`The Parent Trap' tells a wonderful story of two young girls who meet each other at camp only to discover that they are twin sisters whose parents divorced many, many years ago. They go on a mission to trick their parents into getting back together. To do that, they'll need to swap identities, acquaint themselves with the parents that they never knew, and get them to see each other again. However, it's not going to be a simple mission because the father of the story plans to remarry, their parents basically live on opposite sides of the world, and it's hard to make two persons fall for each other.

In terms of plot/storyline, this 1998 remake of `The Parent Trap' is remarkably similar to its 1961 counterpart in many ways. However, there's quite a few things that have changed. For instance, in the 1961 movie, there was a scene in which the twins sang "Let's Get Together" in a Broadway-style fashion on a stage in the boat. In this version, however, one of the twins sort of mumbles part of the song quietly to herself. Somehow, the script is not quiet as fluent as that of the 1961 version. For instance, in the scene where the twins, the father, and the stepmother-to-be are camping in the mountains, Meredith Blake says, "There are no mountain lions up here, are there?" Unlike the 1961 version of the film however, there's no scene in which the twins even speak of there being any mountain lions in the first place. Furthermore, the scriptwriters decided to have the twins punished for playing the tricks against the stepmother-to-be, which I'm not sure was entirely necessary. On a more positive note, none of them gets slapped for that sequence of incidents. Instead, the stepmother-to-be becomes irate at the father and throws a pebble at his head (not shown in the film for some mysterious reason).

Although the twins in this 1998 remake of `The Parent Trap' were both played by Lindsay Lohan (only one of the greatest actresses on the face of the earth in my opinion), I still can't help but think of the 1961 original as the better movie. Aside from the aforementioned issues of concern, this movie is also replete with harsh dialogue, which at most times, feels out of place and generally causes the movie to be less enjoyable. Furthermore, the story is somewhat weak because it never makes even the slightest attempt to explain to the audience WHY the parents had divorced in the first place, which might have explained why they were so reluctant to get back together, much less face each other, even after the twins had already met.

It may not be as solid as its 1961 counterpart, but `The Parent Trap' remake is still a pretty good movie which should not be missed. It's also worth checking out for any fans of Lindsay Lohan who may have missed her earlier days in the movie business. Other than that, if it comes down to making a choice, then you'd probably better off checking out the 1961 original instead.

The KAB score -

Plot/storyline: 7
Interest Factor: 9
Impartiality Factor: 6
Comedic Value: 9
Lasting Appeal: 7

Overall KAB evaluation: 8.7 super.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8