 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Parent Trap
- Review Date: May 4, 2003
- PG
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 1999
Common Sense Media says
Delightful remake is great for the whole family.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that even though it's funny and has a warm heart and happy ending, this Disney remake is about divorce and reconciliation and could require some explanation and reassurance. It's a complicated, unlikely story spun as a fanciful tale: The parents have lied to their kids, neither twin is aware of the other’s existence, and each has been kept from one parent for eleven years. Deceit plays an important part in the movie's plot (albeit all in the name of family togetherness). Wine is consumed in several scenes, and the twins’ mother gets slightly drunk before she faces her ex-husband. An ear-piercing scene results in an “ewww” moment, and a poker game results in a girl’s embarrassing naked dive into a lake (a very wide shot).
What's the story?
This remake of 1961's THE PARENT TRAP stars Lindsay Lohan as both Hallie and Annie, twin girls separated at birth who meet up at summer camp and decide to switch places. Their father, Nick (Dennis Quaid), owns a vineyard, and their mother, Elizabeth (Natasha Richardson), designs wedding gowns. Meredith (Elaine Hendrix), their dad's scheming girlfriend, hopes to marry Nick for his money -- so Hallie and Annie set out to get their parents back together, and while they're at it, make life miserable for Meredith.
Is it any good?
This is a delightful remake of the Hayley Mills classic. Lohan is utterly adorable and does a masterful job of creating two separate characters, each of whom spends a large part of the movie impersonating the other. But divorced parents should make sure that their children have no illusions of a reconciliation, and all parents should make sure that while it may be charming for the children in the movie to manipulate their parents, it isn't appropriate for real life.
Kids who enjoy this version will get a kick out of comparing it to the original. Make sure that they notice Joanna Barnes, who plays Vicki (the fiancee) in the original, playing Vicki (the fiancee's mother) in the remake.
Explore, discuss, enjoy
Families can talk about divorce. How does this movie portray divorce? Is it realistic? Parents may want to reassure kids if they're distressed by the fact that
the parents split up the twins and made no attempt to see the child
they gave up.How does this movie compare to the original? Why are some remakes good, while others pale in comparison to the original?
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- Teens & kids
Parent of 1, 4, and 6 year old
November 10, 2008
AGE
Great family movie for kids 5+... except for a few scenes
My 4 and 6 yr old girls (esp the older one) loved this show. My younger one enjoyed the show but still doesn't have the attention-span to watch a show this long. They loved the funny summer camp scenes and the dual/switching roles of Hallie/Annie. Somewhat inappropriate scenes for this age group were the scene of Martin in his speedo and the lookover he gets; the scene of Annie talking to Meredith about just being with her Dad because of money/sex; Mom being drunk getting off the plane. Being a stepmom myself (to a visting step-d), my kids didn't understand why stepmoms are always portrayed as mean and not nice to stepchildren (similar to many princesss Disney shows as well).
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Teen, 16 years old
March 20, 2011
AGE
love it ! that's really very good !
What other families should know:
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AGE
Parental Advisory: All Right for 15 and older.
adults only!
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AGE
Parental Advisory: All Right for 15 and older.
adults only!
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Parent
August 4, 2010
AGE
Good.
My 9 year old really likes this movie and she has the book. Hardly notices when one of the twins jumps off the dock.
What other families should know:
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Teen, 13 years old
February 19, 2011
AGE
awesome!!!!!!!!!
This is an amazing movie!!!
Here are my only concerns...
DRUGS: Hallie, who is 11 years old, is given a sip of wine at the dinner table. Also, The mother gets drunk when she's nervous about meeting her ex-husband again.
SEX: Annie is forced to jump into the lake naked, she also tells Meredith that marriage should be more than having sex. And one couple kisses many times.
Still, get this movie!
What other families should know:
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
There was nothing wrong with this movie. It's a sequal as good as, if not better than, the original!!
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Teen, 13 years old
June 5, 2010
AGE
Great!
This is one of my favorite movies. It's just so funny! I don't know if I'd say like 6 year olds because honestly, are they going to understand it very well? I mean I know when I was littler I liked animations more than regular video recorded. But, it's pretty funny and I'm sure a kid can ignore the parts with the kissing and stuff.
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Parent of 14 year old
August 11, 2009
AGE
A Fun Family Movie...
Parents need to know that this PG rating is very mild, aside from a few sexual references that will go over kids's heads. When shopping with her mother (who designs wedding gowns), a girl asks if making gowns for marriages makes her think of the "f word". The mother, startled, asks her to clarifly, and the girl says that she meant "father". An engaged couple seems to have had sex before marriage, and the groom's daughter picks up on this, saying to the bride that "marriage is supposed to be about more than sex". The same engaged couple makes a seductive remark about "checking out the honeymoon suite". Both of the main characters tell frequent white lies to get their parents back together, and those lies apparently go unpunished. One character gets very drunk, and is presented, at a bar, with a strong drink ("don't ask what's in it").
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Kid, 8 years old
February 8, 2010
AGE
Funny and Cute!
Kissing,One NUDE scene,one use of s--y
But it is so funny... Me and my family watched it and REALLLY
enjoyed it! Annie and Hallie are twins without being told. Until,
One asks the other what their mom is like and the other one asks how their dad is like. They each have a picture of their missing parent and it goes together! They switch places and fake their accents to see what their missing parent is like!
What other families should know:
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| Topics: | book characters |
| Studio: | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Director: | Nancy Meyers |
| Cast: | Dennis Quaid, Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Richardson |
| Genre: | Family and Kids |
| Run time: | 127 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1999 |
| DVD release date: | June 1, 2004 |
| MPAA rating: | PG |
| MPAA explanation: | some mild mischief |
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