Man, it's hard being the president's daughter. Especially when you're Mandy Moore.

Between dates chaperoned by the Secret Service and diplomatic appearances all around the world, the girl hardly has any time for some PG-13 fun. And really, all she wants to do is reach second base before she dies. Is that so much to ask? Thankfully, our favorite pop princess gets a chance to break loose in Chasing Liberty, a howto handbook of teenage rebellion written for the Dick and Jane crowd.

After the minimalist plot is set up (president's daughter runs away during tour of Europe), the rest of the movie proceeds as follows: See Mandy liberate herself through heavy partying. See Mandy drink. Chug, Mandy, chug. See drunken Mandy go skinny-dipping in what she thinks is the Danube River. Along the movie's merry way, Moore discovers herself, new friends and love, courtesy of a mysterious-yet-hunky Brit (newcomer Matthew Goode). From the looks of it, Liberty pretty much follows the not-a-girl-notyet- a-woman formula that made Crossroads infamous.

However, Liberty is somehow a much cooler chick flick than that Britney alternative ever was. In the biggest "say what?" moment of the film, Moore escapes to attend a Roots concert. Uh, isn't this the same girl who once sang "Candy"? Add those five minutes of kicking live music to dazzling Euro-scenery and a sometimes-clever supporting cast, and you've got a better-than-average chick flick fit for a future Saturday night rental.

-- Reviewed by Megan McKenna