The president's daughter goes to college, longing to break free of her father's shadow, and falls in love in the process. Samantha MacKenzie has done what every politician's daughter has to do: smile alongside her father, John, and spend your entire life scrutinized by the public. When her father is elected president, all of her problems regarding privacy and personal freedom multiply tenfold. Luckily, she is set to enroll in the University of Redmond, all the way across the country in California, where she feels like she finally has a chance to live like a regular teenage girl. However, chances of that are ruined from the first day-- when the President and the First Lady arrive to help her move in, the school band shows up to play Hail to the Chief, alerting everyone on campus exactly who she is. Once they leave, it doesn't get any better, as her secret service agents tail her wherever she goes-- even in class, where they keep the other students away from her. She hopes to find a friend in her roommate, Mia, but Mia is hungry for the spotlight, leaving her envious of the attention Samantha gets on a regular basis. Samantha eventually decides that she is going to act like a teenager whether her dad likes it or not, and begins to rebel from the strict watch of the secret service, starting with a frat party where she is photographed by paparazzi doing a slip-and-slide down a hill on campus-- a photo which ends up on the front page of newspapers. Eventually, these mini-rebellions get to John, who agree to give Samantha more space. When she finally has more freedom, she meets her resident adviser, James, who she quickly falls in love with. Unlike everyone else, James doesn't treat her differently, and he encourages her to embrace her freedom when he's with her. However, when Samantha realizes James is actually an undercover secret agent, she is heartbroken, despite James' pleas that his feelings for her are real. After a period of being angry, she forgives him, he is promoted to stand beside the president and protect him, and he gives her a Volkswagen (the car she always wanted), encouraging her to set out into the world on her own and have adventures, free from protection. She complies, gleefully taking off into the world.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's harmless enough, although for a movie that spends a good amount of time on romance, it's pretty ridiculous that they don't end up together at the end.
Best scene in story:
When Samantha goes to her first frat party, the media storm that ensues is pretty funny, in part because of how silly the premise of the plot point is.
Opinion about the main character:
Samantha longs to be a regular girl like everyone else. Katie Holmes is a charismatic leading lady, and the part suits her well, even if the end result is a bit bland.
