Tag: Natasha Richardson

Remember The Parent Trap?

I stumbled upon The Parent Trap on ABC Family this afternoon and promptly had a serious case of nostalgia followed by a bout of depression. The Parent Trap seems like the least likely movie to have that affect on someone.

For starters, it stars Lindsay Lohan as Hallie and Annie, the long-lost twins who conspire to bring their divorced parents (Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid) back together. Lohan has had a notorious up and down and down career and personal life. Everything she does is tabloid fodder. Watching Lohan in 1998 and knowing what happened to her career post-The Parent Trap is incredibly upsetting.

I could sit here and mope about Lindsay Lohan’s failed and flailing career but really, she did that to herself. For me, what is more upsetting than Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap is Natasha Richardson’s role as the twin’s mother. Then this following clip was sweet and sentimental. Today it is almost gut-wrenching.

Who knew that 12 years later this charming Disney movie (and it is a great family film) would carry so much emotional weight.

Remembering Natasha Richardson

Learning that Natasha Richardson has passed away following a ski accident today can only be described as devastating and unfortunate. Like many people, I hoped that the news was grossly exaggerated by the media (gossip blogs) and that there was a chance for a miracle. News reports now confirm the unfortunate truth that Richardson has indeed passed way.

I’ll always remember Natasha Richardson primarily for The Parent Trap. But as I read more about her, I realize how many other of her films that I have seen – The White Countess, Maid in Manhattan, Evening – to name a few. Richardson had an unassuming screen presence, but an even more striking strage presence; something I will regret never getting to see in person.
Tributes to Richardson are beginning to surface across the web. I will post them here as the night goes on.