The Parent Trap

"Twice the Fun, Double the Trouble."

1998 2h 8m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

86%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 4,675🍅86%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 165,056

ComedyFamilyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hallie Parker and Annie James are identical twins who were separated at a young age due to their parents' divorce. Unbeknownst to their parents, the girls are sent to the same summer camp, where they meet, discover the truth about their relationship, and come up with a plan to switch places in an effort to reunite their mother and father.

“Twice the Fun, Double the Trouble.”

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Cast

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.
Maggie Wheeler
Marva Kulp, Jr.

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Nancy Meyers
Writers: David Swift, Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer
Languages: English, French
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Nancy Meyers, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stephen A. Rotter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lindsay Lohan and Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Twice the Fun, Double the Trouble.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Nancy Meyers directs. Dean Cundey behind the camera. Alan Silvestri scores. Stephen A. Rotter cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.1× over at the box office.
228 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
4Directed by Nancy Meyers, shot by Dean Cundey. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alan Silvestri. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Stephen A. Rotter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Lindsay Lohan and Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Twice the Fun, Double the Trouble.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120783 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 29 themes, including "california", "summer camp", "twin sister", "remake".
11Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Dean Cundey
Original score: Alan Silvestri
Editing: Stephen A. Rotter
Production design: Dean Tavoularis
Costume design: Penny Rose
Makeup / hair: Toni-Ann Walker
VFX supervisor: Jim Rygiel
Sound: Andy D'Addario
Stunt coordinator: Freddie Hice
Runtime: 128 min · 2h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $92,108,518
Return: 614% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Parent Trap (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 63/100
IMDB rating: 6.7/10 · 165,056 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

2 wins & 7 nominations total

Also by

Nancy Meyers

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Zoro DPiece2018-05-29
Mischief Loves Comedy! "The Parent Trap" is a remake of the original 1961 film by Walt Disney Productions. Starring Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Lindsay Lohan and Elaine Hendrix. The film begins with Nicholas Parker (Quaid) and Elizabeth James (Richardson) meeting on the Queen Elizabeth II. The two fall in love and decide to become husband and wife, and we are treated to a beautifully choreographed wedding ceremony. The movie skips to 11 years later, the couple has divorced and has full custody of each of their daughters, Hallie and Annie. The girls then meet up at a summer camp and engage in a rivalry. However when one pranks goes too far they must share a cabin together. Though initially at each other's throats the girls learn to bond and get along. Discovering they share the same birthday and only have one parent and one photograph of their respective parents, the girls discovered that their half-pictures make a complete picture. The girls then realize that they are twins, and devise a plan to reunite their parents. Through coaching and hair trimming Hallie and Annie take each other's places. Hallie goes to London under the guise of Annie James, and is taken home where she meets her mother for the very first time. Annie under the guise of Hallie goes back to Napa and is thrilled to see her father for the first time. Hallie and Elizabeth bond when she is asked to go to work and help out a client with her wedding attire. Annie and Nick arrive home and Annie is shocked to find that her father is seeing another woman (Hendrix). Chessy (Lisa Ann Walters), Nick's nanny is very distrustful of her and assumes she is a gold digger. Nick formally introduces her as Meredith Blake, and Annie is forced to meet her and tells Meredith that Nick has a system for meeting new women. Annie then decides to call Hallie and alert her that their father is in love, despite her pleas to bring Elizabeth to America Hallie refuses. Meanwhile, Chessy is suspicious of Annie who is opposite Hallie: neat as a pin, has a small appetite and notices that Hallie's dog is acting strange around Annie. Annie desperately tries to sabotage Nick and Meredith's unexpected engagement. While Elizabeth, Martin and Grandfather are suspicious of Hallie when her mannerisms are not like Annie's. Desperate, Annie calls Hallie and insists that if they want their parents to remarry they have to bring Elizabeth to America and sabotage the engagement together. Hallie then realizes that it is time to come clean, and tells Elizabeth the truth. Elizabeth then decides to fly to America, but hesitant and stressed insists that Martin chaperone her. Annie arranges for Elizabeth, Hallie and Martin to meet Nick and Meredith's parents at the Stafford Hotel. The plan works but Elizabeth is furious to learn that the girls are plotting to reunite her with Nick. Unfortunately, Meredith learns that the girls are twins and that Nick and Elizabeth were married. The girls then decide to recreate their parents' first date, but it does not phase either Nick or Elizabeth. One last ditch effort is to convince Elizabeth to go with Nick and Hallie on an annual camping trip. Elizabeth through means of trickery makes Meredith go in her place. After a series of pranks such as rocks in her sack, a lizard in her hair and pushing her air mattress into the water Meredith snaps. She then insists that Nick make a decision his daughters or his fiancee. Nick realizes that Meredith is a gold digger and a shrew and coldly breaks up with her by choosing Hallie and Annie. Elizabeth shocked to discover Meredith has broken up with Nick, reveals that Martin and Chessy have started a relationship. Nick decides to show Elizabeth his vintage wine collection and tells her that he now owns the rights to the wine they drank at their wedding. Elizabeth tearfully decides to go back to London, as everyone says good-bye Nick and Hallie decide that they can't lose their family again. Hallie and Nick surprise Annie and Elizabeth when they arrive home. Nick then says he is not willing to lose her again, Elizabeth at first is hesitant to accept his offer but then realizes she has loved him all along. The two then share a passionate kiss and get remarried upon the same ship. The movie ends with photos from the wedding and Martin surprising Chessy by popping the question. As far as remakes go, this one has a lot to offer for both the adults and kids. The humor and hijinks are hilarious and very well-done, similar to "Home Alone" and "Dennis the Menace". The cast does a good job portraying their characters and there are times you can feel the emotions they are going through. It's a wonderful remake and a very good film from Walt Disney Pictures. Highly Recommended.
Kamurai2020-07-10
★ 7/10
Really good watch, might watch again, and can recommend. Having recently watched the original, this movie does a rather nice job of following it beat for beat. Now, it's not the same movie, but it follows the same format, with modernization and punch-ups throughout the movie. As someone who complains about deviation from the source material, I approve the changes here. Sadly, they kept the twins carrying the movie, which means Lindsay Lohan was doing double work, but you could hardly tell. The green screen and clone work in this is actually really well done for late 1990's. The most important aspect is that the movie retained its charm in re-uniting a lost / separated family.
r96sk2020-10-09
★ 8/10
Entertaining and sweet. Just as good as the 1961 original, which probably edges this ever so slightly but they are both terrific films. 1998's <em>'The Parent Trap'</em> features Lindsay Lohan in the dual role, she is excellent as Hallie and Annie - Hayley Mills from '61 would be my pick as the sisters, but again it's a tremendous piece of casting. It's also a tight call between the parents, with Dennis Quaid (Nick) and Natasha Richardson (Liz) in those roles here - they have believable chemistry, which is key. Elsewhere in this '98 remake, Elaine Hendrix (Meredith) and Lisa Ann Walter (Chessy) are good. The camera work et al. is impressive. Though, just like the first film, the run time could probably have been shorter. Not that that's a big negative, as this film is very much enjoyable to watch. Recommended.