The Parent Trap 20 Years Later

With the arrival of its 20th anniversary, it’s time to take a look back at one of the best remakes ever: The Parent Trap. Introducing the world to Lindsay Lohan in her iconic roles as both Hallie Parker and Annie James, The Parent Trap tells the story of two camp enemies who realize that they’re twins who were separated at birth. The two switch places in order to reunite their divorced parents and put their family back together, with heaps of wacky hijinks along the way. As we took a look at it twenty years later, we realized there was still plenty of things to love about The Parent Trap–and plenty of new questions we had as adults.

1. Their cruise ship, the Queen Elizabeth II, might as well be the Titanic in some of these opening shots.
2. Seriously, why do the people dancing look like they’re dressed for the early 20th century? If not the 1910s, certainly the best part of the 1940’s? This should be mid-’80s at the earliest, based on the timeline we’ve been provided.
3. Hallie’s introduction involves a shocking amount of talking to herself as she attempts to free her yellow duffle.
4. ‘90s family movies tended to have their young protagonists speak like your saucy adult best friend–for example., Hallie saying “Now THAT’S my kind of woman!” when she meets someone who can free her duffle.
5. Another example: “What are you two, Lucy and Ethel?”
6. Listen, I would have made this reference too, but often my pop culture references as a child did not match up with those of my peers.
7. Martin surveying the camp and saying, “We traveled all the way from London for this?” is exactly how I would have reacted to seeing people voluntarily spending so much time outside in the hottest months of the year.
8. I have to say, they all do such a good job in this movie that I consistently forget that both Hallie and Annie are played by the same person.
9. Did Annie wear this mini Chanel suit with matching headband on the plane? If so, who hurt her?
10. The Marvas Culp have the most unfortunate names.
11. The running joke of the boy stuck at the girls’ camp is great until you think about it too much and realize that his parents are ghosting him for the summer.
12. I wonder if Hallie considers how she tore apart Annie’s physical appearance after they figure out that they’re identical twins.
13. “Do you know what the REAL difference is between us?” “Let me see. I know how to fence, and you don’t? OR, I have class and you don’t?” stands as one of the best clapbacks of all time.
14. Hallie in the poker scene is still my style inspiration.

    

15. Hallie’s got the runner-up in the clapback competition when she reveals that she beats Annie’s poker hand with, “That’s good James–but not good enough. In your honor, a royal flush.”
16. Where did the girls get the candles they’re holding in the scene where Annie jumps in the lake after the poker game?
17. And then they just leave them burning in the sand?
18. This is why children shouldn’t have such easy access to candles.
19. How did Annie and her friends get Hallie’s bunk’s beds on top of the roof?
20. The British flag planted on the cabin is a nice touch.
21. How did the Marvas not catch this one?
22. Their furniture is literally on the roof.
23. Both Hallie and Annie are forces to be reckoned with, prank-wise, but Hallie is truly an evil genius for the way she rigs Annie’s entire cabin.
24. The entire camp marches Hallie and Annie to the isolation cabin, but why?
25. Tbh, the isolation cabin seems like a nicer place to live than the regular cabins.
26. “It’s scary the way no one stays together anymore,” Hallie, the sage 11-year-old, says.
27. What are the odds that there was only one photograph of Nick and Elizabeth together?
28. The use of “Do You Believe in Magic?” set over the montage of the twins learning each others’ lives proves that movies in the ‘90s killed it, soundtrack-wise.
29. Hallie is a hairdressing savant for being able to recreate her clearly layered hairstyle for Annie.
30. I would not let my adult friends pierce my ears, let alone an 11-year-old with what looks like a GIANT QUILTING NEEDLE.
31. Confirmed: that boy’s parents never came to pick him up.
32. Do we think they at least eventually picked up the phone for him?
33. Hallie attempting Annie and Martin’s special handshake for the first time is the most nerve-wracking scene in the whole film.
34. Life Goal #1: become Elizabeth James.  
35. Why does Annie’s wardrobe include so many mini power suits?
36. I’m still convinced that the white top hat/veil combination is a great idea thanks to this movie’s bridal photoshoot montage.

