Review of The Parent Trap (1998) by Ilana Z — 14 Apr 2018

The Parent Trap, directed by Nancy Meyers and released in 1998, is an enchanting romantic comedy that lives up to the legacy of the original movie. This film fits into the sub-genre of romantic comedies in which divorce or separation ends in love, along with other films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love.

The story opens with two freckle-faced and lovable campers, both played Lindsay Lohan, who attend summer camp and discover they are identical twins separated at birth. One twin is raised in London by their divorced, glamorous mother who is a fashion designer, played by Natasha Richardson, and the other is living with their handsome, successful, vintner father in Napa Valley, played by Dennis Quaid. The twins spend most of the movie scheming to reunite their parents. Even though the plot line is wholly unrealistic, the writing is clever and accurately portrays typical teen "snarkiness". The adolescent fantasies of adult romance that the twins envision are adorable. Their sisterly scheming reminds us of our own antics with siblings to fool our unwitting parents.

The plot takes the viewer across the globe as the twins work hard to execute their elaborate plan. The film takes place in the gorgeous and romantic locations of Napa Valley, San Francisco, and London. Meyers eloquently takes the initial shots of these scenes without dialogue to make the viewer feel that they are touring these destinations as well. The plot is peppered with comedic twists including the mother's fear of flying and the father's gold-digger girlfriend. During the notorious camping scene and the scene in which Quaid and Richardson meet in the hotel lobby, the dialogue is fast-paced and frantic and there are many cuts. Meyers overcame the challenge of having Lohan play two characters with brilliant special effects making it look easy and natural. The costumes are every girl's fantasy and every woman's dream of a perfect wardrobe. The fantastic soundtrack is timeless and signifies that true love is everlasting. When the audience finally hears Natalie Cole singing the upbeat love song "This Will Be" they leave the theater smiling and knowing that each time they hear this song they will think of the day they saw this movie.