Good Twins Prevail Over Impracticalities in The Parent Trap

Yesterday, I finished reading the LOST tie-in novel Bad Twin, so I have had twins on the brain, which led me naturally to The Parent Trap, the Nancy Meyers-directed Disney remake I saw for the first time a few weeks back. I was familiar with the basic story, though as far as I can recall I'd never seen the Hayley Mills version either. Two girls meet at summer camp and discover that they are identical twins who have been separated at birth. Having found that long-lost connection, they endeavor to reunite their parents.

In the 1998 version, the twins are played by a pre-scandal Lindsay Lohan in her first movie role(s). Hallie Parker is a spunky American who lives with her vineyard-owning father Nick (Dennis Quaid). Annie James is a posh young sophisticate who lives in England with her mother Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), a famous designer. The girls meet and, after a couple of unfortunate run-ins, declare themselves rivals, each launching a war on the other that lands them in solitary confinement - with each other. It's at this point that they really take note of their physical similarities as well as their complementary backgrounds. Before camp is over, they've figured things out and hatched a plan that, if nothing else, will allow each to spend time with her long-dreamed-of other parent.

The rivalry portion of the movie is silly and slapsticky, and the length of the girls' imprisonment is a little ridiculous, as is the entire premise of each parent being willing to act as though the other daughter doesn't exist for ten years and of these girls living on different continents happening to go to the same summer camp. I've heard of cases of identical twins reuniting after many years, but these particular circumstances seem very suspect. There are other absurd plot points as well, including a nasty trick that the girls play on Nick's frosty, gold-digging fiancee Meredith (Elaine Hendrix) that is downright dangerous. But some suspension of disbelief has generally been a given in Disney movies, and I'm willing to overlook certain oddities if the movie is enjoyable enough. For me, this one is.

The mid-section of the movie, in which the bulk of the action takes place, involves Hallie and Annie adjusting each other's way of life. Initially, there's the joy of reunion with the parent, though both girls must hold their euphoria in check somewhat to avoid arousing suspicion. Their new surroundings, and the cast of characters that come with them, soon come to feel almost homelike. Annie quickly bonds with Chessy (Lisa Ann Walter), a faithful housekeeper rather like Alice on The Brady Bunch; Hallie gets to know Martin (Simon Kunz), the emotionally open butler with whom Annie shares a secret handshake. Hallie also meets her doting grandfather for the first time, while Annie must deal with the unwelcome development of Meredith, who came into the picture after camp started. In both cases, the actual parents have no inkling that they are being duped by their daughters, but others catch on more quickly; Hallie's dog, for instance, isn't fooled for a minute.

It's fun to watch these girls try to pretend to be each other, a task made more difficult by the fact that they must always remember to put on a phony accent. While they manage that remarkably well, it's a bit more difficult to avoid slipping unlikely terms into conversation. Watching their struggles is entertaining, while watching them fall in love with their families is heartwarming. Richardson is especially radiant in this, the first of her movies that I saw after her death, while Quaid brings his usual likability to his role. There's never any question that the two will wind up together by film's end, despite the logistical problems with this scenario. Though the two have very little actual screen time together, they manage to sell me on the relationship, convincing me it could work out even though it didn't the first time.

The Parent Trap is a fun, frothy film about a family reconnecting despite numerous obstacles. It's squeaky clean Disney fun and a chance to see Richardson in full bloom and Lohan at her adorable, pre-adolescent best, interacting with herself so convincingly that I half-wondered if there was a twin Lohan we weren't aware of. With appealing secondary characters along with a hiss-worthy villainess, this might not be a necessary adaptation, but it certainly is an enjoyable one.