There are many films inLindsay Lohan’s portfoliothat have grown into wildly popular productions. But probably her most iconic movie ever is the one that marked her film acting debut back in 1998, turning her into one of the most famous young actresses in the world:The Parent Trap. In this popular film, Lohan plays Annie and Hallie, a pair of identical twins who were separated at birth by their parents and meet at a summer camp 11 years later, by a twist of fate. In an attempt to spend time with the parent they have never met and try to reconcile them both, the twins switch places, unaware that this plan is bound to change the future of the entire family.
Nancy Meyers directsthis film that serves as a remake of the 1961 production of the same name, and Lohan heads the cast alongside Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter, and Simon Kunz.The Parent Trapquickly became a box-office hit with rave reviews, and carved a place in the hearts of audiences who still watch it to this day, endlessly parroting its most memorable lines.
Over the years, the characters in this production have been subjected to debate for different reasons, with Nick and Liz’s controversial decision to separate the twins at birth without telling them being questioned more than once. However, there is a character whose role in the production has not been as questioned:Meredith Blake. Nick’s young girlfriend has always beenlabeled as the film’s villain, but… was she actually a villain?
The Downside of Being Young and Beautiful
One of the things that contributed to establishMeredith as a villainis that, before the audience could form their own idea of what she is like, other reliable characters offer their opinion about her. In fact, the first thing we hear about Meredith comes from Chessy, who admits to Annie that she thinks Meredith is with Nick only for his money, and that he is clueless about it simply because he is head over heels in love. According to Chessy, a young and pretty woman like Meredith cannot find anything interesting in a man like Nick, unless she focuses on his money. Thus, the audience gets the idea that Meredith is only in it for financial gain.
However, when the character is introduced, we also hear that she is a very successful publicist, who has managed to build a career in a competitive field at the young age of 26. Meredith is not merely a woman who became attached to Nick in order to get rich on his dime, and in fact, at no point did she even consider giving up her career so that he could support her living expenses. Sure, she is all about spending money and wants to secure a luxurious future for herself, but it doesn’t mean that’s her sole reason for dating Nick.
Related:The Parent Trap: Why Chessy Remains a Memorable Character
She Tried Really Hard to Connect With the Girls
As soon as Annie arrives in California posing as Hallie, she realizes that her father is in a relationship with Meredith, and this certainly complicates the twins' plans to bring Nick and Liz back together. Layered on top of this is the discomfort a child can feel when a parent starts dating someone new and unfamiliar. So, it’s no surprise that her first interactions with Meredith were poor.
However, despite Annie’s reluctance to build a relationship with her father’s girlfriend, Meredith did try for a while: from the moment she met the girl, all she did was compliment her and try to bond with her. She even understood Annie’s anger at her father and Meredith’s marriage arrangements, and even attempted to talk to her about it.
Throughout the film we get to see Meredith making efforts to connect with the girls and accommodate to plans that are outside of her comfort zone in order to bond as a family, and while she does that, the girls plot to drive her out of her mind. Honestly, who would endure the things the twins did to Meredith without being, at the very least, a little annoyed? Sure, she eventually grows a tad obnoxious to the girls and lashes out, but there is no way to deny that she tried her best to get along.
Nick Never Told Her About His Past
This is another detail that is usually forgotten when considering Meredith and Nick’s relationship. The woman embarks on a romance with Nick fully aware that he is divorced and has a daughter, and only finds out about the existence ofhis other daughterwhen they are all together at the Stafford Hotel, with the girls' mother also there.
As it was, Meredith was already going to great lengths to bond with her boyfriend’s daughter, and after Nick and Liz’s secret was revealed, her efforts only grew greater, having to put up with Annie and Hallie’s antics and her boyfriend’s run-ins with his ex. It’s only enough to imagine how one would feel in a similar situation to understand her frustration. And yet, Meredith kept trying to make it all work, until she completely flipped out in the face of the girls' shenanigans and ended up breaking up with Nick.
Related:Lindsay Lohan’s Dual Roles in The Parent Trap Fooled Disney CEO Into Believing She Had a Twin
Guilty for Getting in the Way of “True Love”
Adding to the audience’s preconceptions about Meredith’s looks, age, and personality is one last thing that cements her as a villain: for Annie and Hallie, she is the one standing in the way of their parents' love. Naturally, things are much less complex in a child’s mind than they are in reality, which is why neither of them thinks about the fact that their parents broke off their relationship many years ago for reasons unrelated to Meredith.
Even if she wasn’t present in Nick’s life, relationships don’t get settled by simply bringing two people back together, no matter how hard the movie leads us to believe that they do. Adults may understand this, but children not so much, which is why, from Annie and Hallie’s perspective, Meredith is a villain, and this inevitably led the audience to perceive her that way as well.
Fortunately, over the years we can view things differently and, at the very least, start a discussion to determine if Meredith was really as evil as she came across, or if shewas wrongly accused.
