The movie is, of course, an updating of the classic 1961 version starring Hayley Mills. Perhaps I’m biased – well, of course I’m biased – but I really do prefer the 1998 version; I suppose this is a testament to the fact that it was designed to appeal to 90’s kids (also a testament to the fact that a person will love whichever version they grew up with…)
I don’t remember exactly when I first saw The Parent Trap; I suppose I must have been about seven years old, considering the date it was released. But I do remember that our copy was recorded off the TV by a family friend; I would have sat in Frank’s lounge on a rainy evening devouring chocolate thins and being completely taken in by this movie’s world (at least, I imagine it must have happened that way…I just know what fond memories I have.) We all have those favourite films ingrained in our memories from childhood, and this is one of mine.
But we lost the old tape, so in a recent wave of nostalgia I decided to get a copy on DVD. Watching it, I was pleased to find that I was getting more extras than just the special features on the disc; the version they’d aired on TV when I was a kid had omitted a few small segments, to shorten the running time. I found an entirely unfamiliar opening title sequence; artistic, gently-lit shots of the parents’ wedding onboard the QEII, accompanied by my favourite Nat King Cole song. It was a lovely surprise for my (debatably) more “grown up”, certainly more romantically-minded nineteen-year-old self. But I digress…
Of course, here I’m assuming that you’re familiar with the plot. For any culturally-deprived children among us, here it is in a nutshell: identical twins Hallie and Annie meet at summer camp, and quickly discover they were separated at birth when their parents divorced. Now they’ll conquer divorce and the Atlantic to bring their English mother and American father back together, pulling a typical twin-swap and the wool over as many eyes as possible. Of course there are a few bumps along the way – most notably their father’s gold-digger fiancé Meredith Blake – but in the end, wouldn’t you know, it all turns out perfectly.
Now, whatever you may say about Lindsay Lohan, in 1998 she was eleven and cute and really very talented, convincingly portraying both twins with the help of motion-control magic and a dialect coach. But you really have to give the kid a lot of credit for the little mannerisms with which she separates Annie and Hallie, and for the depth of her acting. If the twins weren’t loveable, the movie wouldn’t be either; and little Miss Lohan definitely pulled it off. The scenes in which each girl is reunited with her respective estranged parent are very touching; more than enough to bring a tear to the eye of anyone with an ounce of feeling.
Which brings me to the other leads, the parents; Dennis Quaid as dad Nick Parker and the late Natasha Richardson as mum Elizabeth James. Another completely essential part of this film, they too play their roles excellently. They’re exactly the mother and father you’d want if you’d never known your parents; he a handsome horseback-riding viticulturist with a huge vineyard ranch house, she an elegant English wedding-gown designer with pearls and perfume and a mischievous streak to match her daughters. They have great chemistry together, and the romantic moments are enough to make you forget momentarily that you’re actually watching a comedic Disney film.
I’d like to (and will, since its blogger’s prerogative to ramble on whatever they wish) dwell on the character of Elizabeth, and the actress Natasha Richardson. When I was about seven, I thought that Richardson’s Elizabeth was the most beautiful, smart, feminine woman I’d ever seen – I still do, to be honest. And now I recognize her as a well-written character; it’s not often these days we’re presented with a female figure who is both a mother, a lover and a smart career-woman while still managing to be beautifully feminine.
Richardson (daughter of the legendary Vanessa Redgrave) had never really done comedy before this film, so her performance is truly impressive. Sadly, we lost this great talent last year, when Natasha died from brain haemorrhaging after a skiing accident. Between her fate, and the current state of Lindsay Lohan’s life, The Parent Trap is all the more precious as a moment frozen in time. Well, a fictional moment, but you know.
Of course, the problem with fiction is that sometimes we tend to confuse it with reality; and when the fiction is as charming as this one, younger audiences could be set up for disappointment (especially if they too come from a broken family). Director and screenwriters help avoid this by making both twins come from rich families, with luxurious houses and lovely clothes; in this beautiful world, it’s just to be expected that old love will rekindle and everyone will live happily ever after. It’s “Hollywood at its best” as Natasha Richardson put it, and is not to be confused with the reality. (Nonetheless, I definitely wouldn’t mind having Elizabeth James’ wardrobe, or her London townhouse…)
But the very Hollywood quality of this film is what makes it so enjoyable, and so necessary. Since these things could never happen in our real world, isn’t it nice to at least glimpse them through a screen? And, until the credits roll, to be drawn into that world of children’s pranks, mistaken identities, romantic candelit dinners and trans-Atlantic voyages on a whim?
Because when Liz says “Come on Nick, what you do you expect? To live happily ever after?”, we’re only too pleased to believe his reply of, “Yes.”
"The Parent Trap" is directed by Nancy Myers, produced by Charles Shyer.
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