Starring Mandy Moore and Matthew Goode. Rated PG.

Now playing at the Capitol 6, Colossus Langley, Eagle Ridge, Richmond Centre 6, and others

Sometimes low expectations are a moviegoer's best asset; a pleasant surprise is always better than a nasty one. In the case of director Andy Cadiff's Chasing Liberty, expectations couldn't have been lower. The trailers were about as intriguing as a McDonald's commercial, hinting at another pop-princess-driven stink bomb along the lines of Britney Spears's tedious Crossroads, but this turned out to be an unexpected delight.

Chasing Liberty sees 19-year-old songstress Mandy Moore playing a naíƒ ¯ve, overprotected White House offspring named Anna Foster (think bookish Chelsea Clinton here, not those party-hearty Bush girls). Boy-crazy and desperate for a little freedom, Anna goes AWOL during a diplomatic mission overseas. She takes off with a stranger: brooding Brit Ben Calder (former stage actor Matthew Goode), who proceeds to rescue her from countless colourful scrapes.

Unbeknownst to Anna (but maybe apparent to people who've seen Roman Holiday), Calder is not really a Good Samaritan/potential boyfriend; he's a Secret Service agent assigned to protect our version of Audrey Hepburn. The president has decided to grant Anna a little controlled rebellion, and he gives Calder orders to escort her for as long as she is MIA. The pair make their way to Berlin for the city's annual Love Parade, all the while tailed by other agents and mingling with European backpacker types, including the eccentric McGruff (Martin Hancock), a mock antiglobalization protester who gives away culture-jamming stickers and constantly demands group hugs.

Although Moore's acting range is limited, she pulls off this role with little problem. In fact, her portrayal of a spoiled American teen coming of age verges on being, well, strangely adorable. Goode's comic delivery is priceless; his witty one-liners spice up what would otherwise have been a bland, cliché-ridden flick.

Add to that the surprisingly stellar soundtrack (including the appearance of the Roots in a Czech nightclub, performing "The Seed" with Cody Chesnutt), as well as the script's political satire, and the result is a light, highly entertaining romantic comedy.