Hollywood's current obsession with princesses and presidents' daughters reaches its nadir with First Daughter, a bland, formulaic picture where romance and comedy are noticeably absent. A more wooden and uninspired effort from talented people behind and in front of the camera is difficult to imagine. Even its target audience of young females may give this one a pass.
At 25, Katie Holmes is a little old to play the teenage daughter of U.S. President John Mackenzie -- Michael Keaton, sinfully wasted in this role -- but if this were the Katie Holmes who so winningly played the misfit daughter in the quirky and irresistible Pieces of April, who would care? Alas, this character is a startling example of how a studio film can dumb down and neutralize the comic abilities of a lively young star.
About the only thing remarkable about Holmes' Samantha Mackenzie is that she is the president's daughter. Screenwriters Jessica Bendinger and Kate Kondell (working from a story by Bendinger and Jerry O'Connell) neglect to make any case for the uniqueness of her personality. If she weren't the first daughter, she would be another unremarkable freshman at a California university (shot on the UCLA campus). But the White House virtually follows her there.
The predictable issue of the film is how Sam chafes under constant scrutiny by the media, fellow students and even faculty members, and how her "men in black" -- the omnipresent Secret Service detail -- make most students, especially males, shy away. Even her roommate Mia (Amerie) is ambivalent about the attention she receives. Eventually, Sam finds enough space to fall in love with her resident adviser James (Marc Blucas). Even if you haven't seen the previous first daughter movie Chasing Liberty earlier this year, you will probably guess James is a Secret Service agent, too.
The situations that develop are thoroughly uninteresting, leaving the actors with little to play. Director Forest Whitaker compounds this problem by asking his cast to hit the surfaces hard, leaving little room for subtext or subtlety.
Technical credits are similarly innocuous. What a shame, though, that this is the last film score by the late Michael Kamen. It's unclear how much is actually his since two other composers also receive credit, but the score rarely raises above that of background music.
FIRST DAUGHTER
20th Century Fox
New Regency/Davis Entertainment/Spirit Dance
Credits:
Director: Forest Whitaker
Screenwriters: Jessica Bendinger, Kate Kondell
Story: Jessica Bendinger, Jerry O'Connell
Producers: John Davis, Mike Karz, Wyck Godfrey
Executive producers: Arnon Milchan, Jeffrey Downer, Jerry O'Connell, Forest Whitaker
Director of photography: Toyomichi Kurita
Production designer: Alexander Hammond
Music: Michael Kamen, Blake Neely, Damon Elliot
Costume designer: Francine Jamison-Tanchuk
Editor: Richard Chew
Cast:
Samantha Mackenzie: Katie Holmes
James: Mark Blucas
President: Michael Keaton
Liz Pappas: Lela Rochon
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 100 minutes...
At 25, Katie Holmes is a little old to play the teenage daughter of U.S. President John Mackenzie -- Michael Keaton, sinfully wasted in this role -- but if this were the Katie Holmes who so winningly played the misfit daughter in the quirky and irresistible Pieces of April, who would care? Alas, this character is a startling example of how a studio film can dumb down and neutralize the comic abilities of a lively young star.
About the only thing remarkable about Holmes' Samantha Mackenzie is that she is the president's daughter. Screenwriters Jessica Bendinger and Kate Kondell (working from a story by Bendinger and Jerry O'Connell) neglect to make any case for the uniqueness of her personality. If she weren't the first daughter, she would be another unremarkable freshman at a California university (shot on the UCLA campus). But the White House virtually follows her there.
The predictable issue of the film is how Sam chafes under constant scrutiny by the media, fellow students and even faculty members, and how her "men in black" -- the omnipresent Secret Service detail -- make most students, especially males, shy away. Even her roommate Mia (Amerie) is ambivalent about the attention she receives. Eventually, Sam finds enough space to fall in love with her resident adviser James (Marc Blucas). Even if you haven't seen the previous first daughter movie Chasing Liberty earlier this year, you will probably guess James is a Secret Service agent, too.
The situations that develop are thoroughly uninteresting, leaving the actors with little to play. Director Forest Whitaker compounds this problem by asking his cast to hit the surfaces hard, leaving little room for subtext or subtlety.
Technical credits are similarly innocuous. What a shame, though, that this is the last film score by the late Michael Kamen. It's unclear how much is actually his since two other composers also receive credit, but the score rarely raises above that of background music.
FIRST DAUGHTER
20th Century Fox
New Regency/Davis Entertainment/Spirit Dance
Credits:
Director: Forest Whitaker
Screenwriters: Jessica Bendinger, Kate Kondell
Story: Jessica Bendinger, Jerry O'Connell
Producers: John Davis, Mike Karz, Wyck Godfrey
Executive producers: Arnon Milchan, Jeffrey Downer, Jerry O'Connell, Forest Whitaker
Director of photography: Toyomichi Kurita
Production designer: Alexander Hammond
Music: Michael Kamen, Blake Neely, Damon Elliot
Costume designer: Francine Jamison-Tanchuk
Editor: Richard Chew
Cast:
Samantha Mackenzie: Katie Holmes
James: Mark Blucas
President: Michael Keaton
Liz Pappas: Lela Rochon
MPAA rating: PG
Running time -- 100 minutes...
- 10/14/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.