# Parent Trap, The (1998)

### reviewed by
Bob Bloom

     The Parent Trap (1998) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Lindsay Lohan,
    Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson.

It's difficult to dislike The Parent Trap.

Sure, it's about as realistic as an episode of The X-Files. It's a movie that is set in some fantasy land where all the people have perfect teeth, the kids are smarter than the adults and everyone lives happily ever after.

     Oh, did I mention it's a Disney movie?

Actually, it's a Disney remake of a popular 1961 confection that starred Hayley Mills as twin daughters who meet and then connive to reunite their long-divorced parents.

The main plot is faithfully followed in this glossy makeover.

It's a movie that, if you really would take the time to analyze, you would find many problems, both thematic and sociological.

Why, for instance, would a parent hide the fact from a child that she has a sister, and a twin at that?

Wouldn't it be rather traumatic for the twins meeting for the first time?

Little items like this are ignored in this Nancy Meyers-directed item.

For this is a movie for children, as well as baby boomers who hold fond memories of the original.

For the rest of you, bah, humbug, stay home and rent Breakdown.

The main appeal of The Parent Trap is young Lindsay Lohan, who assays the dual roles of Hallie and Annie. Hallie lives with her father, Nick (Dennis Quaid), in Napa Valley, Calif.

Annie lives with her mom, Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), in London.

The girls meet at summer camp, where as in the original, they start out as rivals, before discovering they are sisters.

From there, the plot follows the familiar path of the girls switching places, then plotting to reunite their parents.

Lohan is a very appealing young actress, and it is her charisma that grabs and holds the viewer. She literally shines from the screen.

Overlooked by the script, as well as the audience, is any resentment on either girl's part of being abandoned by the other parent.

No, it's all hugs and kisses and tears of joy.

Quaid and Richardson look wonderful in their undemanding roles.

One historical note: Joanna Barnes, who played the "other woman" in the original film, appears in the small role of the mother of this version's "other woman," Meredith, an overly nasty performance by Elaine Hendrix.

The Parent Trap is entertaining, filled with laughs and sentimentality. It's simplistic in its outlook, which will make it even more appealing for the younger audience members.

At a little more than two hours, this Parent Trap may drag in a spot or two, but overall it should hold the attention of most youngsters.

Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He can be reached by e-mail at bloom@journal-courier.com or cbloom@iquest.net

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