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| The Parent Trap - 1998 |
Coming up next is 1998's "The Parent Trap", a remake of that classic Disney film that sees twins separated by divorce who are reunited at a summer camp and their plan to get their parents back together.
The film's cast includes Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, Lisa Ann Walter, Simon Kunz, Polly Holliday, Joanna Barnes, J. Patrick McCormack, Vendela, and Maggie Wheeler.
Strangers and lookalikes Annie James and Hallie Parker are attending the same summer camp in Maine. Annie is from England, while Hallie is a California girl.
When they meet up, the two girls instantly clash. "Wanna know the real difference between us?" asks Hallie. "Let me see...I know how to fence and you don't? Or, I have class and you don't? Take your pick," Annie responds.
A series of pranks ensures very quickly that they are separated from the rest of the girls at camp and placed in an isolation cabin.
Once they are forced to spend their time together, the girls become close and eventually discover that they are sisters who were separated as infants when their parents divorced.
So, the only thing left to do is to switch places so they can meet the parent that they have been missing. They also plan to get their parents together so they can rekindle their romance.
Hallie flies to London, England, where she is very happy to meet her mother, successful wedding dress designer Elizabeth James.
Mother and daughter spend time together, and Hallie learns a bit about the way her parents met and fell in love.
Annie, meanwhile, has flown to Napa, California, where she meets her dad, Nick Parker, who owns a vineyard.
She is very excited to experience life as a California girl. Her excitement only grows when they get to their house.
Annie learns from housekeeper (and good friend) Chessy that the situation is far from ideal. Her dad has become engaged to some hot, young thing.
She is quickly introduced to her future stepmother, Meredith Blake, and she isn't impressed.
Annie quickly finds out that Meredith is a pretty fake character, and she's pretty disgusted with the woman.
The feeling is entirely mutual. Meredith plans to send "Hallie" to boarding school in Timbuktu just as soon as she's married to Nick.
Their father's engagement forces the girls to act fast. Hallie tells her mother the truth about their switcheroo. Elizabeth is definitely happy to be with Hallie, but knows the situation needs to be remedied.
The girls organize a get-together in San Francisco, where Meredith brings along her parents (her mother is Joanna Barnes, "Vicky" from the original film) to meet everyone. Annie is, again, not impressed.
Nick is definitely surprised when he sees his ex-wife all over the hotel. Having been kept in the dark about the whole twin switching situation, he has no idea what is going on.
But he's delighted when he sees the girls together again after so many years.
One person who is not delighted, however, is Meredith. "Did I ever mention that Hallie is a twin?" Nick asks her. "No, I think you forgot that little detail," she says through clenched teeth.
Later, Meredith accompanies the girls and Nick on a camping trip. The girls engineer a series of events that ensures Meredith's swift exit from their lives.
Meredith's exit paves the way for Nick and Elizabeth to get back together.
And the girls are delighted when their broken family is made whole again by their parents' marriage.
Cast rundown:
Lindsay Lohan.............................Hallie Parker/Annie James
Dennis Quaid...............................Nick Parker
Natasha Richardson......................Elizabeth James
Elaine Hendrix.............................Meredith Blake
Lisa Ann Walter............................Chessy
Simon Kunz.................................Martin
Polly Holliday...............................Marva Kulp Sr.
Joanna Barnes.............................Vicki Blake
J. Patrick McCormack....................Les Blake
Vendela.......................................Herself
Maggie Wheeler............................Marva Kulp Jr.
And that's it for The Parent Trap. This was Lindsay Lohan's film debut, and she skipped school and pretended to be sick so that she could attend auditions. Other girls who vied for the dual role of the twins included Mara Wilson, Scarlett Johansson, Alex McKenna, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Tina Majorino. Among those who were in consideration for father Nick Parker were Jeff Daniels, Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Robin Williams, Bill Murray, and Harrison Ford.
