The Parent Trap II (1986)

The acting in this movie is really good.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

In the original Parent Trap, as everyone knows, Sharon (Hayley Mills) and Susan (also Hayley Mills) were separated at birth by divorcing parents. They met years later at summer camp, wanted to stay close and hatched a plan to get their parents back together again. Now, in the sequel, Sharon (a grown-up Hayley Mills) is also a divorced single mother to Nicole, a pre-teen gal with a good imagination. As it happens, Sharon's ex has remarried and moved on, but Sharon doesn't have the courage to date yet, devoting all of her time to her job and to Nicole. It is Sharon's plan to move to New York City, from Tampa, for a what she sees as a better job opportunity. But Nicole, who has just met a wonderful new friend, Mary, at summer school, does not want to leave Florida. Therefore, Nicole and Mary decide to hatch some matchmaking plans themselves. After all, Mary's father, Bill, is a handsome widower who seems a good match for Sharon. The two little girls even telephone Sharon's twin, Susan (also Hayley Mills), a married Californian, to come to Florida, where she will pose as Sharon and "flirt" with Bill, getting his attention. Can such a plan, er, trap, work? As a youngster in the early sixties, there were few films I enjoyed more than the Parent Trap. Mills was a talented and beautiful young star and the film had considerable "girl power", making it a wonderful choice for my three sisters and myself. Therefore, when I walked into the supermarket and saw a combination DVD of the original and the sequel I never knew existed, I plunked down my ten dollars. It was money well spent. No, the second film is not as worthy as the original but it is still delightful and fun. Mills is quite nice as the "getting-back-on-my-feet" single mother and as the sunnier twin, Susan. Tom Skerritt, as Bill, provides a good-looking and humorous suitor for Sharon while the two young girls in the film are fine, too. While the cinematography and production values are somewhat lacking, there are nice costumes and a pretty Floridian setting. Best of all, the script has originality and zest, especially when it comes to creating situations of mistaken identity. Therefore, if you consider the original movie to be your cup of cinematic tea, do try to find the sequel, too. Any showing of the films together, at a young gals' sleepover, for example, will be a big hit with the audience.

The only thing that saves this gratuitous piece of made-for-TV garbage is the opening credits which remind you how great the first one was. When I was young I would re-watch the credits over and over again, and even eventually taped over the movie but kept the credits. The main characters were terribly acted by the two girls who manage to grate on the nerves pretty much the moment one meets them. The story was uninspired and the supporting cast was boring. No chemistry between Hayley and whats-his-face. Not even comparable to the first one and frankly should be stricken from all records. Except those wonderful opening credits. Hayley was such a doll.

I've always had a soft-spot for this movie. I can't remember a time when I didn't know the original "The Parent Trap." My father is so in love with Hayley Mills that I just barely escaped being named Hayley - in fact, if you want the truth - had my last name not also begun with an "H" it's very likely that it would be my name. Anyway, growing up with a father who is THAT devoted to Hayley Mills, there's no way I could avoid watching this. I saw it the first time it came on in 1986, when I was four years old. No, it's not as good as the original, but I always liked it. It's really cute. The script is well-written. Yes, it borders on the ridiculous, but - HELLO - you want to tell me that "The Parent Trap" doesn't? Nah, they're both unlikely stories, held together by the wonderful Hayley Mills. Tom Skirrett does a wonderful job, and as a child of the '80s, I can't help but mention the two young stars who actually do turn in wonderful performances. First there's little Brigette Andersen - a beautiful little girl (those of us who were kids in the '80s will remember her as Gretel from Faerie Tale Theatre) who sadly, passed away in 1997. And then there's sweet Carrie Kei Heim - who will always be best known to me as Cornelia in "Santa Claus." A spunky red-head who's surprisingly, a very good actress - even if she does look nothing like Hayley Mills. Well, despite its 1980s-made-for-TV-look (there's even a reference to Ralph Macchio - God save us!) I still love this movie, and I always will.

Just about any 80's kid who had the Disney channel remembers this movie with great fondness...this was one of my favorite movies, and my sister and I loved to watch it over and over. I wanted to BE Nikki and Mary...I wanted their clothes, their bikes, their rooms, their parents...they even made me want to go to summer school! (Sort of.) Watching the movie always takes me back to when I was 8 years old and a big fan of the "Parent Trap" movies (I saw the original first). This is a great movie to watch as a kid (especially when you're a girl) since it shows the kids trying to control their parents' destinies by scheming to get them together. It's always fun to watch a movie where the kids are in control, instead of the parents!As for the movie itself, it's a cute and fun sequel to the popular original, but don't expect a movie in the same caliber. This was a made-for-the Disney Channel-movie, after all. And since it's told through the point of view of the kids, it's clearly targeted to a pre-teen audience. Keeping this in mind, you should enjoy the film once you realize that it's completely different than the original in terms of production value, writing, setting, plot, you name it. Fans of Hayley Mills should get a kick out of seeing her reprise her role as the famous twins 25 years later.