Compared to our own happy-go-lucky young royals, American president's daughter Katie Holmes is a bit of slouch in the hellraising stakes.

Sure, she gets tipsy and dances on a table...but she draws the line at stumbling into the street and lurching at waiting snappers. She also doesn't dress up in a Nazi uniform.

In fact, compared to our delinquent bluebloods, the riskiest thing she seems to get up to is being taller than her dad. But we are talking about Michael Keaton.

Even so, when your home is 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (aka The White House) and the only parties you're aware of are the Democrats and Republicans, college can seem pretty daunting.

Getting off on the wrong foot with feisty roommate Mia (r'n'b star Amerie) doesn't help. Neither does having two Secret Service goons posted outside your door 24/7.

Hope comes in the rippling form of beefcake Marc Blucas, the resident advisor (no idea what that is) in her college dorm.

With commercial hopes resting on 12-year-old girl fans of The Princess Diaries, this is a straightforward, unamaginative effort played straight down the middle.

However, does this pre-pubescent audience exist? Where are the sort of fillies who scamper to Julie Andrews' bedroom and belt out Our Favourite Things?

Holmes showed she was a resourceful actress in Pieces of April and she's the best thing here. But that's not saying much.

Constantly berated for letting dad down in election year, not an eyebrow is raised when she requisitions Airforce One to ferry her pals to a swanky White House bash.

The likes of Jay Leno and Joan Rivers are wheeled on as a couple of desperate cameos but nowhere does it suggest it may shrug off its saccharine straitjacket.

At least George Bush Jr didn't run off with his bodyguard. And if he did, we're not going to find out about it.

Tim Evans