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First Daughter
EMAILPRINTTwentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Generally unfavorable reviews
Based on 24 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 14 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Comedy | Romance
Written by:
Jessica Bendinger (also story)
Kate Kondell
Jerry O'Connell (story)
Directed by: Forest Whitaker
Release Date:
Theatrical: September 24, 2004
DVD: January 25, 2005
Running Time: 104 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: PG for language, sexual situations and alcohol-related material
Starring Katie Holmes, Marc Blucas, Amerie Rogers, Michael Keaton, Margaret Colin, Lela Rochon, Michael Milhoan, and Dwayne Adway
Samantha Mackenzie (Holmes) wants what every college freshman desires: to experience life away from home and parents. But it's not going to be easy, because home for Sam is The White House and her dad (Keaton) is the President of the United States. (20th Century Fox)
Also On Metacritic
FILM: Hope Floats
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
Just one more in the plague of weak Cinderella stories released in the past year. It's too sugary to be good for you, but in the end, its over-the-top sweetness won't kill you.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
Is there a limit to this incessant princessitude?
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
All heart and has the best intentions in the world, but what a bore. It's a beat slower than it should be, it makes its points laboriously, and the plot surprise would be obvious even if I hadn't seen the same device used in exactly the same way earlier this year in "Chasing Liberty."
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Rick Groen
A dull, formulaic romance comedy with an ulterior motive and a sly message. Remarkably, the message is this: "Please Re-elect George Bush."
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Robert Dominguez
There are plot holes you can fly Air Force One through.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Carla Meyer
First Daughter can be measured in degrees of Holmes' discomfort... There's never a moment when she doesn't appear as if she'd rather be in a different movie.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Angel Cohn
Keaton and Holmes have some sweet father-daughter moments and the supporting cast gives its all.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader J.R. Jones
Whitaker directed this flaccid romance from a script by girl-power hacks Jessica Bendinger.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Part of the problem is that this First Daughter is modeled on good-girl Chelsea Clinton; a movie based on our current two party-girls-in-chief trying to embarrass their reformed alcoholic dad would be far more fun.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
The role of a poised daddy's girl is a dull one for Holmes, who looks pained, in a nonspecific way, throughout her capers; the movie itself, with a screenplay by Jessica Bendinger and Kate Kondell, is a dull one for director Forest Whitaker.
Read Full Review >Seattle Post-Intelligencer Winda Benedetti
Though First Daughter delivers a nice twist about midway through and Keaton lights up the screen every time he's on it, Holmes fails to deliver the kind of nuanced performance "Pieces of April" suggests she's capable of.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
While First Daughter is nowhere near as airheaded or disingenuous as "Chasing Liberty," it's far more confused.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Ben Kenigsberg
First Daughter is less amusing than Jenna and Barb at the RNC, and dumb enough to make last January's presidential scion, Mandy Moore, look electable.
Read Full Review >Empire Lucy Aitken
Holmes’ wholesome charm keeps the movie afloat, but only just.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington
It's a glossy, well-mounted, slickly done but almost stuporously predictable affair, both formula-bound and utterly illogical.
Read Full Review >Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
Has any movie this millennium had less reason to exist than First Daughter?
Read Full Review >Variety Robert Koehler
There are stiff politicians and there are stiff political movies, but the rigidity of the White House-based fairy tale that is First Daughter is in a category even pollsters may have a hard time assessing.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
A bland, formulaic picture where romance and comedy are noticeably absent. A more wooden and uninspired effort from talented people behind and in front of the camera is difficult to imagine.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
One hackneyed, inauthentic, predictable scene after another.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Just bland behavioral propaganda, and Holmes makes such a guileless and robotic spokeswoman, it wouldn't be nuts to think the White House was just another mansion in Stepford.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club) Scott Tobias
It sends a bad message to the film's young audience that the daughter of a world leader needn't be more than a vapid bikini-stuffer.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Plays more like a nightmare than a dream, and an exceedingly unnerving one at that. Sam isn't just a prisoner of her parents' ambitions; like nearly everyone else in this film, she's a zombie, sleepwalking through life while Rome burns.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 5.6 (out of 10) based on 14 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
ana d. gave it a10:
It was good way much better than chasing liberty in my opinion katie holmes acts better.
Cullen H. gave it a0:
Terrible in almost every imaginable way.
miriam M gave it a0:
Worst movie I have ever seen.
Bibi M. gave it a7:
First Daugher is much more enjoyable than Chasing Liberty.
frank r. gave it a0:
It was soooo boaring all i did the whole time was sit and gag.it was such a bad movie never see it you will feel like you want to gag! just don't soo ok?well if you like it if you see it then i will gag 100000000000 times!
Sarah B gave it a1:
Saw this movie on a plane, and could have been the result of my being air-sick. No humor or realistic situations. The hired cutie (to guard her) just happens to be what Sam is looking for, Sam's roommate plays a horridly undeveloped character who seems to be unreasonable in every situation. Overall, a dissapointment.
Bec gave it a3:
Some of the cheesiest cinematography i have viewed in awhile with a poor attempt to turn american politics into a fairy tale. male love interest is good eye-candy however storyline is unsupportable.
