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The Parent Trap (1961) More at IMDbPro »

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57 comments in total

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17 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Sassy, warm and genuinely funny, 2 October 2001
Author: TJBNYC (limboultra@aol.com)

"Family" movies usually make me cringe. Saccharine plots, cloying kiddie actors, goopy dialogue...no, thank you! But "The Parent Trap" succeeds admirably as both children-friendly fare and reasonably witty, sophisticated comedy.

The high-class production values don't hurt, and neither does the superb cast, right down to the character roles. The ever-dependable Una Merkel is a gem as the smart-talking maid, having lost none of her streetwise timing since her brassy blonde days in the 1930's. Charlie Ruggles is extraordinarily lovable as the grandfather, and Cathleen Nesbitt plays wonderfully against type as the domineering grandmother. Leo G. Carroll once again benefits a film simply by his appearance, and even Nancy "Miss Hathaway" Kulp is on board as a butch camp counselor (quite a stretch).

Of course, at the heart of it all, is the bravura performance of Hayley Mills as twins Susan and Sharon. She's never revoltingly sweet--there's a winning streak of spice in her personality that separates her from all other child stars. Plus, her kicky pre-Beatles British accent and snub-nosed beauty lend her a more worldly air than her contemporaries.

The ravishing Maureen O'Hara, in one of her last major roles as the twins' mother, Maggie, begins the film as a nondescript cipher, but her glamorous metamorphosis in the latter half of the film shows just how funny and sexy she can be. Mitch, the twins' father, is played by the ruggedly handsome Brian Keith, who generates the right mixture of roughneck toughness and paternal warmth.

And the criminally-overlooked Joanna Barnes plays Vicki, the predatory golddigger looking to sink her claws into Mitch. Vicki's verbal duels with Maggie and the twins are surprisingly catty for a children's film, and delivered with perfect villainy.

The very 1961 flourishes are priceless: the hopelessly tone-deaf Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello "singing" the theme song; the "formal" dance, with the girls all decked out in crinolines and laces; Susan plastering her bungalow wall with pictures of her favorite pin up boys (Rick Nelson!); and, my personal favorites, Sharon and Susan showing each other their parents' photos: hyper-posed, glamorous Hollywood 8x10 glossies!

The plot actually plays like a highly sanitized Rock Hudson/Doris Day bedroom farce, except that Susan and Sharon direct the course of action. You know what the ending will be even before you watch the movie, but it doesn't really matter. This is a delicious bon-bon of a flick, as irresistible to adults as to their children.

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19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Wonderful Family Film with winning performances, 30 July 2000

Author: tex-42

Hayley Mills does a spectacular job playing twins Sharon and Susan who are split up at birth and then reunited at summer camp. Of course they plan to reunite their divorced parents before a new woman can get her hands on their father! It's not hard to see why this film has remained popular, Mills, O'Hara, and Keith all are wonderful, and even if the story isn't the most believable it is perfectly suited for younger viewers. Forget the 1998 remake, stick with the original.

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16 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my all time favorites!, 25 June 1999
Author: Rebecca from Tennessee

This movie always brings me back to my childhood days, it is perfect for whenever I feel nostaglic! This version is WAY better than the 1998 remake, for the remake is too silly and cheesy (at least for me!) I always enjoy this movie, and feel good at the end because I have traveled back in time to my younger days. I hope my children will feel the same in the near future. **** out of ****

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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A Classic Charmer, 8 April 2005

Author: gftbiloxi (gftbiloxi@yahoo.com) from Biloxi, Mississippi

Although the split-screen technique had been around for a decade or so, it was usually more noted for its failures than its success, and the actor required to play dual roles usually took tremendous heat for their failure to create two physically identical but distinctly different characterizations on screen. But with THE PARENT TRAP, with the difficult dual role resting on the shoulders of an extremely young star, Walt Disney struck gold. It would be the single highest grossing film the studio had released up to that time, and even some forty years later the baby-boomers who flocked to see it in 1961 regard it as one of their favorite movie experiences.

But THE PARENT TRAP has a lot more going for it than mere nostalgia. The cast is really, really good, featuring the ever-likable Maureen O'Hara and Brian Keith in leading roles and a host of great character actors (including Leo G. Carroll and Nancy Kulp) in minor roles. And then there is Haley Mills. The daughter and sister of noted English actors, Mills was no newcomer to the screen when THE PARENT TRAP went before the cameras--she had even picked up an Oscar for her earlier Disney film POLLYANNA. Even so, this was no guarantee that she could pull off the feat of double roles, something that had daunted even the legendary Bette Davis. But she did.

