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'''''Chasing Liberty''''' is a 2004 [[romantic comedy]] film directed by [[Andy Cadiff]]
The film is about the 18-year-old daughter of the President of the United States whose rebellion against the constant presence of Secret Service agents in her life leads to a European adventure and an unexpected romance. It was filmed on location in [[Prague]], [[Venice]], [[Berlin]], [[London]], [[Chelmsford]] and [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="imdblocations"/> ==Plot==
<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summary should be between 400 to 700 words. -->
Anna Foster is the daughter of [[POTUS]] James Foster. After [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents ruin a first date, In Prague, Anna and her friend Gabrielle
Believing she is finally free, Anna jumps into the [[Vltava River]] naked, mistaking it for the [[Danube]], and she and Ben climb a rooftop to watch an [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach]] opera being shown in a plaza. The next morning, Anna calls her parents. Initially relieved his daughter is safe, the President's tone changes when he is shown photos of her skinny-dipping.
Outraged at her father's tone, Anna decides she will go to the [[Love Parade]] in [[Berlin]]. She and Ben board a train, where they meet Scotty McGruff, a flighty romantic backpacker who gives them a stack of ''[[Six Million Dollar Man]]'' stickers, telling them to post them in random places. One day when they are unhappy, they may come across one and it will make them smile. Ben discovers that they have boarded a [[Venice]]-bound train going in the opposite direction from Berlin.
In Venice, after checking in with agents Weiss and Morales—who are now growing closer romantically—Ben joins Anna and McGruff and together they explore the city. McGruff disappears with Anna's wallet, she is recognized by tourists and she and Ben flee.
▲In Prague, Anna and her friend Gabrielle La Clare attend a concert, where she spots numerous agents in the crowd. Believing her father has broken his promise, she eludes her protectors with Gabrielle's help. Outside the theater, she asks Ben Calder for a ride on his motorbike. Unknown to Anna, Ben is a Secret Service agent, and he informs agents Alan Weiss and Cynthia Morales where she can be found. When the president learns of her behavior, he instructs Ben to guard her without revealing his identity, to give her the illusion of freedom while guaranteeing safety.
The next day, Eugenio drives them to the Austrian border, as Weiss and Morales show up at Maria's
▲Believing she is finally free, Anna jumps into the [[Vltava River]] naked, mistaking it for the [[Danube]], and she and Ben climb a rooftop to watch an [[Jacques Offenbach|Offenbach]] opera being shown in a plaza. The next morning, Anna calls her parents. Initially relieved his daughter is safe, the President's tone changes when he is shown photos of her skinny-dipping. Outraged at her father's tone, Anna decides she will go to the [[Love Parade]] in [[Berlin]]. She and Ben board a train, where they meet Scotty McGruff, a flighty romantic backpacker who gives them a stack of ''[[Six Million Dollar Man]]'' stickers, telling them to post them in random places. One day when they are unhappy, they may come across one and it will make them smile. Ben discovers that they have boarded a [[Venice]]-bound train going in the opposite direction from Berlin.
Later that evening at the Jumping Germans' camp, one of
▲In Venice, after checking in with agents Weiss and Morales—who are now growing closer romantically—Ben joins Anna and McGruff and together they explore the city. McGruff disappears with Anna's wallet, she is recognized by tourists and she and Ben flee. With no money, they tell a kind-hearted gondolier, Eugenio, that they recently married against her parents' wishes. During the free gondola ride, Ben kisses Anna to hide her from their pursuers. When he learns the "newlyweds" have no place to stay, Eugenio invites them to his house, where they are welcomed by his mother, Maria. That night, thinking their kiss was heartfelt, Anna offers herself to Ben, but he rejects her advances.
At the Love Parade, as Ben explains his actions on the phone to his fellow agents, Anna overhears his identity. Enraged at the apparent betrayal, she runs off, only to be harassed by a group of men who recognize her. Ben rescues her, and Anna and her family return to the United States.
▲The next day, Eugenio drives them to the Austrian border, as Weiss and Morales show up at Maria's house and are told that Anna and Ben are married, which is then reported to Anna's parents, causing confusion. Upset at Ben's rejection, Anna hitchhikes a ride in a truck, leaving him to chase her through the Austrian countryside. Anna comes to a bridge, where she meets the Jumping Germans, a [[bungee jumping]] group. Ben arrives just as she is being strapped into the harness, and insists on jumping with her.
While preparing for college, Anna tells her mother her heart is "a little bit broken." At college, with Weiss and Morales (who plan to marry) still protecting her, she sees a ''Six Million Dollar Man'' sticker, reminding her of her European adventure.
▲Later that evening at the Jumping Germans' camp, one of the Germans invites Anna to share his tent for the night. She refuses and flirts with Ben, who rejects her advances again. Upset, she declares that she will share the German's tent after all; Ben finally admits his feelings for Anna and they spend the night together. At the Love Parade, as Ben explains his actions on the phone to his fellow agents, Anna discovers his identity. Enraged at the apparent betrayal, she runs off, only to be harassed by a group of men who recognize her. Ben rescues her, and Anna and her family return to the United States.
