Weekend Showdown: The Parent Trap

I bet you didn't know that The Parent Trap was based on a book, huh? It is. It is based on Lottie and Lisa by Erich Kastner, so it qualifies for my weekend showdown. Boo-yah! (Did I just "booyah" The Parent Trap? I'm tired...)

The Parent Trap, in case you don't know, is a movie about two young girls who look an awful lot alike. When they meet at summer camp they hate each other, but eventually find out they are identical twins separated at birth. They cook up a scheme to swap places, forcing their parents to be in the same room with each other and inevitably fall back in love, reuniting the family. Hilarity ensues.

I happen to actually think both versions are cute. Harmless family fun, and I think each is worth watching, particularly if you have kids under 13 around. They'll love these movies, I promise. 

The original version was released in 1961 and starred Hayley Mills as Susan and Sharon.

PROS:

Pro #1: Verbena. You know, the dad's housekeeper? The gossiper who always says "It's none of my never mind, but..." and then dishes everything you ever wanted to know. Hilarious.

Pro #2: This little ditty:


It's adorable. I don't care what you say.

Pro #3: Maureen O'Hara plays the mother in this version. Does anybody else think she is one of the most beautiful women ever to live?

Pro #4: This version was nominated for two Oscars, of which it won one. It was nominated for two Golden Globes and a Grammy.

Pro #5: The split-screen technology was groundbreaking and flawless; especially considering it was all done with razorblades and physical film. 

CONS:
Con #1: Hayley Mills is British. Asking a 15 year old Brit to alternately put on a California-girl accent and a Bostonian accent is asking a lot. Listening to her cover up her gosh-awful attempt with gum chewing is painful. Who thought that gum smacking would make "pahrk the cahr" sound more like "paaak da caaaa"? And then of course, she messes it up and sounds British half the time anyway. Lovely.

Con #2: These haircuts:

 Yikes. 

The remake was released in 1998 with a pre-crazy Lindsay Lohan playing Annie and Hallie.

PROS
Pro #1: Dennis Quaid played the father in this one. Does anyone else think he is underrated and totally awesome?

Pro #2: Lindsay Lohan was 11 when she filmed this. Eleven. years. old. And she is in every single scene. She may be crazy now, but that is one talented little girl.

Pro #3: Actress Joanna Barnes played the "wicked girlfriend" in the original version and plays the mother of the wicked girlfriend in this version. Both characters are named Vicky.That's cute, clever and something that most people wouldn't expect or think of.

Pro #4: Lindsay Lohan puts on a British accent much better than Hayley Mills puts on American accents. 

CONS
Con #1: The mother lives in England. The father lives in northern California. They each send their children to a summer camp in Maine? At least the original was all stateside...

Con #2: They're championship fencers? Fencers? 11 year old fencers? Really?

Con #3: The housekeepers fall for each other, too? Really?

Con #4: You should check out the list of continuity errors for this film. It is ridiculous. For a film released in 1998, when the production company knows that people are going to see this on DVD for time and all eternity, they should know better than to throw out errors like that. tsk, tsk.

The Original Parent Trap: 5 Pros, 2 Cons
The New Parent Trap: 4 Pros, 4 Cons

That tells me that the original actually wins this time around. My mother will be so happy :) And I'm sorry that you will be singing "Let's Get Together" for the next 24 hours.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments?
Images: Google Images
Video: YouTube