The Parent Trap

Mischief Loves Comedy! "The Parent Trap" is a remake of the original 1961 film by Walt Disney Productions. Starring Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Lindsay Lohan and Elaine Hendrix. The film begins with Nicholas Parker (Quaid) and Elizabeth James (Richardson) meeting on the Queen Elizabeth II. The two fall in love and decide to become husband and wife, and we are treated to a beautifully choreographed wedding ceremony. The movie skips to 11 years later, the couple has divorced and has full custody of each of their daughters, Hallie and Annie. The girls then meet up at a summer camp and engage in a rivalry. However when one pranks goes too far they must share a cabin together.

Though initially at each other's throats the girls learn to bond and get along. Discovering they share the same birthday and only have one parent and one photograph of their respective parents, the girls discovered that their half-pictures make a complete picture. The girls then realize that they are twins, and devise a plan to reunite their parents. Through coaching and hair trimming Hallie and Annie take each other's places. Hallie goes to London under the guise of Annie James, and is taken home where she meets her mother for the very first time. Annie under the guise of Hallie goes back to Napa and is thrilled to see her father for the first time.

Hallie and Elizabeth bond when she is asked to go to work and help out a client with her wedding attire. Annie and Nick arrive home and Annie is shocked to find that her father is seeing another woman (Hendrix). Chessy (Lisa Ann Walters), Nick's nanny is very distrustful of her and assumes she is a gold digger. Nick formally introduces her as Meredith Blake, and Annie is forced to meet her and tells Meredith that Nick has a system for meeting new women. Annie then decides to call Hallie and alert her that their father is in love, despite her pleas to bring Elizabeth to America Hallie refuses.

Meanwhile, Chessy is suspicious of Annie who...

Really good watch, might watch again, and can recommend.

Having recently watched the original, this movie does a rather nice job of following it beat for beat. Now, it's not the same movie, but it follows the same format, with modernization and punch-ups throughout the movie.

As someone who complains about deviation from the source material, I approve the changes here. Sadly, they kept the twins carrying the movie, which means Lindsay Lohan was doing double work, but you could hardly tell. The green screen and clone work in this is actually really well done for late 1990's.

The most important aspect is that the movie retained its charm in re-uniting a lost / separated family.

Entertaining and sweet. Just as good as the 1961 original, which probably edges this ever so slightly but they are both terrific films.

1998's 'The Parent Trap' features Lindsay Lohan in the dual role, she is excellent as Hallie and Annie - Hayley Mills from '61 would be my pick as the sisters, but again it's a tremendous piece of casting.

It's also a tight call between the parents, with Dennis Quaid (Nick) and Natasha Richardson (Liz) in those roles here - they have believable chemistry, which is key. Elsewhere in this '98 remake, Elaine Hendrix (Meredith) and Lisa Ann Walter (Chessy) are good.

The camera work et al. is impressive. Though, just like the first film, the run time could probably have been shorter. Not that that's a big negative, as this film is very much enjoyable to watch. Recommended.