==Cast==
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* [[Jeremy Piven]] as Special Agent Alan Weiss
* [[Annabella Sciorra]] as Special Agent Cynthia Morales
* [[Mark Harmon]] as [[US President|President]] James Foster
* [[Caroline Goodall]] as [[First Lady]] Michelle Foster
* Tony Jayawardena as White House Guard
* Sam Ellis as Phil
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==Production==
In November 2000, it was announced [[Alcon Entertainment]] had purchased ''Untitled First Daughter Project'' by screenwriters Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman with [[Andy Cadiff]] signed to direct.<ref name="FirstDaughter">{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2000/film/news/alcon-books-tyros-spec-1117789317/|title= Alcon books tyros' spec |publisher=Variety|access-date=November 26, 2023}}</ref>
===Story===
The storyline was directly inspired by [[Chelsea Clinton]], who was photographed trying to blend in with other students at a [[Stanford University|Stanford]] basketball game.<ref name="sfgate">{{cite web|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/01/22/DDGJO4EJ9U1.DTL |last=Nevius |first=CW |title=Just ask Chelsea, Jenna and Barbara |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=January 22, 2004 |access-date=September 27, 2006}}</ref>
The problem that Anna Foster (Moore) faces in the film—excessively protective [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] agents
The story in many ways echoes the 1953 romantic comedy ''[[Roman Holiday]]'' with [[Gregory Peck]], [[Audrey Hepburn]] and [[Eddie Albert]]. Hepburn played a princess who slips away from her handlers to be squired around Rome, also on a motor scooter, by Peck, not realizing that he knows her identity and plans a magazine story.
===Filming locations===
The exterior scenes of the [[White House]] were in fact filmed at [[Hylands House]] in [[Chelmsford]], [[Essex]], England, because of its resemblance to the White House. [[Blueprint]]s of the White House were also used to create a digital replica, which helped make the exterior scenes look authentic.
* [[Washington, D.C.]], [[United States]]
* [[Prague, Czech Republic]]
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===Soundtrack===
The
* "[[American Girl (Tom Petty song)|American Girl]]" – written by [[Tom Petty]]
* "Life Will Go On" – written and performed by [[Chris Isaak]]
* "If I'm Not in Love" – written by Dawn Thomas
* "Stop the Rock" – written by Hoxley, Gray, Gray
* "Vivi Davvero" – written and performed by [[Giorgia Todrani|Giorgia]]
* "Stay Away" – written by [[Robert Schwartzman]]
* "Melody" – written by Joe DuBass Henson, Darren Rose, Wasi
* "The Seed" – written by Tariq Trotter and Cody ChesnuTT
* "Deja Vu" – written by Frantisek Cerny
* "If You Won't" – written and performed by [[Jesse Harris]]
* "Who Needs Shelter" – written by [[Jason Mraz]], Eric Schermerhorn and Chris Keup
* "Get Busy" – written by [[Sean Paul]], S. Marsden
* "You're Free" – written by John Ciafone, Lem Springsteen, Ultra Naté, Paul Masterson
* "Satisfaction" – written by [[Alle Benassi|A. Benassi]]
* "Wide Open Space" – written by [[Paul Draper (musician)|Paul Draper]]
* "[[Nessun dorma]]" – written by [[Giacomo Puccini]]
* "To Be With You" – written by Caroline Lost, [[Christian Henson]]
==Reception==
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The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. ''Chasing Liberty'' scored an 18% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 117 reviews, with a consensus that it was "Formulaic comfort food for the teen crowd."<ref name="rotten">{{cite web|title=Chasing Liberty (2004) |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] | website = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chasing_liberty |access-date=January 12, 2012}}</ref> Michael O'Sullivan of ''The Washington Post'' wrote, "''Chasing Liberty'' will probably win over as many fuddy-duddy fathers as fillies with its mixture of sweetness tempered with genial cynicism."<ref name="rotten" />
[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film a two out of four star rating and found it "surprisingly good in areas where it doesn't need to be good at all, and pretty awful in areas where it has to succeed." Ebert did appreciate Moore's performance, writing, "Moore is just plain likeable, a slurpee blended from scoops of [[Mary Tyler Moore]], [[Sally Field]] and [[Doris Day]]."<ref name="ebert">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link
In his ReelViews review, [[James Berardinelli]] called ''Chasing Liberty'' "a fairly standard-issue teen romantic comedy."<ref name="reelviews">{{cite web|last=Berardinelli |first=James |author-link= James Berardinelli |title=Chasing Liberty |publisher=ReelViews |url=http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/c/chasing_liberty.html |access-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref>
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* {{mojo title|chasingliberty|Chasing Liberty}}
* [https://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2004/LIBRT.php ''Chasing Liberty''] at The Numbers
{{Andy Cadiff}}
[[Category:2004 films]]
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[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:2000s British films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Christian Henson]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
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