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	First Daughter
	Forest Whitaker Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, Amerie, Michael Keaton, Margaret Colin, Lela Rochon Fuqua 2004		May "First Daughter" be the last time in a long while that a romantic comedy — here, extremely light on the comedy — is made about presidential offspring and their petty angst. "Chasing Liberty," starring ingénue singer/actress Mandy Moore and released months before, was so similar to "First Daughter" that one has to wonder if there was collusion between development drones at the films' respective studios, or if this was just a case of small minds running along the same gutters. In "First Daughter," the fetching, usually credible Katie Holmes is stuck playing the U.S. president's poised and well-regarded teenage progeny Samantha Mackenzie. Sad to say, the lameness of the film is crippling, even to an actress as delightful as Holmes. Sam is about to start college in California and is antsy to break free from the constraints of her life in the White House. But it's a re-election year for dear dad, the security-minded Chief Executive (Michael Keaton, perhaps the least convincing president ever played by a Hollywood actor). Intrusive Secret Service agents shadow Sam on campus. It's impossible for her to relax with her sassy, urban roomie (Amerie) or date her dorm advisor (Marc Blucas as a gentlemanly, fun-loving jock type) until the Prez calls off his dogs. Is Sam's newfound freedom an illusion? Can the spoiled brat find happiness? Forest Whitaker, a fine actor, directed and narrated this drivel.


	Sunday, November 17, 2024





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