The Parent Trap (1961)
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The Parent Trap Movie Review
The Parent Trap is a 1961 family romantic comedy film directed by David Swift and starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith. It’s a family classic.
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“I’m not saying a word.
Not one single word“
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Identical twins Hallie and Annie are separated after their parents’ divorce. Years later, they discover each other at a summer camp and decide to switch places in an effort to reunite their parents. This was one of the most famous Disney movies released during the sixties, a time when the studio shifted focus from animated to live-action fare. I’ve never seen this movie before in my life until this point and that was a mistake as it’s truly outstanding.
It is difficult to make a live-action kids movie that will stand the test of time, but somehow that’s what Disney managed to do with The Parent Trap. Yes, the plot is predictable in its third act as we all know from the very beginning that the two families will reunite, but the journey matters and it was fantastic.
This is a textbook example of how to properly do a script for a children’s movie. Not a single moment here was prolonged in any way. The editing is truly exceptional. So many of these movies feature scenes that are dragged and conflicts that are milked for all they’re worth, but not this picture as here everything gets resolved in a reasonably short amount of time, resulting in a briskly paced, continuously engaging tale that truly swept me.
Hayley Mills was incredible in this film. It’s crazy to think about, but this one actress played both sisters and their scenes together are all the case of an editing trick. Truly Philip W. Anderson, the editor is the one worthy of most praise for this production. He rightfully received an Academy Award nomination for his work.
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But going back to Mills, she is delightfully radiant throughout the picture as her performance is effective and quite nuanced. She is utterly believable as both Sharon and Susan, and both sisters were given their own little quirks to properly differentiate them. The characterization is terrific here.
Maureen O’Hara and Brian Keith also deserve praise for their respective roles as the parents. She is very sweet and quite fun while Keith got to play such a well developed, complex character. Their interactions are immensely charming and playful. The film moved heavily into the romantic comedy territory in the second half, but it wholly worked as the dialogue that the two were given was so good and their chemistry was evident in every scene. The villainous girlfriend character was, on the other hand, too one-note, albeit essential for the narrative.
The Parent Trap has a premise that would now seem too familiar, but back then it was quite fresh. It’s the type of story that is perfectly fitted to the movie medium, which resulted in a timeless picture that is predictable, but exemplifying that amazing execution trumps the material every single time.
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The cinematography, production design and directing are all top-notch while the pacing is fantastic. It’s a long movie for a children’s flick, but it’s filled with so many interesting turns and developments that it was riveting to me from beginning to end. You should not underestimate the populist and lighthearted approach to telling this story as behind it the characters and the relationships that it develops and the dialogue that they give to each person are all surprisingly sophisticated and nuanced.
Populated by well developed and likable characters and featuring excellent dialogue, The Parent Trap is a family classic that has stood the test of time and is just as enjoyable now as it was back then. Benefitting enormously from its stellar, deservedly Oscar-nominated editing, this is a flick that is consistently engaging, clever and charmingly playful and lightweight. It succeeds as both a great kid flick and a stupendous romantic comedy, resulting in one of Disney’s finest live-action efforts.
My Rating – 4.5
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