The Parent Trap (1998 film)

Plot

In 1986, American Nick Parker (Dennis Quaid) and Briton Elizabeth James (Natasha Richardson) meet and get married during an ocean cruise on the RMS Queen Elizabeth II. After the birth of their twin daughters—Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan)—Nick and Elizabeth get a divorce. The divorcing couple agrees that each parent will raise one of the twins without telling her about her sister, and thereafter lose contact with one another. Nick raises Hallie in Napa Valley and becomes a wealthy wine grower, while Elizabeth raises Annie in London and becomes a famous and successful wedding gown designer.

In 1998, Nick and Elizabeth coincidentally enroll their daughters at the same all-girls summer camp in Maine called Camp Walden. Hallie and Annie first meet at the end of a fencing match, when they remove their masks and see that they look exactly alike. A comical hostility between the two girls leads to a brief prank war that ends when the camp director and her assistant fall into one of Hallie's traps, leading the director to send the girls to the "Isolation Cabin," separating the two girls from the rest of the campers.

Living together in the Isolation Cabin, Hallie and Annie discover they were born on the same day, and each has half of a torn wedding photograph of their parents. Realizing with delight they are twins, the girls hatch a plan to meet their previously unknown parents and ultimately reunite them once they decide to reveal their true selves. Each girl trains the other to impersonate her, Hallie cutting Annie's hair and piercing her ears, with the intent to switch places at the end of summer camp.

When camp is over, the twins put their plan into action. Hallie, pretending to be Annie, goes to London to meet her mother, her maternal grandfather, Charles, and the James family's butler, Martin (Simon Kunz). Annie, pretending to be Hallie, goes to Napa to meet her father, her dad's housekeeper, Chessy (Lisa Ann Walter), their dog Sammy, and Nick's young, opportunistic fiancée, Meredith Blake (Elaine Hendrix), who is only interested in Nick's money. Distressed by Meredith's deviousness, Annie telephones Hallie and persuades her to bring Elizabeth to California to break up the engagement. However, Charles catches Hallie on the phone, and in California, Chessy figures out that Annie has been there the whole time instead of Hallie. Soon, everyone discovers the girls' identities, except for Nick and Meredith, who all remain unaware of the switch until their newfound family members surprise them.

To bring Nick and Elizabeth together, Hallie, Annie, Chessy, Martin, and Charles conspire to have them meet at a hotel in San Francisco by arranging for Nick to meet Meredith's parents and by not telling Elizabeth about Meredith. Nervous about meeting Nick, Elizabeth asks Martin to accompany Hallie and her to San Francisco. After a few comical mix-ups in the hotel, Nick and Elizabeth eventually see each other in an unexpected way. Nick finally learns about the switch, and the girls host a candlelit dinner for their parents, served by Chessy and Martin, on a yacht decorated to recreate their first meeting that was on Queen Elizabeth II. At dinner, Elizabeth mentions that Nick did not follow her after she left him, and Nick responds that he was not sure if Elizabeth wanted him to. They make plans for the girls to spend holidays together, but decide against resuming their relationship.

Dismayed, Hallie and Annie force their parents to take them on a camping trip—the annual outing Nick and Hallie take before school starts—while keeping quiet about which twin is which. Elizabeth coaxes Meredith into camping with Nick and the girls in her place, while she stays behind at the Parker residence. During the trip, the girls play various tricks on Meredith. It all boils over after the two execute their final prank of sending a sleeping Meredith and her airbed out on the lake by their camp. Meredith becomes enraged and gives Nick an ultimatum: her or his daughters. Nick chooses the girls over Meredith and breaks off the engagement. Although Annie and Hallie are both punished for their shenanigans, they accept it, as they are rid of Meredith for good. After they go inside and to their room, Nick remarks to Elizabeth, "I got to remember to thank them one day".

As Chessy has been away with Martin, on a two day picnic, Nick shows Elizabeth his wine collection, which includes the wine they drank at their wedding. Elizabeth is touched at first, but has a change of heart and returns to London with Annie, afraid of what could happen between Nick and herself. However, when Annie and Elizabeth get home, they find Hallie and Nick waiting for them, having flown there on the Concorde. They explain that they had realized they didn't want to lose Annie and Elizabeth again, and Nick finally chased after Elizabeth like he should've done the first time she left. Elizabeth is fearful of remarrying, but she yields to Nick's unwavering confidence, and Hallie and Annie look on happily as their parents embrace. A montage of pictures (similar to stop motion) during the credits show Nick and Elizabeth getting remarried aboard the QE2, with the girls as bridesmaids and Charles, Martin and Chessy all in attendance, Martin and Chessy becoming engaged that same night.

Cast and characters

Lindsay's mother, Dina, and siblings, Michael, Ali and Cody, all appear in uncredited cameos at the airport. Michael also appears in the movie as a boy who accidentally winds up at Camp Walden, mistaking it for a boys' camp.

Joanna Barnes appeared in the original 1961 film as Vicki Robinson, the gold digger who is planning to marry the girls' father for his money.

The characters of Marva Kulp, Sr. and Marva Kulp, Jr. were most likely named after actress Nancy Kulp, who played the camp counselor in the original 1961 film.

The scene where Nick sees Elizabeth and leans over in the elevator is a repeat of Cary Grant and Irene Dunne's classic scene from My Favorite Wife.

