The Parent Trap

Starring: Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith, Charles Ruggles, Una Merkel, Joanna Barnes, Cathleen Nesbitt
Directed by: David Swift
Rating: Passed
Genre: Comedy, Family, Romance
1961

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Two girls (Hayley Mills) meet at summer camp and are shocked to discover they are twins. They concoct a plan to get their divorced parents back together.

Review:

Tim: I really, really enjoy The Parent Trap. It's a fun, high-concept comedy that is entertaining and enjoyable. It's a little bit of wish fulfillment for any kids who have ever experienced divorce or loneliness, but it makes for an effective movie.

The brilliant set up to the film is that two girls meet at summer camp. They don't like each other at all, but cannot deny the uncanny resemblance. These early scenes are some of the best. After a series of events, they are shocked to discover that they are twin sisters, their parents got divorced, and each took one of them. I'm not sure how realistic this aspect of the film was, but this was the early 1960s, so who knows. It makes for a great set up that a lot of children could appreciate. Imagine going to summer camp and discovering that you had a sibling? And the parent you thought was deceased was actually alive! It's not exactly the most believable, but you know it's appealing to a lot of kids. These two newfound sisters come up with the brilliant idea to switch places (they're identical, after all). One will get to experience life in Boston with the mother she never knew, the other gets to experience California with the father she's never met. It's a wonderful set up that creates some fun moments as both girls try to adjust to their new surroundings without giving away their secret.

The beginning and middle are strong. I thought the end was fine. Without getting into too much detail, the girls decide to get their parents back together. This certainly pushes the boundaries of credulity. I found those scenes a little contrived, although they aren't without their charm. As a whole, the story is quite strong.

You have to give Hayley Mills a ton of credit. She manages to pull off two roles that mostly feel distinct (although the lines between the two girls begin to blur as the movie progresses). It's a lot of fun seeing Mills act opposite herself. This obviously required a fairly hefty editing effort. Although it's pretty obvious to see the stand-ins when you're looking for them, it's far better to put that out of your mind and just enjoy the film. Still, the film's editing was fantastic, which is why this movie was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Film Editing (it's other nomination was Best Sound). Mills gets help through the editing process, but the performance is all on her own. She's the kind of kid(s) you wish you knew when you were growing up. Maureen O'Hara gives a strong performance and has some great moments. It feels like it takes a little while to hit her stride, but towards the end of the movie she has some delightful scenes. Brian Keith was decent. I didn't quite love his performance and wish he had a bit more charisma, slightly better comedic timing, and more chemistry with O'Hara, but generally he's serviceable. Joanna Barnes has some strong moments as well.

This is a Disney movie, so it's a little sugary, but as a whole, it's quite a fun, entertaining movie. It was one of my dad's favorite movies growing up, so I'll always have a little bit of a soft spot for it. I can say that it stands up even decades later. It's a thoroughly enjoyable movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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