First Daughter (2004)

REVIEW
An adorable and pristine Holmes keeps this dinghy of a film buoyant in her portrayal of Samantha Mackenzie, child of the current U.S. President (Keaton). First Daughter follows Samantha’s freshman semester of college as she tries to find freedom from ubiquitous Secret Service agents. Once raving phone calls to the Oval Office are made, President Mackenzie promises Sam that he’ll relax the security in this election year, but he lies and plants a young Secret Service agent in her dorm. Samantha and her dorm’s RA, James (Blucas), fall in love -- and James is, naturally, the Secret Service agent. This fairy tale was most recently reworked, released, and attempted as Chasing Liberty. First Daughter is made for bubblegum-popping girls who idolize Holmes and dream of one day meeting their own Prince. Director Whittaker’s style is sometimes charming, but the laughs are few and far between and the plot’s conclusion is truly implausible, in this textbook teen romantic comedy.