By EWAN McDONALD
(Herald rating: * *)
Anna Foster (Mandy Moore, above) is really peeved with her father. When she leaves the house he has half a dozen men following her everywhere. Well, Dad is the President of the United States, James Foster (Mark Harmon), Mum is the First Lady (Caroline Goodall),
and home is the White House.
Anna wants to go with Dad on a state visit to Prague. There, she figures, she can meet an ambassador's daughter, lose the spooks and whip over to Berlin for the annual Love Parade. Dad says no, naturally, so Anna "escapes" from a nightclub and hitches a ride on a motorbike with Ben Calder (Matthew Goode).
Ben is a good-looking Englishman who takes her to the sights of Berlin, Venice, London and other tourist sites in one night, chased by the Secret Service and the police forces of several countries. We know, however, that Ben has been tasked by the President to watch Anna while she thinks she's getting her way.
Which she doesn't, particularly when she thinks she's going to get her way with him.
It's the formula as before, and as before that, and first-time director Andy Cadiff isn't about to take any risks with a well-worked routine.
The DVD is presented in 2.35:1 widescreen format, presumably to fit in as much as possible of those expensive European locations, though everything has been shot in soft focus. The commentary by Moore and Goode will confirm, like, everything you, like, ever thought about, like, um, y'know American teenagers, especially when Moore narrates a Passport to Europe feature (it's like, so awesome). There are also outtakes with Jeremy Priven improvisations, deleted and extended scenes, and concert footage from the Roots, which seems irrelevant, and some trailers, which are.
DVD, video rental June 16
