Film review on the parent trap

Walt Disney Pictures’ new feature “The Parent Trap” tells the tale of identical twin sisters, separated shortly after birth by the break-up of their parents. “His and hers” kids, the twins are raised on different continents by their two successful parents. Hallie (LINDSAY LOHAN) is growing up in Napa Valley with her vineyard-owner father, Nick Parker (DENNIS QUAID). Annie (also LINDSAY LOHAN) is raised in fashionable London by her mother, Elizabeth James (NATASHA RICHARDSON), a renowned wedding gown designer. Unaware of each other’s existence, fate intervenes when the girls coincidentally meet at summer camp in Maine. Eager to meet their respective parents, the girls devise a scheme to switch places and ultimately, reunite their mom and dad. Their plan takes on urgent proportions when they learn their father has fallen for the young, beautiful and opportunistic Meredith Blake (ELAINE HENDRIX), in Walt Disney Pictures’ romantic comedy, “The Parent Trap.”

There was nothing wrong with the original movie, of course, about a pair of twins (played by Hayley Mills) who conspire to reunite their divorced parents (Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara), and there's nothing horribly wrong with this remake that a little transfusion of warm blood wouldn't cure. Although motion control cameras and computer compositing techniques enabled director Nancy Meyers to create much more natural-looking shots of the twin girls (played here by Lindsay Lohan) on screen at the same time, there is still a self-consciousness and a forced quality to much of the humor that this "TPT" redux just can't shake.

Dennis Quaid plays Nick Parker to Natasha Richardson's Elizabeth James, ex-wife and mother of their 11-year-old twins, Hallie and Annie. He's a wine maker in Napa Valley; she's a dress designer in London. When they split up, each took a daughter to raise on his and her home continent and the twain have never met.

That is until summer camp in Maine, where, unbeknown to all concerned, Hallie and Annie will encounter each other for the first time.

The staff and population of this particular camp are a singularly unobservant bunch. It takes forever for a camper to even notice that the two girls bear more than a passing resemblance to each other and when she finally does, this Sherlockian bombshell is dropped: "They look alike!"

"This is, like, mind-boggling," says Hallie.

Um, not really.

Another eternity is wasted before the Parker pair realizes they are not just doppelgangers but sisters, and that's when they hatch their devious plot to masquerade as each other in order to force the parents to see each other again. (Never mind the little detail that Mummy and Daddy just sent them thousands of miles away to camp unescorted. Why should their parents hop on a plane just because they got the wrong daughter back?)

Meanwhile Hallie – posing as Annie – arrives in London, where she and Elizabeth are shown re-creating the Beatles' famous "Abbey Road" album cover and then a bronze statue waves at the girl as she drives by. Not cute, I'm afraid, but cutesy.

Stateside, Annie – posing as Hallie – fools everyone but the family dog. (Lord, what fools these mortals be!) The situation suddenly becomes crucial when Annie discovers that Nick is engaged to be married to someone named Meredith (Elaine Hendrix). She's a bottle-blonde, listens to rap and works as a – gasp! – publicist. Hence, she is the devil incarnate.

Audience members less sour – or perhaps merely closer to kindergarten age – than yours truly will probably take sufficient pleasure in the predictable resolution of this innocuous, family-oriented farce. Clocking in at just over two hours, however, "The Parent Trap" is a tad on the long side, and I can't be certain that the kicking of the seats behind me came from the untrammeled enthusiasm of youth or the fidgeting of a budding critic.

https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/29/movies/film-review-sisters-sisters-so-cute-and-so-well-dressed.html

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FILM REVIEW

The Parent TrapDirected by Nancy MeyersAdventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, RomancePG2h 8m

• July 29, 1998

See the article in its original context from July 29, 1998, Section E, Page 6Buy Reprints

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The lavish, super-cute new version of ''The Parent Trap'' is a remake of the 1961 Hayley Mills hit, which was seriously adorable in its own right. Remember, it's the story of twins who have been separated at birth and find themselves reunited at a summer camp, in this case 11 1/2 years later. On the evidence of this film's materialistic daydreams, which are extravagantly illustrated by the ''Father of the Bride'' team of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, the twins' parents have spent all of the intervening time shopping. And wasted no time on remorse.

The twins, Hallie and Annie, are both played with take-charge gusto by red-haired Lindsay Lohan. Miss Lohan, a Ford model at 3 and then a very busy 10-year-old on ''Another World,'' plays the dual role with apparent effortlessness and with so much forcefulness that she seems to have been taking shy violet lessons from Sharon Stone.

Trading off English and American accents, and flouncing through about as many costume changes as there were in ''Evita'' (both films have the same costume designer, Penny Rose), Ms. Lohan easily makes it credible that the two girls could switch places and hornswoggle their credulous parents. Somehow, in ways the film hasn't a prayer of explaining, their mother (a radiant Natasha Richardson) and father (Dennis Quaid, heartily paternal) have not spoken since their no-fault divorce, which left not a single hurt feeling or child support fight in its wake.

Clearly, fantasy is the order of the day. So this ''Parent Trap'' discovers, when the girls switch identities, that neither of them has been living in a coal mine. Dad's place is a Napa Valley vineyard with a conspicuous art collection, while mother resides in London and designs chic bridal gowns. (The film manages to incorporate Ms. Lohan into a fashion shoot.) That's nothing. There are also trips to a picture-perfect camp and elaborate promotions for one hotel and one ocean liner worked into the story.

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What's the story of the Parent Trap?

What's the Story? This remake of 1961's THE PARENT TRAP stars Lindsay Lohan as both Hallie and Annie, twin girls separated at birth who meet up at summer camp and decide to switch places. Their father, Nick ( Dennis Quaid ), owns a vineyard, and their mother, Elizabeth ( Natasha Richardson ), designs wedding gowns.

Why is the Parent Trap rated PG?

When the two accidentally meet at summer camp, and figure out their relationship, the pair decide to try and trap their parents (Natasha Richardson and Dennis Quaid) back into marriage. Why is The Parent Trap (1998) rated PG? The MPAA rated The Parent Trap (1998) PG

When was the Parent Trap (1998) released?

The most recent home video release of The Parent Trap (1998) movie is May 31, 2001. Here are some details… Why is The Parent Trap (1998) rated PG? The PG rating is Latest news about The Parent Trap (1998), starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter and directed by Nancy Meyers.

Where can I watch the Parent Trap?

Read critic reviews Watch The Parent Trap with a subscription on Disney+, rent on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. In this update of a 1961 film, twins Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan) are strangers until happenstance unites them.

What is the message of the movie The Parent Trap?

This entertaining movie affirms marriage, the need for both parents and many moral values that most Americans hold dear. Even the Butler and the nanny make the right moral choices, although they also provide the comic relief for several of the scenes.

What is the main idea of The Parent Trap?

Summaries. Identical twins Annie and Hallie, separated at birth and each raised by one of their biological parents, discover each other for the first time at summer camp and make a plan to bring their wayward parents back together.

Is there anything inappropriate in The Parent Trap?

Wine is consumed in several scenes, and the twins' mother gets slightly drunk before she faces her ex-husband. An ear-piercing scene results in an "ewww" moment, and a poker game results in a girl's embarrassing naked dive into a lake (a very wide shot).

Is Parent Trap appropriate for a 7 year old?

There are some minor issues which are listed below, the worse being one of the twins sampling a very small drink of wine with her family present. Due to a few instances such as this, we approve the film for ages twelve and above.