Parent trap is actually one of the first Disney films I ever saw that was not an animation. It came out in 1998 as a remake of the 1961 Disney classic. I was 12 years old when I saw it so I was probably the target audience of this rather typical Disney film. However, it is a more family-oriented film than other Disney creations that are usually more children-focused. It is a decent movie for a family to lightly watch although the plot is rather unrealistic, to say the least, and childish at times.
It is considered as Lindsay Lohan’s debut movie, managing to pull off dual roles as both of the identical twins. They could have gotten real twins for the roles of the girls, since Lindsay Lohan wasn't a box office attraction (at this point in her career), but the movie would not necessarily been better in my opinion. The viewer could honestly not tell there really were two Lohans whenever “they” appeared on screen together, thumbs up to the visual effects department. Combined with appearances of body doubles at times and timed reaction shots, it can be confusing for younger audiences to believe that it was only one actress.
We also cannot overlook how Lindsay Lohan did an excellent job of portraying these seemingly identical yet very different girls. The characteristics of the girls and the situation going on in the film (girls pretending to be each other and going back as the other to their parents) gave the young actress a challenge as to whether she could adapt to such an in-depth role or more appropriately, role’s’.
The film is rather childish as mentioned above, but nonetheless, it has that sweet Disney atmosphere that is so attractive to the younger generation. Somehow, Parent Trap is just the right blend of comedy to win the children over and intelligent plot with rich, memorable characters. The movie fluctuates from the sweet to the slapstick without becoming cringing and overboard.
For me, Parent Trap had two dimensions: the fun, exhilarating mischief of the twins and the romance of the parents. I was riveted throughout the movie at the outrageous things that these twins did to thwart each other at first and later, to get rid of the gold-digger trying to marry their father. Their schemes were creative, perfectly executed, and basically the dream of any young kids watching the film.
As for the romance, it was not your typical young, fiery love that is so popular in Hollywood. These characters had been divorced for many years and they had not seen each other for a very long time. Yet it was evident that they still had feelings for each other when they met again after all those years. The actors did a great job of creating such a wistful, lingering atmosphere with their gestures and gazes.
There were a couple of phrases and words in the film I was not familiar with. When the girls were playing poker, one of them got a ‘royal flush’ but I was not sure what that was. I looked it up and found out that a royal flush consists of the five highest cards of one suit, ranked as the highest hand in poker.
Also when the mother was drunk for the first time in years, the girls said she was ‘zonked’. It is a slang that means somebody is stunned or intoxicated with drugs/ alcohol. Parent Trap is one of my favorite movies to turn to when I am feeling down. In fact, I have watched it at least eight times or so. Yet it never gets tiring because the film has that warm atmosphere that reminds me of family and friends. I would probably turn to it in the future as well even when I am older, because I would still be able to relate and connect with the film.