The Premise Of The Parent Trap
I’ve never watched The Parent Trap, so I never thought too much about the premise. But today, as I wash every dirty dish in my kitchen (also know as “every dish in my kitchen, period”), I am left with The Parent Trap (unless I want to watch some parades, which I really freakin’ don’t). God forbid I should clean without a TV on. That’s just never going to happen.
Anyway, the premise of The Parent Trap. Two girls meet at camp. They turn out to be identical twins. One is raised by the British mother, one is raised by the American father. The two never knew of each other’s existence until a chance meeting at summer camp. They decide to switch places so they can meet the other parent, and possibly get them back together.
Wha?
Here’s what we are expected to believe.
- The parents willingly split identical twins apart, like separating a set of matching bookends. La la la, you take one, I’ll take one.
- Each child was so interchangeable with the other that neither parent wanted contact with the other child. Why bother? They’re identical. If you know one, you know the other.
- Neither parent seems to miss, in the slightest way, the other child. No trauma. None.
- Despite this fact, both parents seem loving and involved. Is it possible that they were both hypnotized after the birth of the twins, and led to believe that they were each the single parent of one newborn?
- Up until the sisters meet, neither one has thought to ask about the existence of the other parent.
- When the girls switch places, only the dog notices a difference between the two.
I love the movies.
Bobby Goat GRUFF! said,
November 22, 2007 at 12:19 pm
What do you mean implausible?
I wrote that story. It is autobiographical.
I mean, you do have a point that it messed a bit with my head. That’s why I got a sex change. But, I’m all fully recovered and am now happily mated to my identical twin (who also got a sex change — different sexed identical twins wouldn’t be all that identical would they now?)
dashofpanache said,
November 22, 2007 at 12:41 pm
I know, it glosses over reality almost as much as a Frank Capra flick.
stevo said,
November 22, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Ah, Hollywood. A Disney/Touchstone picture, no?
I wonder what is more believable: The gardener character in a porn movie asking the hot French maid for a drink of water (when he could easily drink from the hose) or the above mentioned tripe?
pmousse said,
November 22, 2007 at 6:03 pm
I was going to make almost the same comment as Stevo, except referring to so-called reality TV (watching Survivor – China right now).
I see you still can’t stop thinking about French maids, by the way, Stevo.
Suzy said,
November 22, 2007 at 7:05 pm
As someone who’s raised children to adulthood, I think it’s a wonderful idea to forget about several of them at birth. They need to borrow so much more money as they get older.
Of course, I could never forget about you or the other two triplets.
Corina said,
November 22, 2007 at 8:17 pm
To be fair, in the movie (it was my daughter’s favorite for a while) both of the girls had been told that the other parent had died tragically. Each had a half of a photo that showed the other parent in it. At camp, they matched the halves. That’s how they figured it out.
Did you miss the first part or something?
The original was better, of course.
heathenly said,
November 22, 2007 at 9:17 pm
I missed that part! I was in the other room and I heard them doing something with photographs, but I didn’t know that the other parent was supposed to be dead! That’s even worse! Okay, so neither of these kids is mad at their lying parent who deprived them of a parent and a twin? Neither of them feels abandoned by their absentee parent who was all, la la la, see ya never!?
No wonder Lindsay Lohan turned out all fucked up.
Wanda Rizzuto said,
November 23, 2007 at 7:41 am
The Parent Trap is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. (The original with Haley Mills of course, not that Lindsay Lohan crap. I’m not part of the problem).
And since you’re my conjoined triplet that means it has to be one of your favorite guilty pleasures too.
pandemonic said,
November 23, 2007 at 8:11 am
I think the orginal was better as well. But you bring up some good points, which is why I always viewed the movie as more or less a Disney fairy tale and nothing more.
Except for Pocahontas though… now that was real. An American Indian with glorious cleavage, tiny waistline and bitchin’ rear end.
jojovtx1800 said,
November 23, 2007 at 11:20 am
I never really got into the Disney movies, except for the “Herbie”, and of course we know what happened when they remade that classic starring a teen drunkard.
Bobby Goat GRUFF! said,
November 23, 2007 at 1:05 pm
My kids went to far as to explicitly differentiate between Disney movies and Disney-Pixar movies. They stated quite emphatically that they hate Disney movies.
