The Parent Trap

Since I recently did a review on a film tied to the classic Disney film Swiss Family Robinson, I think it’s appropriate that I turn to a version of another of the Big Four (Swiss Family Robinson, Pollyanna, The Parent Trap, and Old Yeller). Up till now, I hadn’t given a thought to the 1998 remake of The Parent Trap, but several weeks ago, while in the limbo that is too-tired-for-homework-but-still-awake, I found it on YouTube. Although what I could access was difficult to piece together, I managed to get a good feel for what the Meyers/Shyer version was.

Here’s a quick summary for anyone unfamiliar with the story.

Annie James and Hallie Parker (Sharon McKendrick and Susan Evers in the 1960 Hayley Mills version) are two completely different girls who meet at summer camp and immediately come to loathe each other. Annie is a sensitive and cleanly Londoner. Hallie’s a hip and brusque American. Funny thing is, they look exactly alike, and, as they eventually discover, are twin sisters whose parents divorced soon after their birth. Since each girl wants to meet the parent she never knew, they decide to switch places, and while at it, to bring their parents back together.

My opinion? Meyers/Shyer’s The Parent Trap was a kid’s movie for adults and teens, not children, which only some will find amusing enough to be worth their while. A kid’s movie for adults, you say? I know, that sounds crazy, so let me explain.

The morals which define adults are as clear or murky as the stories they read and watched in their formative years. Thus, I believe it is imperative that the stories and characters we give to children have pristine clarity. The villains must be obviously evil, the heroes must be lucidly good, and the message must be straightforward and simple. Children do not have the maturity of adults and thus cannot handle the complexity of character and story that adults do, and should, have in their books and movies. It was the maintenance of this clarity which made Disney so great in the past and has made Pixar so great in the present. They have no dabbling in adult themes and complexities, unlike the Hannah Montana/High School Drama/Cartoon Network shows that make up the bulk of today’s “children’s section”.

And it is because the newer Parent Trap lacked this lucidity that I would not recommend it for children. In the original film, all the characters had a clear moral standing. Their growth was straightforward, and the conduct of each character fit perfectly. In the newer version, however, all the dramatis personae have a muddy ambiguity which at times became downright inconsistency of character. The best example is the two girls. The audience is supposed to care about their innocence and childish vulnerability. Scenes such as when Hallie meets her mother or Annie meets her father express this perfectly. And with a young actress - Lindsay Lohan was 11 as opposed to Hayley Mills, who was 15 - that youthful innocence is supposed to shine through. Yet I found it hard to see a little girl as innocent and, well, little who was a bit too comfortable saying “O G-d”, mentioning sex or drunkenness, and playing real, betting poker. Meyers/Shyer created little girls who were just a tinch too adult, making the new Parent Trap definitely not something I would want my own children or siblings to grow up struggling to sift through.

On the other hand, this is a movie I would say adults can undoubtedly handle, and even enjoy at the same time. Not to say that they necessarily will enjoy it, but it’s a definite possibility. After sifting through the (relatively few) content issues which create character ambiguity here, there are undeniably some good elements to the film. The acting, I must say, was on the whole pretty good, excepting a surprisingly lifeless Dennis Quaid, who had none of his predecessor Brian Keith’s vividness. Lindsay Lohan, though not an exceptional actress, definitely has talent which comes through in her performance. She handled the dual roles quite well, giving each a unique identity. As for Natasha Richardson, what can I say? Though not Maureen O’Hara, she was charming and engaging, vivid and real. More than any other character, hers had emotions that touched the viewer. But, what else could one expect from the sister of Joely Richardson and the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave?

To conclude briefly, then, for I have gone on long enough. The new Parent Trap lacked the clarity of its predecessor, leaving a somewhat turbid morality that I find unsuitable for young children. It would, however, fit into a category of “kid’s movie for adults”, though whether such a genre is necessary or proper is a question I shall leave for another day. Let’s just say the 1998 version of this classic tale wasn't a trap for parents, but for their children.