How sad is this?

Fantastic!

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The first daughter of the U.S. President heads off to college where she falls for a graduate student with a secret agenda. I can't believe that Forest Whitaker actually direct something like this? It's not a bad film by any means it's just something that you wouldn't expect for someone like him to direct but First Daughter packs a bunch of good laughs, a nice chemistry between Katie Holmes and Marc Blucas and some good overall emotion threw out the film. Michael Keaton as The President is very likable and has a nice chemistry with Katie Holmes that plays his daughter. Some jokes or comedy stuff didn't actually work that much and i wish we could spend a bit more time on the Father and Daughter relationship expect some small parts here and there but overall a good comedy that some people might enjoy depending on what they like.

Now this film is something I'm surprised a guy like Forest Whitaker got involved with. Its an uplifting chick flick which will probably please your average female movie-goer who is not so much concerned with how good the movie is from a cinematic, storytelling, acting or overall film quality perspective. But I just personally couldn't really believe Katie Holmes in the lead at all, maybe the only refreshing thing was seeing Michael Keaton in this, after not seeing the guy in a movie in a while (least I haven't seen him in anything in awhile), but the problem was this script and problematic film-making was so bad that it made Michael Keaton seem like Macaulay culkin. Overall this was just a bad idea, bad film about a president's daughter wanting to go to college and have a "normal life". Don't watch this. 3/10

This story has been done many times before, and better. But it has not been done more attractively. Forest Whittacker shows some talent as a director, but the script lets him down somewhat. It is not that there is anything really wrong with the movie; it just fails to deliver any kind of true punch. One waits for something major to happen, and it never really does.The title character, played by Katie Holmes, is just too good. She keeps her composure and suffers silently, but never really seems to break out. Her chemistry with a male student is good, but we kinda know that he is more than he appears. How do we know? Because we have seen it all before and this rendering did not try to vary or surprise. There is no chemistry at all between Holmes and her room-mate, played by Amelie, who is touted to be a well off kid, a BAP, but turns into the irritating know-it-all black character from the hood who has to teach the dumb white person how to live.Also surprisingly flat is Michael Keaton's portrayal of the president/father character. He does not come off particularly presidential or fatherly; Keaton is capable of better.The movie is a pleasant watch, but don't get your hopes up for any big turning point, as in, say, Guarding Tess. I hope Whittacker tries again and refines his director's chops with a better script.

Okay, the idea of the American President's daughter breaking away from her life under the media microscope and going to college isn't a bad one, but I felt it could have been done more justice.Nearly the whole film felt like it had been dipped in chocolate fondue it was that sappy.I expected more excitement, the kind of exciting and hilarious adventures you see these teenagers have at college in movies, but in this film hilarity and vigour failed to ensure.There were a few moments which were entertaining though, and that was when Sam (Katie Holmes) was trying to make James (Marc Blucas) jealous of her so he would show his affection for her (which entailed buying a heap of pregnancy tests). Yeah...that and the bitch fight scene between Sam and Mia (Amerie) were the only parts in the whole film that really appealed to me.I often wonder why professional and grown up actors go for such lame parts in teeny flicks like these...But then again, work is work and if I was getting paid some good cash then I would degrade myself to that level of shame.Speaking of teeny movies, this one's a little soft for the mental capacity of the average teen, so I would recommend it to tweens instead. It's predictable and insipid.I mean, who could stand to watch Katie Holmes (pretty as she is) waltz around in slow motion for nearly a quarter of the movie? This film is really badly written, with sappy and symbolic dialogue crammed in waaay to much.Leave it for the tweens. If they can stand it...