the movie. There are plenty of great scenes of Europe and they look good in this scope picture. There wasn’t any sign of pixilation or edge enhancement to speak of, either. The only thing I had a problem with was that the opening credits appeared to be off a bit. There’s red writing and it appeared to be a big jagged. I’m not sure if this is a fault of the transfer or my system. In any regard, it’s certainly nothing to get worked up about. For a new to DVD movie, this is about what you’d expect to see and “Chasing Liberty” delivers in the video department.
Audio: How does it sound?
Audio-wise, the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack does a pretty good job here. There were two instances in which I felt the soundtrack really did its thing well. Both of the times involved music, the first at a club and the second at the “Love Parade” towards the end of the movie. The surrounds really lit up during these two scenes and it left an impression on me. We don’t expect romantic comedies to deliver on the audio front, but this one did. The rest of the movie consisted of dialogue and the front speakers handled the rest of the effects.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The supplements start out with a commentary by Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. This is a fairly decent track except for all of Moore’s giggling, it really distracted me. Goode didn’t seem too comfortable, though he’s not the star that Mandy Moore is. In any case, it’s a good, yet rather uninformative, commentary. Next up is “Passport to Europe” which is narrated by Moore. It’s a simple video tour guide of sorts to Europe. The entire “By the Roots” concert is shown in non-anamorphic widescreen and in what appeared to be mono sound. Eight deleted scenes are shown in non-anamorphic widescreen as well, though they didn’t add much to the movie, they’re more like extended scenes or alternate takes on the scene in the movie. Let it be said that these are in the correct place (the cutting room floor). A gag reel is shown as well, mostly involving scenes with Piven. It’s good for a light laugh and not much else. Lastly is the original theatrical trailer shown in anamorphic widescreen. All in all, “Chasing Liberty” didn’t light up the box office, but it’s good for a rainy day or date movie, but if you feel that you think you know what will happen – odds are that you’ll be correct.
