Natalee Holloway (2009)

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

This is engrossing. So many twists and turns happened in the Natalee case with arrests and releases etc that it's hard to remember what happened. But this TV movie does a good job in showing what happened in fact and then a few alternate scenarios for her disappearance.Of course now that Joran has been arrested for another murder we may finally know what happened but for the story till then - this is a good introduction.Tracy is good as Beth. She could be annoyingly over dramatic but she isn't. The guy who plays Joran is good too.It's a good warning for teens venturing abroad - Europe / Mexico etc just to make sure they don't trust strangers and have a plan to go home. Get your teen to watch this. Even the most sensible girl can make a mistake.

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.