First Daughter

Rating:
Summary: Alright movie, its cute, but...
Review: As I first saw previews for FIRST DAUGHTER, I thought it looked like a really cute movie. I never saw it in theatres, but I rented it today, and I can't say I was too impressed by it.

FIRST DAUGHTER is about the president's daughter (played by Katie Holmes, who I find really likeable). She feels like she's being treated like a little kid, even though she's heading off to college, and she just wants some more freedom. Of course, she gets watched over all the time, and when she gets to college it isn't any different. Along the way, she makes friends with Mia, her roommate that's always looking for a good time, and James, her RA. Just as Samantha starts to fall for James, she finds out that he has a huge secret.

I enjoyed FIRST DAUGHTER, but the storyline was really predictable and somewhat forgettable. It seemed like it was trying too hard to be the next Princess Diaries, and if that's your kind of movie, I'd recommend getting FIRST DAUGHTER.

Overall grade - C

Rating:
Summary: Nice chemistry between Holmes and Blucas despite the script
Review: Do not confuse "First Daughter" with "Chasing Liberty," even though both films are about the daughter of the President of the United States and the title of the former was the working title of the latter. Actually these two films are a lot closer than "Armageddon" and "Deep Impact," but there was never a notion of the two films battling it out to be the best President's daughter movie of 2004 the way those films dueled for best object from space trying to hit the Earth movies did back in the summer of 1998.

Having succeeded in progressing beyond the role of Joey that got her noticed on "Dawson's Creek" in films such as "Wonder Boys" and "Pieces of April," Katie Holmes is forced to take a step backwards in this 2004 romantic comedy. The same thing can be said for her leading man, Marc Blucas, who had his part in "The Alamo" left pretty much on the cutting room floor and is basically back to doing the Riley Finn character he played on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Both Holmes and Blucas deserve better, but while the script is dressed up with the trappings of serious things, once you get passed those you are talking strictly predictable clichés. Although director Forest Whitaker adds some lyricism with the narration and opening sequence, the script keeps this one from really going anywhere good.

Samantha Mackenzie (Holmes) is the only daughter of a first term President (Michael Keaton), and she is heading off to college during an election year. Of course Sam yearns to be a normal kid when she arrives at the University of Redmond in California, but that is pretty hard when the school band and drunken frat boys are all doing "Hall to the Chief," and pretty much impossible when reporters are sitting outside your dorm and you sit in class surrounded by roped off empty seats and a buffer of Secret Service agents between her and her classmates. Sam's only initial success is in convincing her skeptical roommate, Mia Thompson (Amerie), to stick around for the fun and be the stalwart best bud through the nonsense to come. Then she meets her new resident advisor, James Lansome (Blucas), and discovers for the first time in her life somebody with who she can be herself.

The only problem with that is that given the political world in which she grew up it is hard to believe that Samantha Mackenzie ever had the chance to develop a real sense of self. However, "First Daughter" has a bigger problem in trying to keep things real. Since I started voting for President there have been a lot of teenage daughters in the White House, from Amy Carter to Chelsea Clinton and the Bush twins, and the basic rule has been to leave them alone (remember when "Saturday Night Live" apologized for making jokes about Chelsea?). Clearly one source of inspiration for this movie has been the exception to this rule, which is when a first daughter is busted for underage drinking, because as we all know if a teenage girl makes a major mistake like that it is fodder for the national grist mill.

But "First Daughter" jumps the gun on this one. This is a film that has Joan Rivers making a joke about Sam looking like a terrorist had dressed her while the President is making thinly veiled references to exactly that possibility. Even Jay Leno is making jokes on "The Tonight Show" about the way this teenage girl dresses before she actually does anything to embarrass her parents. The justification is that Sam is a target throughout the entire film. Students protesting her father's administration feel free to call her out on the quad and reporters with their cameras are apparently allowed to camp out in front of her dorm, when they are not stalking her out on the streets. Yet in the real world such things would not be allowed and first daughters tend to be surrounded by a cadre of friends who fiercly protect their privacy.

There is a moment in "First Daughter" where the film touches us when Sam is out jogging with her secret service detail, stops running, and breaks down. The agents keep their distance and the sense of the painful bubble of isolation in which she lives her all too public life becomes palatable. Her life has reached rock bottom at that point and as the rest of the film quickly plays by the numbers without trying to build on the emotions it has finally revealed. Sam's mother (Margaret Colin) turns out to be a political Machiavelli, the election becomes more important than education, and the last act of the film disintegrates into real basic connect the dots to hurry along to the ending (despite some nice moments by Keaton). Throughout the film Sam is being urged to say what she thinks and not what is written for her, but the big payoff for this I was expecting never showed up. Then there is the final shot of the movie, which is supposed to be the requisite happy ending. But ask yourself if Samantha really wants to be doing what she is doing given what she is wearing and what time it is? Just so you know, the answers to both parts of the question would be "No."

In terms of the obvious double-bill with "Chasing Liberty," it would be interesting to see which one you like best because both films have pretty good chemistry between the boy and the girl but suffer from weak scripts and less than satisfactory endings. In fact, the way both films jump to the (semi) "happy" ending is a rather odd coincidence, which is a strange complaint given they both have the same semi-shocking revelation. I like Holmes' performance a bit more and the running gags with the secret service agents in this one, but the other film has better locations and more interesting supporting characters. However, if these films did not have Katie Holmes and Mandy Moore as their starts I shudder to think that they would have each lost another star and have descended to the level of not worth watching.

