Chasing Liberty (released in theaters on January 9, 2004) arrived during the height of Mandy Moore’s transition from pop princess to leading lady. The film is a bright, breezy romantic comedy that utilizes the stunning backdrops of Prague, Venice, and Berlin to tell a modern-day fairy tale. It tackles the universal desire for independence through the unique lens of a girl who just happens to be the most protected teenager in the world.
Anna Foster (Moore) is the eighteen-year-old daughter of the President of the United States (Mark Harmon).
While her peers are enjoying the freedoms of young adulthood, Anna’s life is a choreographed sequence of Secret Service details and public scrutiny. Frustrated by her father’s overprotectiveness, she manages to strike a deal for a single night of freedom during a diplomatic trip to Prague.
However, when her father breaks the agreement by planting agents in the club, Anna makes a break for it. In her frantic escape, she hitches a ride on the motorbike of a handsome British stranger named Ben Calder (Matthew Goode).
Unbeknownst to Anna, Ben is actually a Secret Service agent tasked by the President to watch over her without her knowledge.
As they embark on a wild, impromptu journey across Europe—hopping trains to Venice and heading toward the Love Parade in Berlin—Anna finally experiences the “liberty” she has craved.
Meanwhile, two agents, Alan Weiss (Jeremy Piven) and Cynthia Morales (Annabella Sciorra), follow their trail, eventually finding their own romance along the way.
Anna’s mother (Caroline Goodall) tries to temper the President’s anxiety as the cross-country chase continues.
As the line between Ben’s duty and his growing feelings for Anna begins to blur, the film builds toward a poignant realization: that the hardest part of finding freedom is deciding what to do once you have it.
Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode in Chasing Liberty (Photo/Warner Bros.)
Reception for Chasing Liberty
Chasing Liberty grossed $6.1 million on its opening weekend, finishing No. 7 at the box office.
The film would gross $12.3 million in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave the film two out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
Chasing Liberty is remembered as a quintessential “comfort movie” for the millennial generation. It is widely remembered for its spectacular European cinematography, which elevated it above the standard teen comedies of the early 2000s.
The film is also notable for introducing American audiences to Goode, whose effortless charm and chemistry with Moore made him an instant romantic lead.
While it was released in the same theatrical window as the similarly themed First Daughter, Chasing Liberty is often cited by fans as the superior version due to its more mature tone and its focus on the beauty of spontaneous travel.
The movie is celebrated as a nostalgic time capsule of mid-2000s fashion and pop-rock culture, standing as a reminder of a simpler era of romantic filmmaking where the greatest adventure was simply getting lost in a foreign city with a stranger.