    

37. Is Dennis Quaid dreamier in this movie than any other?
38. I think so.
39. This assessment is dashed by the cowboy hat he wears in the car.
40. Life Goal #2: become Chessie, Master of Sass.
41. For instance, re: Meredith: “If you ask me, she’s doing a better job selling herself rather than the grapes.”
42. Life Goal #3: become Meredith, for this aesthetic alone.

    

43. She’s becoming a distant third the more she refers to Nick as “Nicky.”
44. Suddenly coming to terms with my own mortality, as I have just realized that I am now two years older than Meredith Blake’s 26 years.
45. Hallie, the candy crinkle hangup move was SAVAGE. Your sister is desperate for help!
46. Neither of these girls appears to have any friends at home–we only see them interacting with adults.
47. Maybe this is why they were sent to camp.
48. The moment where Annie reveals her true self to Chessie really drives home what monsters Nick and Elizabeth are for creating this arrangement for their whole family.
49. The thing that really should have made Nick think about his life choices was when Annie thought that he was talking about adopting Meredith rather than marrying her.
50. Why does Annie freak out in French?
51. Nick should have dumped Meredith off of his lap when she pulled out a brand new bell to ring for Chessie, who has been with their family eons longer than she has.
52. Why are Meredith and Nick getting married in TWO WEEKS?
53. Nick should probably talk to a therapist about his inability to be in a relationship for more than a hot second before proposing.
54. Hallie probably shouldn’t have been so precocious about the wine-tasting, as that might have sent up some red flags to the adults in her life.
55. Oh no worries, both Grandfather and Elizabeth laugh that going to camp taught their eleven-year-old all about wine.
56. You know, as responsible adults do.
57. Once Elizabeth finds out she’s had Hallie this whole time, she explains, “Technically you belong to your dad and Annie belongs to me.” Excuse me? Did a judge legally declare this? Because that judge should be fired.
58. “We came up with this arrangement so we would never have to see each other again.” I’m sorry, what the hell happened that was so bad THIS was allowed as a custody arrangement?
59. A big mood: Elizabeth with the curler on top of her head saying, “Excuse me, I can’t handle this…I’m not mature enough for this!”

    

60. Amazing nod to the first one: Meredith’s mother is played by the original Parent Trap’s Vicky, who served the same role she did.
61. Elizabeth James’s drunken self is a pure delight.
62. Hallie singing “Let’s Get Together” is another great nod to the original movie.
63. When Meredith meets Elizabeth at the bar, we find out that she tried to get her to make another version of a dress she saw–how quickly does she think she can get a custom dress from England? The wedding is probably in less than two weeks now, no?
64. Hallie and Annie clearly set up a date for their parents, but Nick doesn’t seem concerned about the fact that he’s going on a date with his ex-wife while his current (persnickety) fiancee is presumably staying behind at the hotel.
65. Hallie and Annie recreated every detail that they could from their parents’ wedding night, which is an impressive level of commitment for eleven-year-olds.
66. Oh, the parents decide that NOW is the time to talk about their custody situation.
67. Wait. Did they just say that this was recreating the night they met?
68. Does that mean that they got MARRIED the night they met?
69. Nick has a serious proposing problem.
70. I have always loved the detail that Elizabeth threw a hairdryer at her husband during a fight.
71. In the scene where the girls propose that their whole family go back to California for the camping trip, I try to figure out which twin is which every time before reminding myself that Lindsay Lohan is still playing both of them and therefore it is impossible.
72. Hallie clearly got her devilish plotting from her mother, as can be seen when Elizabeth tricks Meredith into going on the camping trip.
73. Meredith is heinous, but I feel her when she disgustedly says, “I don’t eat trout.” Stand your ground, girl.
74. I can’t believe that Elizabeth and Nick stayed away from each other for so long, they’re so in love.
75. Hallie’s purple trench!
76. I only wish I could have been at Elizabeth and James’s second wedding, it looks incredible.
77. And now, we end on my biggest question: why didn’t they do some sort of follow up with Martin and Chessie’s wedding??