Chasing Liberty
Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date: January 9, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
46
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 32 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
20
Negative:
5
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
What's immediately apparent -- and refreshing -- about Chasing Liberty is that it doesn't play cute with its premise. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
As it turns out, "Liberty," a likable, light-as-air road comedy, is a much better movie than its sour-pun title. Read full review
70
VarietyScott Foundas
Inoffensive adolescent escapism laced with surprising amounts of genuine charm. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Will probably win over as many fuddy-duddy fathers as fillies with its mixture of sweetness tempered with genial cynicism. Read full review
63
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Chasing Liberty is not daring or adventurous, but, considering its release date (early January), it's more palatable than one might anticipate. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Boasts exceedingly high levels of improbability and an embarrassment of continuity and character shortfalls, but still has a certain bubbleheaded charm. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Lighthearted fluff, not piercing drama. Still, a little shot of reality -- or at least an acknowledgement of same -- could have done this film wonders. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterKirk Honeycutt
Chases romance and comedy across Europe for nearly two hours without ever quite catching either. Essentially a teenage rendition of William Wyler's immortal "Roman Holiday." Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
The film means to be an unpretentious, engaging romantic comedy but stretches its charm awfully thin with a 110-minute running time. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
At least some Goode may come from Chasing Liberty: I hope we'll be seeing more of the handsome and unboyish young man with big star potential who looks ready to take on more, not Moore. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The movie's a little thin for the two-hour running time, but likable enough for its schoolgirl audience and painless enough for the adults doomed to be dragged along. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverRobert Wilonsky
Moore's likable and Goode's good. But . . . so what? Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
The movie's saving grace is newcomer Goode, who has what they used to call smoldering good looks, and who can, not so incidentally, actually act. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
May find some fans among female teens. But even they may decide the project cares more about quick profits than real entertainment value, since the signs are hard to miss. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
It can be accurately described as a loud soundtrack occasionally punctuated by the faint vestige of a plot. Or as a lush travelogue that sometimes gives way to sporadic bursts of chirping dialogue. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
The bizarrely entertaining relationship that blossoms between Sciorra and Piven is far more amusing and convincing, which only underscores the lack of chemistry between the dewy leads. Read full review
50
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Light, doggedly formulaic romantic comedy that's almost instantly forgettable despite the sunny presence of teen queen Mandy Moore. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
It's an innocuous, occasionally cute movie made watchable by the appealing Mandy Moore and hunky Matthew Goode, a Brit who has a bit of Hugh Grant charm in an otherwise silly role. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra exert some charm as bodyguards tracking the couple; Mark Harmon and Caroline Goodall are OK as the heroine's parents. Andy Cadiff directed Derek Guiley and David Schneiderman's by-the-numbers script. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
It's one TV-movie romp that Kristy McNichol never got around to starring in. Read full review
50
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Surprisingly good in areas where it doesn't need to be good at all, and pretty awful in areas where it has to succeed. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubScott Tobias
On record and in her movies, Moore is sold as wholesome and real, which sometimes translates as generic and blah, in spite of her genuine appeal and accessibility. Read full review
50
Village VoiceLaura Sinagra
Moore's lip-glossed petulance never catches fire with Goode's canned drollery. Read full review
50
SalonCharles Taylor
The kind of bland, perky comedy that neuters whoever is spun into its cotton-candy web. Read full review
40
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
A not-bad idea lurks inside this insipid story.
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The lack of narrative sophistication allows an Ecstasy-like disposition to set in; "Liberty" becomes goo-goo eyed over itself. It lacks the discipline to define Anna sufficiently; rather, it portrays her as either a lovable naïf or a spoiled narcissist in desperate need of a lesson. Read full review
40
Austin ChronicleKimberley Jones
Their travelogue-ready romance is utterly doofy but not disagreeable, and this sort of wish-fulfillment fantasy will strike the right chord with Moore’s fan base of preteen girls. Read full review
38
PremiereKelly Borgeson
The whole film, in fact, feels slapped together and unfocused. Though the movie’s too dopey for anyone older than ten, there are scenes where characters drink and go skinny-dipping. Read full review
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
An endless, virtually laugh-free pastiche of Aaron Sorkin by way of Aaron Spelling, Chasing Liberty features Mandy Moore trying so strenuously to be the next America's Sweetheart that she almost pops a vein. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
The film does provide some nice shots of Venice and offers one solid reason to display a little patriotic fervor: We do have the freedom to avoid such rote, shallow dullness. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Lacks the active verb it promises. It defines blah. Read full review
25
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
The screenwriters claim they got the idea for this dreary thing by glimpsing a besieged Chelsea Clinton in the stands at a basketball game. Read full review
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