The Parent Trap

Disney remakes yet another of its beloved live-action films from the 1960s, and the third time's the charm. Unlike the ill-conceived That Darn Cat and Flubber, this remake compares favorably with the original. Hayley Mills is a hard act to follow, but Lindsay Lohan is a natural born charmer as Hallie and Annie, identical twins who meet for the first time at summer camp and discover that they are in fact sisters, separated in infancy by their parents' divorce. Practical joke-playing rivals at first, they get together to try to reunite mom and dad. Director Nancy Meyers and co-writer Charles Shyer bring to this wish-fulfillment fantasy the same high-gloss sheen they gave their Father of the Bride remake. Parents Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson play it straight, leaving the comic relief to a housekeeper and "Soulful Strut"-ing butler, and Elaine Hendrix makes the most of her thankless role as the golddigger whom the girls refer to as Cruella de Vil. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review--May 30, 2005--Walt Disney, 128 min., PG, $19.99--Making its second appearance on DVD, 1998's The Parent Trap: Special Double Trouble Edition comes with a nice transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. DVD extras include an audio commentary (by director Nancy Meyers, producer Charles Shyer, and cinematographer Dean Cundey), the 19-minute featurette “Updating a Classic,” the nine-minute featurette “How Hallie Became Annie” on how they made star Lindsay Lohan into two actresses, the four-minute segment “Accent on Fun” featuring interviews with dialect coaches, and one deleted scene (3 min.). Bottom line: a solid "special edition" for a good remake.]