Rating:
Summary: Apparent bit of fluff has stronger, pertinent statements
Review: FIRST DAUGHTER has Forest Whitaker at the helm and with this gifted man's reputation he manages to salvage what could have been a bit of superficial fluff into a quiet statement about the private lives of public persons.

The theme is straight forward enough: President of USA (Michael Keaton) is running for second term at the time his only perfect daughter Samantha (Katie Holmes) is off to college. Her father and mother (Margaret Colin) accompany her to her California college with all the fanfare and security guards one might expect. Sam wants to be 'just a normal person' and talks her assigned roommate Mia (Amerie Rogers) into sticking with her. Despite the restrictions of 'life in a glass house', Sam finds joys and trials in trying to be a private person drowned in a public persona. She falls for James her Residence Advisor (Marc Blucas) and that starts the errors in judgment that result in her being recalled to the White House until her father's election is over. How Sam resolves her identity against the overwhelming odds and seeks her own existence is the punch of the closing of the film.

In less than capable hands than those of Whitaker and his fine cast this film would have been extraneous bubble gum. It just shows that good folks can give a weak plot a bit of pizzazz and manage to make some important social commentary despite a weak script. Grady Harp, February 2005

Rating:
Summary: Doubting Daughter
Review: First Daughter tries really hard to be a good, lighthearted romantic "teen" comedy. While it has a likeable cast that's indeed watchable, they are saddled with a cookie-cutter script, to get in the way of any potential the film has.

When Samantha Mackenzie (Katie Holmes), the 18-year-old daughter of the President of the United States, (Michael Keaton) demands that she be allowed to go to college without having to be followed by a fleet of secret service agents. After all, with their suits, sunglasses, ear-pieces and very stuffy attitudes, how can she expect to blend in, or have any fun at all. To her suprise dad and mom (Margaret Colin) agree, while actually assigning one of the youngest Secret Service agents, James Lansome (Marc Blucas) to follow her around on campus disguised as a student. The President's plan goes smoothly until the young agent falls in love with this girl he has to spend all day following around.

Director Forest Whitaker puts his time as an actor to use as he tries to overcome the predictable script. It seems that Jessica Bendinger, Jerry O'Connell, and Kate Kondell, just figured that they would use every cliche, and hoped no one would notice. This is where the actors can came in and make things better. They do not. Holmes and Blucas look the part, but Holmes seems like she's on autopilot, cursing out her agent under her breath the entire time. Only Amerie Rogers as "Sam's" roomate Mia, gives it any life at all. Poor Keaton and Colin are wasted in throwaway roles

The DVD extras aren't all that special--but do have their moments. The audio commentary with Whitaker is ok, taking a hands on approach, while the track with actors Holmes, Blucas, and Rogers, was clearly recorded to attract the teen set. The two deleted scenes with optional commentary were wisely cut. The 5 minute or so choreography featurette is a suprise, in that, dancing isn't all that prominent in the film. The most interesing extra is the tribute to the late composer Michael Kamen, this marked his final film. Too bad his carreer was capped by this film. He was a talented guy. A Women's Tennis Association ad (??!!) tops off the disc. Viewers can watch the movie in either the widescreen or full frame formats--but it's a tough sell no matter what.

A better script for the director and cast...sheesh.

Rating:
Summary: nice
Review: first daughter was a nice movie too watch. and is better than other romantic comedies.

Rating:
Summary: First Daughter is a good family movie if not much more
Review: I am not really big on comedies, but this wasn't that bad. It had some good funny moments, and it is family safe which is harder to find now of days. It was better than Chasing Liberty, and Katie Holmes continues to have a sort of "girl next door" quality that makes up for her lacking acting ability. Michael Keaton was good in it as always. It was also interesting to watch some of the things the president's kids have to go through that normally cross your mind. I don't think I could handle comedians making fun of my appearance during those awkward teenage years or my college class choices. You also have to feel for the guy playing the love interest. It must take a lot of nerve to ask a girl out with a 300+ gorilla guarding her at all times. The movie doesn't have much depth or plot, but over all not a bad choice for a rental on a night when the kids are going to up while you are watching. I would recommend it if you just wanted something light to watch that require much attention to follow.

Rating:
Summary: Soundtrack
Review: I really liked a couple of the songs on this movie. One of them make a wish, the song they play during the end credits. Does anyone know if a soundtrack is coming out for this or where I can get that song ?

Rating:
Summary: The story was quite interesting.
Review: The story was quite interesting. There were a few twists in the story. The story is that the "first daughter" goes to college at an unnamed school on the west coast (it's filmed on the beautiful UCLA Westwood campus). The first daughter wants nothing more than to have a typical, normal life. That is not exactly obtainable, however: the Secret Service agents make having a reasonable life, difficult, if not impossible. As a result, the first daughter takes affirmative steps to normalize her life, unaware that she is still within the protective cover of the secret service. The twist is that she falls in love with a secret service -- although she is unaware of it at the time. That's one of the best parts in the movie. Overall, Katie Holmes is not the best actress, and it is plausible that someone else could have played her part better.

--Michael

Rating:
Summary: nice movie
Review: this movie directed by forest whitaker is great. and katie holmes does a great job.

Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: this was a fantastic movie too watch. and i could see that katie holmes really rocks from this movie.