THROWBACK THURSDAY: The Parent Trap
By Sasha McCarthy
When I reminisce about my childhood, I think of the 1998 film, The Parent Trap. We were born in the same year, and thus have an inseparable and fervent bond, even as we enter our 21st year.
I remember laying on the couch under the fan on humid Sunday afternoons, waiting for the VHS to rewind before I could watch my favourite film for the second or third time that day.
Every Monday morning I would pull the same routine of attempting to convince Mum I was too sick to attend my Year 1 classes by forcing out a cough, so that I could watch Lilo in action for the umpteenth time. Needless to say I was rarely successful, but alas, at every chance I could get, I’d set myself up with a milk and milo in hand, then binge away.
As far as I’m concerned, The Parent Trap was the best Disney film of the 90’s. MASSIVE call - I know - but let me convince you.
If you haven’t watched The Parent Trap, firstly I’m sorry, and secondly, it has one of the best and most complex plot lines of any family movie you’ll ever see. The cult classic was actually a remake of the 1961 film of the same name, which director Nancy Meyers seamlessly transitioned into the 90’s era of excessive denim and headbands.
In a conch shell (nut won’t cut it), British wedding dress designer Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), and American vineyard owner Nick (Dennis Quaid), get divorced soon after having twin girls Annie and Hallie (Lindsay Lohan), and hatch the plan to literally separate them at birth, taking one each to opposite sides of the globe. Genius.
The plan starts to fall through when British Annie and American Hallie meet at a summer camp. They despise each other at first, but eventually realise they’re twins and decide to go back home with the opposite parents after camp, and attempt to get their parents back together. Nick’s new fiancée Meredith disrupts the plan, but with the help of a few scorpions and inflatable mattresses, the girls swiftly remove her from the picture, and [SPOILER] Nick and Elizabeth rekindle their romance.
If you’re still unconvinced, here are the 3 best things about the film.
1. Baby Lindsay Lohan
I think we’re all in agreement that our beloved Lilo plummeted downhill (in every sense) after The Parent Trap. But for a hot second we need to appreciate just how good she was in this film. First of all, she was 11 when it was filmed. When I was 11 I was drinking warm milk from a sippy cup. On top of being a literal infant when she was acting in this film, she also had to play TWO DIFFERENT ROLES with TWO DIFFERENT ACCENTS!
2. The Attention to Detail
There are a lot of details in this film that really had me convinced Lindsay Lohan was 2 separate people...for a very long time. Aside from their different accents, one of the most obvious details in the film is that Hallie (American) has long hair and pierced ears, while Annie (English) has short hair and un-pierced lobes. So, based on my limited film expertise, I assume they had to film ALL of Hallie’s scenes first, and then go back and film ALL of Annie’s, up until about half way through when they are made to look identical.
Lohan wore an earpiece throughout the entire film with someone feeding her the other twin’s lines, and body double, Erin Mackey, stood in the shots giving her a visual reference point – clever stuff, hey?
3. The Wholesomeness
The scene where they FINALLY realise they’re twins is probably the most wholesome moment I’ve ever seen on film. With peanut-butter-dipped Oreos, a reference to young Leo DiCaprio, and the realisation that they’ve each got one half of a photo of their shared parents, this multilayered scene would leave even the Grinch feeling the feels.
Aside from one major drawback (it’s not until 25 minutes into the film that they realise they’re sisters, let alone twins, despite being IDENTICAL and also played by THE SAME PERSON), this iconic 90’s film is one that constantly delivers, and will always be best served with fresh cup of milk and milo (Remember, 90:10 milo to milk is the correct ratio).