First Daughter DVD Review:

It seems that there are enough pre-teen fairy tale films that have been made in the past few years that they have become a predominate sub-genre in American cinema. This could mean a positive message for today’s youth, giving them role models and dreams. In many recent cases however, they end up portraying drinking, sex, and breaking the law to be glamorous and without repercussion. The latest in the sub-genre, First Daughter, may not be completely devoid of elements best left out of films made for young girls, but it does manage to insert them subtly. The end result is a film which is appropriate for young girls without being completely naïve to the reality of college life.

First Daughter is the story of the president’s daughter, Samantha Mackenzie trying to fit in at college, having a normal life while dealing with the fact that secret service agents follow her around daily. When she finally thinks that she has gained some freedom, she finds out that her new boyfriend is actually a secret service agent, undercover and keeping an eye out for Samantha. This may sound nearly identical to the plot of the other president’s daughter film, Chasing Liberty, and it is unfortunate that they were released near the same time. Fortunately First Daughter is nothing like the atrocity that was Chasing Liberty.

From the “Once Upon a Time…” beginning to the ballroom ending, First Daughter has a magical feel to it that seems could easily capture the hearts of many young girls. It also features a young cast, which seem to be much better role models than all of the Britney Spears and Hillary Duffs. The only flaw is that none of the cast looks as young as they are supposed to be in the film. One perfectly cast role was the president, played by Michael Keaton. Keaton has an easy charm about him that carries through perfectly in the role of a nation’s leader. Any scene with him suddenly seems to raise the level of the film.
There are a few questionable scenes within a film which is obviously marketed for young girls, including a drunken tabletop dance. In an ideal world there would be more films like The Princess Diaries for young girls to watch, but the questionable scenes still seem tame considering other role models many young girls have these days.

The DVD has a few deleted scenes, which are actually more of extended scenes than anything else. There are also a few featurettes, one on the composer and the other on the dancing sequences. Both are interesting, but also fairly short. One of the most disappointing features on the DVD is the cast commentary. Katie Holmes, who is charming as Samantha Mackenzie, Marc Blucas, and Amerie are all on the commentary together. It would seem that after working on a film together that there would be a lot to say, but it seems as though the actors get more caught up watching the film, leaving large gaps of silence. While some of the stories they tell are interesting it would have been more interesting to have had director Forrest Whitaker join in on the conversation, perhaps giving it some direction. The actors are so scattered that their conversation moves to food preference at one point, and at which point someone brings them something to eat, which is obvious because of the fact that the only sound is them chewing.

While it isn’t likely that younger girls (who it seems the film is made for) will actually watch special features, it would have been nice to hear something from the director. Still, this is a film that has taken a step away from sleazy and for that it is commendable and recommendable. Just stay as far away from Chasing Liberty as possible.

Ryan Izay

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