We now understand why Forest Whitaker and the suits at Fox held off releasing their own presidential daughter romance after Mandy Moore’s Chasing Liberty beat them to the punch. Basically, we’re looking at the exact same movie save for some minor alterations.
Both involve an overachieving first daughter who, tired of living up to elevated expectations, cuts loose from the presidential apron strings and strikes off in search of pre-twentysomething independence. Moore, in her film, bounces around Europe, while Holmes tests the waters of college life. And while each daughter truly believes they’re sowing their wild oats, they both are being watched over by undercover agents planted in their path by the overprotective president. (Liberty was even titled First Daughter in an early incarnation.)
See filmcritic.comfor full review.
