The Parent Trap
Movie, 1998, The Late 90s
The Parent Trap is #27 of 27 in release order and #26 of 27 in chronological order in the VHS Kids Classics.
The story
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.
The Parent Trap recap
At a summer camp in Maine, Hallie Parker from California and Annie James from London discover they look exactly alike and start a prank war that gets them sent to an isolation cabin together. They work out that they are identical twins: their parents divorced when they were babies, and each parent took one child. They decide to switch places to meet the parent they never knew. Annie goes to Napa, where their father Nick runs a vineyard, and Hallie goes to London to their mother Elizabeth, a wedding dress designer. Annie finds that Nick is about to marry Meredith, a young woman who is after his money. When the butler Martin discovers the swap, the girls confess and arrange for both parents to meet in San Francisco to bring the twins back together.
The Parent Trap ending explained
The twins sabotage a camping trip that leaves Meredith furious, and she leaves Nick. Elizabeth and Annie fly home to London, but Nick and Hallie are already waiting for them there, and Nick asks Elizabeth to try again. The film ends with their wedding in the rain, and with the butler Martin proposing to the housekeeper Chessy. The family is whole for the first time since the twins were babies.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap is streaming on Disney+ in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 86%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Small Soldiers, the latest.
- Chronological order: after Flubber, before Small Soldiers.
Cast
- Lindsay Lohan as Hallie Parker / Annie James
- Dennis Quaid as Nick Parker
- Natasha Richardson as Elizabeth James
- Elaine Hendrix as Meredith Blake
- Lisa Ann Walter as Chessy
- Simon Kunz as Martin
- Polly Holliday as Marva Kulp, Sr.
- Maggie Wheeler as Marva Kulp, Jr.
- Ronnie Stevens as Grandfather
- Erin Mackey as Hallie / Annie Acting Double
- Joanna Barnes as Vicki Blake
- Hallie Meyers-Shyer as Lindsay
Directed by Nancy Meyers.