The Parent Trap [Special Edition]

Director: Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer Nancy Meyers

Overview

The husband-and-wife team of Nancy Meyers and Charles Shyer, who scored with their 1991 remake of the 1950 Father of the Bride, returned for this updating of the 1961 comedy about twins who hope to bring their divorced parents back together. Sheyer and Meyers stayed close to the original screenplay by David Swift, based on Erich Kastner's book Das Doppelte Lottchen. At a summer camp in Maine, 11-year-old Hallie Parker (Lindsay Lohan) meets Annie James (also Lindsay Lohan). Despite a curious resemblance, Hallie develops an immediate dislike for Annie, and the feeling is mutual. However, the two eventually discover they are twin sisters separated not long after they were born. Their parents, Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson) and Nick (Dennis Quaid), had met on the Queen Elizabeth 2 and married on that same voyage. After a divorce, Nick brought up Hallie at his Napa Valley vineyard, while Annie lived with wedding-gown designer Elizabeth in London. Neither twin was aware she had a sister, until their summer-camp meeting. To learn more about their parents, they switch places and maintain the deception until Nick states he will remarry. The twins then try to engineer a renewed romance between Nick and Elizabeth, but Nick's annoying but attractive fiancee Meredith (Elaine Hendrix) presents a major problem in reaching their happy-ending goal. Hayley Mills portrayed the twins in the 1961 original and subsequent TV-movie sequels: In The Parent Trap II (1986), the twins are adults with their own romantic problems. In The Parent Trap III (1989), the twins compete for a widower (Barry Bostwick), the father of triplets, and that same year, the twins also returned in Parent Trap Hawaiian Honeymoon (1989).

Product Details

Release Date:	05/31/2005
UPC:	0786936281644
Original Release:	1998
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:08:00
Sales rank:	755

Special Features

Updating a classic; Deleted scene "Meeting the Queen" - with optional director commentary; How Hallie Became Annie featurette; Accent on Fun; Audio commentary with producer/screenwriter Charles Shyer and director/screenwriter Nancy Meyers; Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound; Widescreen (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 televisions; French language track and subtitles

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lindsay Lohan	Hallie Parker/Annie James,Lost Boy at Camp
Dennis Quaid	Nick Parker
Natasha Richardson	Elizabeth James
Elaine Hendrix	Meredith Blake
Lisa Ann Walter	Chessy
Simon Kunz	Martin
Polly Holliday	Marva Kulp, Sr.
Maggie Wheeler	Marva Kulp, Jr.
Ronnie Stevens	Grandfather
Joanna Barnes	Vicki Blake
Hallie Meyers-Shyer	Lindsay
Maggie Emma Thomas	Zoe
Courtney Woods	Nicole
Kat Graham	Jackie(as Katerina Graham)
Rachel Sullivan	Navajo Bunk Girl
Katie Deshan	Navajo Bunk Girl
Brighton Hertford	Navajo Bunk Girl
Amy Centner	Navajo Bunk Girl
Mia Tramz	Navajo Bunk Girl
Erin Mackey	Hallie / Annie (Acting Double)

Technical Credits

Nancy Meyers	Director
Charles Shyer	Producer,Director
CIS Hollywood	Special Effects
Sean Rush	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Disney's original Parent Trap was a small but successful comedy that cleverly toyed with split-screen effects and launched the career of actress Hayley Mills. The 1998 version utilizes a strikingly similar story line, attempting to rearrange the puzzle pieces in a much more slick and stylish package. The film is refashioned by director Nancy Meyers and producer Charles Shyer, the dynamic duo responsible for Private Benjamin and the hilarious 1991 remake of Father of the Bride; unfortunately, this effort isn't nearly as engaging as their past ones. The remake of the Parent Trap is another example of Disney self-cannibalization for profit, but this updated film doesn't break any new and exciting ground. While budding young actress Lindsay Lohan gives an energetic performance and the split-screen "twin" effects are seamless, she uses an unconvincing British accent and fails to make Hallie and Annie seem like two different people. The Parent Trap does have sporadically amusing moments, however, most notably a farcical sequence in a hotel lobby. Meyers and Shyer are two filmmakers that specialize in warm-hearted domestic comedies, and although this Disney retread may be grating on adults, it is still a mildly entertaining family picture that will entertain young audiences.