Natalee Holloway (2009)

Let's be realistic.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

The true story of Alabama teenager Natalie Halloway, who went missing while on a class trip in Aruba in 2005 and the subsequent desperate search by her mother (Tracy Pollen) for the truth behind her disappearance.This is another one of those ripped from the headlines, made for TV dramatizations, that I tend to watch when I don't feel like thinking too hard. This one was just okay. I found Tracy Pollen's character to be very annoying and then I realized that was how she was supposed to be as the mother.An interesting story that is made even more so because at the end you are left with more questions than answers. The mystery remains unsolved even with a video confession. I did find myself annoyed by the constant "if this was America" preaching. You're not in America and things are done differently in other countries. 08.13

**SPOILERS** Still making headlines over four years after it happened the disappearance of pretty 18 year-old Alabama high-school graduate Natalee Holloway has become one of biggest missing person mysteries since the disappearance of New York's State Supreme Court Justice Judge Crater back in the summer of 1930.It all happening on the evening of May 29-30, 2005 when Natalee was partying with her fellow high-school graduates at the Carlos'n Charlie's Bar in Orangetown on the island of Aruba where they were spending the Memorial Day Holiday weekend. Getting very friendly with one of the local homeboys Joran Van Der Shoot Natalee had him buy her a drink that Joran, without her knowledge, slipped a Mickey-Finn into that zonked her out and put Natalee on queer street. Together with his two Surinomese friends Deepack & Staish Kalpoe Joran supposedly took a very out of it Natalee in his car for a ride back to her hotel. That was the last time that anyone ever saw Natalee alive again.With Natalee not making her flight back home to Alabama her parents step-dad Jug Twitty and mom Beth flew down to Aruba to find their missing daughter. it's then that the real nightmare began for the Twitty's in not just that their daughter disappeared but may have possibly been kidnapped, and sold into a white slavery ring, but even murdered and deep sixth in the Caribbean Sea in order to hide the body by her killer or killers!As soon as both Beth and Jug arrived on the island they were met with very little cooperation from the island officials that included top cop Det. Frank Sneider. Sneider besides stuffing his face with corn flakes was also a good friend of Natalee's suspected kidnapper or murderer Joran's dad Paul Van Der Shoot. Paul at the time was in line of being appointed a top judge on the island of Aruba. That in fact would not only have him be Sneider's good friend but boss as well! As the frustrated parents got nowhere with the local police, headed by Det. Sneider, in finding their missing daughter Natalee they went public causing a carnival atmosphere of reporters, from MSNBC CNN and FOX, who instead of helping find Natalee were only there to help their own slumping ratting! In them exploiting to the fullest a heart-breaking human interest story more then helping find the victim, Natalee Holloway, of it. It was Natalee's mom Beth who did all she could to find whatever happened to her daughter by going public and demanding the Aruban authorities find her daughter by embarrassing them in how incompetent they were. Still after all this time, four years and counting, there's never been a trace of evidence if Natalee is either alive or dead!At the end of the movie were given an explanation to what really happened to Natalee by non other then her accused kidnapper or murderer Joran Van Der Shoot himself! Not to give away what Joran said, while under the influence of pot, it made about as much as sense, or nonsense, as anything else he said about the incident all throughout the film. The guy-Joran- himself said that even he doesn't believe anything that he says so why should we, the viewers, believe him!As of today Natalee is still considered to be, by the FBI and the Aruban Police, a missing person. Still her concerned parents Jug & Beth Twitty have given up all hope in finding their daughter alive and just want closure so that they can go on with their lives and finally put their daughter Natalee behind them as well as to her eternal rest!

Natalee Holloway (2009)** (out of 4) Lifetime Movie Network produced TV movie tells the story of Beth Twitty (Tracy Pollan) who headed to Aruba after her 18-year-old daughter Natalee went there for a trip and turned up missing. The prime suspect was a local named Joran Van Der Sloot but his changing stories and possible cover ups by the police leaves this case unsolved. I admit to being one of those who heard about this case early on and followed most of it so I really didn't learn anything new by this movie. If you're familiar with the case then this movie isn't going to teach you anything and if you haven't heard of the case then I doubt the movie is going to tell you enough to get a full view of the case. There were many different stories told by the suspects and a couple of them are looked at here but in the end the movie just isn't strong enough to work. I found Pollan to go over the top way too many times and at points in the film she'd become quite annoying. The big prayer sequence was so over acted that I wanted to look away. Some could call this TV acting, which to me is unfair to say but I wasn't impressed. The direction is decent but the screenplay could have used some work. The film tries to tell a big message of being careful when you're overseas but I think it overlooks the biggest flaw in the real story and that's 18-year-old girls shouldn't be given the keys to run wild in a foreign place and getting drunk. The drinking issue is the real message that should have been given off because sadly, this isn't the first girl to get drunk and have something bad happen to her by the hands of a guy.

While the performances are predictable and the story, well, we can see the same theme on "Nancy Grace"/HLN News every evening, it is important for teens and people traveling to small countries to be aware of the facts presented in this film.Tracy Pollan is believable as Natalee Holloway's mother, a woman who is enraged and galvanized into action when she realizes the death of her daughter was covered up, the perpetrators protected. While certainly this is an upsetting situation, the victim herself was caught in a situation, not realizing the possible outcome.I would suggest that schools promoting such trips be required to provide more guidelines, partying and having fun is all well and good, but when you are in a foreign country, especially if a female,and alone, you need to know how to protect yourself. Teens who have never traveled can scarcely be expected to safeguard against things they have never been made aware of.The reality is that there is no such thing as international law. I was told this in Acapulco, after being injured in a hotel, the hotel paid the medical expenses, but the fact is that, if you are traveling to other countries you need to be aware of their laws. You must be aware of how to protect yourself, and please don't expect the American Embassy to help (See the films "Red Corner" with Richard Gere, and "Midnight Express" with Brad Davis).Worth seeing for the message. Recommended. 7/10.