Production

Principal photography started on July 15, 1997, in London, United Kingdom, and continued in Napa Valley, San Francisco, Lake Arrowhead, and Los Angeles, California.

Music

The song used in the opening sequence in which glimpses of Nick and Elizabeth's first wedding is seen is Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E". The song used in the end credits, in which photos of Nick and Elizabeth's second wedding is seen, is his daughter Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)".

The instrumental music featured prominently in the hotel scene where the girls and their parents cross paths serendipitously is "In the Mood", which was previously made famous by the Glenn Miller band. Later in the hotel, Hallie sings a few bars of "Let's Get Together", a tune from the first version of the film that was a hit for its star, Hayley Mills. The song is also quoted over the Walt Disney Pictures logo, and at the end of Alan Silvestri's closing credits suite.

When Hallie shows up at Annie's poker game at Camp Walden, the music used is "Bad to the Bone" by George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

The background song heard in the campfire scene is "How Bizarre" by the music group OMC.

The tune playing as Hallie and Annie are making their way up to the Isolation Cabin is the main theme from "The Great Escape" by Elmer Bernstein.

Soundtrack

1. "L-O-V-E" – Nat King Cole
2. "Do You Believe in Magic" – The Lovin' Spoonful
3. "There She Goes" – The La's
4. "Top of the World" – Shonen Knife
5. "Here Comes the Sun" – Bob Khaleel
6. "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" – Linda Ronstadt
7. "Soulful Strut" – Young-Holt Unlimited
8. "Never Let You Go" – Jakaranda
9. "Bad to the Bone" – George Thorogood & The Destroyers
10. "The Happy Club" – Bob Geldof
11. "Suite from The Parent Trap" – Alan Silvestri
12. "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) – Natalie Cole
13. "Dream Come True" – Ta-Gana
14. "Groovin'" – Pato Banton & The Reggae Revolution
15. "Let's Get Together" – Nobody's Angel

Film score

1. "The Disney Logo"
2. "Suite from The Parent Trap"
3. "Annie and Martin"
4. "Shake Hands, Girls"
5. "Like Twins"
6. "Changes"
7. "Hallie Meets Mom"
8. "Annie Meets Dad"
9. "Vineyard Suite"
10. "I Am Annie"
11. "Dad's Getting Married"
12. "Hallie Breaks the News"
13. "You'll Kill in It"
14. "Table for Two"
15. "She's Gone"
16. "Where Dreams Have No End"
17. "We Actually Did It"
18. "Finale"

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an 86% approval rating with an average rating of 6.8/10 based on 50 reviews. The website's consensus states: "Writer-director Nancy Meyers takes the winning formula of the 1961 original and gives it an amiable modern spin, while young star Lindsay Lohan shines in her breakout role." Metacritic gave the film a score of 64/100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Siskel and Ebert gave the film "two thumbs up". Critic Kenneth Turan called Lindsay Lohan "the soul of this film as much as Hayley Mills was of the original", going on to say that "she is more adept than her predecessor at creating two distinct personalities".

Lohan won a Young Artist Award for best performance in a feature film.

Box office

In its opening weekend, the film grossed $11,148,497 in 2,247 theaters in the United States and Canada, ranking #2 at the box office, behind Saving Private Ryan. By the end of its run, The Parent Trap grossed $66,308,518 domestically and $25,800,000 internationally, totaling $92,108,518 worldwide. The film was released in the United Kingdom on December 11, 1998, and opened on #3, behind Rush Hour and The Mask of Zorro.

Deleted scenes

The scene slots between Hallie and Martin meeting at Heathrow Airport, and Hallie meeting her mother and grandfather. Hallie is in a limo and they come across Buckingham Palace. She gets out and tries to get one of the guards to move. The guards then crowd around in formation as Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom exits Buckingham Palace in a car. The window rolls down and Hallie speaks to the Queen, getting confused with 'Your Highness' or 'Your Majesty' or whether to curtsy. The Queen promises not to tell a soul and moves off. Director Nancy Meyers had a difficult time getting the uniforms, location, and an actress to play the Queen. The scene was deleted due to pacing problems.

Another deleted scene appears in the trailer that debuted in 1998. The scene shows Hallie standing out on the deck of her vineyard-estate house. She sees a shooting star and sings the rhyme "Starlight, Starbright". Annie appears standing outside her window, too.

In the original draft of the script, many scenes are altered or deleted. An extended ear-piercing scene is in. While putting the needle through Annie's ear, Hallie screams and passes out. Annie gently smacks Hallie in the face, trying to wake her up. After Hallie wakes up, she asks Annie, "Are you bleeding to death? Did it hurt?" Annie tells her no to both questions and shows Hallie the needle again, and tells her to finish with the other because she (Annie) will not go through life with just one pierced ear. Hallie passes out again.

In an extended scene, Elizabeth delves further into why she and Nick did not stay together long. She says, "I tried living in California, he tried living in London...". Hallie replies, "So you broke up?" Elizabeth tells Hallie that she and Annie were the best thing about the whole situation and they continue to stroll down the streets of London.

There is an extended ending where Hallie tells Annie: "You guys are going to love living in California." To which Annie replies: "California? You guys are going to love living in London." Then Hallie replies "London?" In the front yard, Sammy is barking to the poodle next door as Chessy and Martin are kissing and Charles is getting home.