Review of First Daughter

Introduction

This movie represents an amazing feat. To turn a fail-safe formulaic coming of age rom-com into a completely dull turkey really takes some doing! You need a unique combination of a dull and joyless narrative, a healthy sprinkling of clichés, some dire mis-casting, and if possible, uninspiring direction and cinematography. And this film really does manage to have it all!

I requested this movie from the Reviewer availability list as my daughters had so enjoyed similar teen rom-coms with almost identical conceits (like `What a Girl Wants` and `The Princess Diaries`). At 12 years and 9 years old respectively they`re hardly the nation`s harshest critics but even they found it difficult to stay the course with this supremely dull movie.

Kate Holmes (far better in the oblique `Pieces of April`) is mis-cast as the daughter of U.S President (played by numbers by a bored looking Michael Keaton) as she just looks too mature to be playing the role of a school-kid.
They each do their level headed best to create some of that schmaltzy on-screen daddy-daughter chemistry and almost succeed, but in a movie where precious little happens they`re struggling up hill for the duration.

As the only daughter of the US President, 18-year-old Samantha longs to lead a normal life of her on away from the media attention that is a part of being the `First Daughter`. So she decides to go to a university that is miles away from the nation`s capital. As the blurb puts it: `The girl who always stood out is finally getting the chance to fit in…`.
Sam`s new roommate Mia is a fun loving chick who`s more than willing to show Sam the ropes. Much is made of her inability to completely let go (like Secret Service guards constantly at her side etc) and the paparazzi soon catch up and photograph and publish some compromising moments. This means that her dad`s re-election chances are compromised and she has a little learning to do about responsibility - which she agrees with remarkably little resistance for a feisty teenager!

Just when all seems lost (including the attention of the audience) Samantha meets dreamboat James (Blucas - Buffy et al) who seems able to talk to her as an equal. She falls for his charms and there`s a bit of fun to be had with them running away from both the security guards and paparazzi.

But like all fairytales, this one seems to almost come to an end when she discovers that James is one of the security guys hired to protect her. What follows is formulaic stuff, with each trying to make the other jealous until they finally admit that they can`t live without each other.

The movie feels hopelessly contrived throughout, and the white toothy smiles become almost unbearable by the end of this interminable tale.

Of course there are many life-lessons to be learnt along the way and quite a healthy dose of moralising to boot. Whilst this might work well in some regions, I suspect that most UK viewers will be too busy reaching for the sick buckets to take much notice.

Video

A nice clean transfer of an entirely unimpressive movie.

Audio

A good, workman-like soundtrack with a schmaltzy score that oozes strings out of all speakers for a good proportion of the movie.

Features

DELETED AND EXTENDED SCENES - actually just two.

`FOX TROT FEATURETTE` - Choreographer Miranda Garrisson talks us through (with the help of Katie Holmes) the importance of dance in the picture, and in particular the protocols and manners that ensure you get it right. Yawn!

`THE FINAL SCORE - REMEMBERING MICHAEL KAMEN` - Composer Kamen died during the early stages of scoring this movie. This tribute by Blake Neely (who took over responsibilities) is a brief but heartfelt remembrance of the man and his music. It`s worth noting that the movie concludes with an animated piece featuring a butterfly in memory of Kamen.

Conclusion

Yet another of those fantasy rom-coms that shows a young girl unable or unwilling to come to terms with the nation`s adulation and attention, learning some life-skills via a plot that inevitably includes some heart to hearts with the old man (Clinton-like Keaton), as well as some romance and some merry japes to boot. Only this time it all fails miserably.

Like a recipe that`s too heavy on the sugar, this movie simply doesn`t create the narrative interest to pull it off. It also tries (and fails) to mix politics, romance and moralistic teaching - an impossible task from the outset.

With a reasonable cast, with delightful Kate Holmes in the title role, this really should have been better than it was. This is a classic case of a film being worth far less than the sum of its parts and should be avoided at all costs. Unless you`re having trouble sleeping that is…