The story has been told so often that surely every one knows it by now. A wife delivers twin daughters--but shortly afterward divorces her husband, and each wins custody of one child. The children are raised without any knowledge of each other's existence... until they unexpectedly bump into each other at summer camp, put two and two together, and devise a scheme to get their parents back together again.

Even today, and in spite of its familiarity, it's an amusing idea, and while the actual script is weak in spots the cast, and especially Haley Mills, makes the most of it. There's plenty of slapstick, lots of laugh-out-loud scenes, and enough charm to beguile all but the most cynical viewers. And Haley Mills clearly demonstrates why she was regarded as the single most gifted child actor of her era: although she plays both Susan and Sharon with the same edge of mischievous fun, they do indeed come off as completely different personalities.

Of course, digital technology has left the old split-screen technique in the dust, and today its easy to see the flaws in the technique that weren't so obvious at the time. And the quality of the film transfer is not the best: while this isn't the worst transfer I've seen, it is full of artifacts nonetheless. Even so, the appeal of the story, the cast, and most particularly Haley Mills make up for a lot, and this Disney double DVD comes complete with a host of bonuses (including a making-of documentary and an audio commentary track by director David Swift and Haley Mills) that fans will enjoy quite a bit.

If you were a fan of the film then, you'll remain a fan of it now. And if you want to introduce your family to a truly charming movie experience, you couldn't make a better choice.

Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer

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13 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
EXCELLENT family movie. Fun and light-hearted., 28 September 1998

Author: Steven M. Kaden from Las Vegas, NV

The Parent Trap is one of those ageless family movies. It is light-hearted and filled with down-to-earth humor. Without a doubt you will see this listed as one of those Disney classics.

This is a must see for the whole family but especially for those children with the vivid imagination.

Steve Kaden

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12 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my all time favorites!!!, 19 September 2004

Author: blancd from Denver, Colo.

I love the movie, always have. But then, why wouldn't I? Brian Keith and Maureen O'Hara, and Hayley Mills? Excellent cast. My parents took me to see this movie when I was a kid -- [I was born in 1955] so I wasn't too old and I totally loved it. I own the VHS and will probably have to buy the DVD, if I can find it.

Joanna Barnes is the woman you love to hate -- god wasn't she just wicked and terrible in this movie? You just hate her!!! Calling Hayley - pet, in that exaggerated way. UGH!

Brian Keith, god I just loved this man! Loved him in Family Affair too! Always such a good actor. [Some other favorites; Those Calloways, The Pleasure Seekers, Nevada Smith, and especially, With Six you get Eggroll.] Maureen O'Hara, what a wonderful actress. I loved her in this movie, but then love her in any and everything she's done really [some other favorites are; McLintock! and Spencer's Mountain].

Cute, cute movie.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
Great Family Movie, 27 May 1999
Author: Marsha Walker from WV, USA

I loved the parent trap. I think that it is an excellent family movie. Too bad that we can't get back to good family movies such as this one. The only thing is that I couldn't figure out who I liked best Susan or Sharon.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
One of my favourites, 8 November 2000
Author: Peter Rasmussen Denmark from Odder, Denmark

This is one of the best Disney movies ever made. It is funny, warm, and it is something everybody can enjoy. To watch this in the twenty first century is a wonderful trip back in time. This movie is very 60's, but that does not make it out of date, the tricks and gags are timeless. I loved this movie when I saw it for the first time many years ago. Therefore, when the new 1998 remake came out, I had to see that too. The new one is also sweet and warm, but the original version is the best. If you see this version first and then all or some of the new afterwards (as I tried, for fun, one was on TV and I have the other on DVD), the new one reveals itself as being superficial and a bit cheasy compared to the original.

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Spectacular!!!, 18 June 2002

Author: JenBluffheid from Paisley, Scotland

This movie is one of the best sixties one out there. It is much better than the 1998 version. Haley Mills plays both characters to perfection (as always), and it has a great plot with unexpected twists and turns. You really should see this!!!

~Jen

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
100% Perfect, 26 March 2000

Author: sjdean (sjdean@simtext.demon.co.uk) from Birmingham, England

Wow. I cant get enough of this film. Im not going to compare it with the 1998 version, because even though they have the same name and same basic plot, they are two different styles so how people can say one is better than the other is beyond me. But, the 1961 version IS better.

It has everything, comedy, romance, sadness, the acting is superb, not just from Hayley Mills, but you have Brian Keith as Mitch, and Rev. Mosby, 'Bourbon, Double, On the rocks'. I cannot fault this film and cant wait to watch it again.

One of the best films ever made.

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