Rating: Summary: Surefire Family Entertainment -- A Must See! Review: It is very rare that a movie has the ability to steal the hearts of both young and old. However, Director Nancy Meyer and Producer Charles Shyer have done exactly that. They, along with Disney pictures, have produced a remake of "The Parent Trap" which far surpasses the original. Who can ever forget Haley Mills' classic performace as twins Sharon and Susan in the original film. In the remake, the roles of the twins (now Hallie and Annie) are played by film newcomer Lindsay Lohan. Her performance is undoubtedly the strongest in the film. Her mastery of the dual roles is quite and achievment for an actress at the age of 12. With her red hair and freckled face, you can't help but to be won over by the twins as they hatch their plan to reunite their divorced parents. Playing the British mother is Natasha Richardson. The love, anxiousness and humor which are required by the script were all carried out flawlessly by Natasha. In the role of the father from Napa, CA is Dennis Quaid. A renowned actor, Quaid portrays the role of a man who is torn between a seductive publicist (Elaine Hendrix), an ex-wife (N. Richardson) and his daughters. The film is beautifully designed with breahtaking camera work, an enchanting original score by Alan Silvestri, as well as a fabulous ensemble. So for a movie which is sure to keep you laughing . . .and crying, be sure to view "The Parent Trap" today.
Rating: Summary: Lindsay Lohan is great! Review: The movie isn't so much but Lindsay Lohan is great on her double part. She is a beautiful girl with lots of talent.
Rating: Summary: The Parent Trap Review: The Parent Trap is an excellent example of what it takes to make a great movie. A good storyline, decent actors, and a positive sentiment to it. While it will never be compared with classic films such as Gone With the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia, it is still very impressive. A fine debut film for Lindsay Lohan, she'll look back on this as a great booster to her career. She was much more impressive than Hayley Mills was, which is saying a lot.
The storyline orginization was also a vast improvement from the original. The characters were more scrutinized, which makes it all the better. In the original, it tooks almost a half-hour before we learned the name of one of the twins! Pretty pathetic.
The girlfriend in the remake (Meredith) actually looks young, unlike in the original where the girlfriend (Vicki) looked older than the father.
The Boston-California connection is pathetic compared to the London-California connection. As a former Boston resident,I know that the original Parent Trap did a pathetic job in labeling the Boston twin. Even back in 1961, Boston Brahmins did not come close to resembling her. The London seen was an improvement. The Disney producers actually filmed the London scences in London! And the London twin actually resembled a typical London aristocrat.
I also enjoyed the fact that the parents felt sympathetic to the twins in the remake. In the original, they appeared more cold-hearted and reticent to accept them.
While the story is predictable, it is still great. A nice feel-good film which is a good substitute from bloody, action films. I recommend it to just about anyone.
Rating: Summary: Great for preteens Review: The story has been told in other reviews, but I just wanted to share my little personal experience:
As a mom I'm happy my daughter has found such an charming and innocent movie she loves, starring the (at that time) adorable Lindsay Lohan. Of course the story isn't exactly realistic (not many of us have heard of divorced couples who wouldn't really remember why they got divorced or have seen divorced parents getting back together). But still, or maybe because of that, it's a sweet story. I think there should be more of this kind of movies instead of those showing too much bare skin and kids pretending to be grownups.
As for the target audience, preteens it is. We've had sleep overs with girls watching it, my daughter watches it alone and even I can stand staying in the same room.
Rating: Summary: Believe it or not, it's even better than the original! Review: When this film was originally released in theatres, I had no desire to see it because I didn't think it could possibly live up to the Hayley Mills version. Years later, I was flipping channels and saw it featured as the Disney movie of the week, and I fell in love with it! This version is even BETTER than the original! So much of the plot mimics the original story (twin girls separated at birth reunite and scheme to get their parents back together), and the small deviations are wonderful, like having one of the twins speak with a British accent (so cute!). Lindsay Lohan is absolutely adorable in her dual role: I don't think I've ever seen a little girl as charming as she is! Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson are a wonderful couple, and Elaine Hendrix is perfect as the girls' evil stepmother-to-be. Fans of the original "Partent Trap" will enjoy seeing Joanna Barnes in her cameo role as Meredith's mother, Vicki: a great tribute to the character she played in the 1961 version of the film). The music in this film is fantastic, and I highly suggest that you purchase the soundtrack in addition to the DVD. However, the one disappointment in this film is that the twin Lindsays don't do a modernized version of "Let's Get Together," which is the song that the twin Hayleys performed for their parents in the original film. in fact, there's no real musical number in this version at all (although they do briefly pay tribute to the classic song). Overall, though, this movie is FABULOUS: I'm still kicking myself for not having gone to see it in the theatre, but I'm thrilled to own the DVD!
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