Val said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:11 pm
OMG are you making fun? Even LV likes that movie. Here’s what I see when I watch it:
1.) Dennis. Beautiful, beautiful Dennis.
2.) Lovely shots of Napa Valley.
3.) Dennis on a horse.
4.) Sweet little Li-Lo.
5.) More Dennis.
heathenly said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:24 pm
But VAL, the premise is so duuuuuuuumb! Give me Freaky Friday any day!
Wanda Rizzuto said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:27 pm
Yeah, Freaky Friday is much more believable.
In other news, I clicked on that little “false worth” doohicky you have over yonder on the sidebar. Why do you suppose your blog and my blog are worth exactly the same amount? Do you think they know we’re related?
heathenly said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:34 pm
Freaky Friday is TOTALLY believable.
Do you think we might be long-lost conjoined triplets? I’m gonna go check my blog again, see if my blog value has increased. Anyone wants to give me $7k can have my damn blog, btw. Send $ PayPal.
Val said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:35 pm
I know, but I like to live in movie make believe land sometimes. I am watching Home Alone right now because it is now a Christmas classic for me.
heathenly said,
November 23, 2007 at 5:40 pm
What did we learn from Home Alone? That kids are obviously totally fine left to their own devices while the parents take a Maui vacation. Right? Right? I mean, that kid is resourceful. I wouldn’t worry about a thing– I’d just lie on the beach with my daquiri and not give childcare a second thought.
Beth said,
November 24, 2007 at 6:01 am
And the fiancee in Parent Trap? She looks mean. All of the time, mean.
Heathenly, you’re an excellent mixer-upper of plots: Home Alone had them all going to Oui Oui Francie France. All but one kid makes it out of the house and Catherine O’Hara rides in a cargo van through a blizzard with a Polka band to get back to him.
It was super annoying but peppered with sweetly gests.
Parent Trap: preposterous even without the dead parent B.S. And nice Princess Bride fencing rip-off. Everyone knows girls can’t fence. OR do math. (Brrp.)
I keep thinking of the movie that Doris Day did with James Garner, Move Over Darling, where she returned to her family after being stranded on a desert island for five years. On the day her husband remarried. And in the hotel where Doris & James had honeymooned. Que cute. Oui.
Now THAT is an “implausible … but not!” movie that’s worth watching. Sort of.
Wow, the point: The Parent Trappers definitely modeled the hotel sightings and dashings and dartings ordealios after that one.
And I’m sorry to report that the Parent Trap fiancees’ hairdo seemed every bit as over-done as the ladies in Move Over Darling. A hairdon’t, if you will. :]
heathenly said,
November 24, 2007 at 9:13 am
Oh, I know they don’t go to Maui. I go to Maiu.
Sarah said,
November 24, 2007 at 10:56 am
I have to admit that I used to watch the original Haley Mills version whenever my parents let me rent a movie. I think it drove my sister nuts. And in that version, I think the Grandpa realizes the twins switch as well, not just the dog. 8>)
heathenly said,
November 24, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Well, yes, in all fairness, the grandfather and the… live-in… whatever she is figures it out.
After the dog.
davidrochester said,
November 24, 2007 at 11:50 pm
Film really requires great suspension of disbelief. The other day I saw Rear Window, which despite being enjoyable, has as many holes as a piece of Havarti cheese… not least being the insurance nurse who comes over to give Jimmy Stewart a “therapeutic” massage for exactly as long as it takes them to have their plot-advancing conversation (three minutes). And why doesn’t he lock the door when he hears Thorwald on the stairs? Geez.
kmcdade said,
November 28, 2007 at 4:55 pm
Forget about Lindsay Lohan. Only the original version counts.
And there are two versions of Freaky Friday, too…hmmm…..
crawdaddy52 said,
December 30, 2007 at 5:35 pm
Only the original version for sure. It is a classic. Not meant to be over analyzed just enjoyed for what is was…fluff with a happy ending and lots of highjinks and shenanigans in between.
Bee said,
July 31, 2008 at 4:43 am
Just discovered you and had to leave a little note to say this is hilarious.
And I have to say that it’s the fantasy of discovering one’s double that is the appeal. At last! Not alone!