The Parent Trap II

Talk about a bad sequel. Don't see this film-then again you probably can't. It was a made for TV film, and I have only seen it aired late at night on the Disney channel since. Bad script...bad acting... bad movie... stay with the original. 1/5 stars--

JOHN ULMER

OK, so looking back on this movie now that I'm an adult, I realize it is probably not the most quality movie I have ever seen. But as a kid, I loved it. I taped it off of the Wonderful World of Disney and watched it over and over. There are some very funny lines, and I love how the maid is nosy, just like in the first movie. But my main problem is how can Haley Mills, a blond, have a daughter who's a red head? If you loved the first Parent Trap, see the sequel, just so you can know what happens to Susan and Sharon once they're all grown up.

Favorite line: "All right, but he's really cute. For a minute I thought he was Ralph Machio."

Some pretty outrageous events took place in this movie! First, Nicki Ferris and Mary Grand meet and become friends. Nicki's mom, Sharon Ferris, announces they are moveing to New York, Nicki doesn't want to go, so she and Mary put their heads together and come up with some ideas that are out of this world! (Why couldn't I think of something like that?) She gets her Aunt Susan Cary involved and she actually agrees to help! No grown up, especially a married one, would agree to impersonate someone and date a man she doesn't know. This is just too funny!

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.

I did not expect to enjoy this, and yet I did.

'The Parent Trap II' somehow, despite a cavernous 25-year gap from the original, manages to create a suitably entertaining sequel. The premise to this one is arguably the more realistic of the two, though the characters themselves actually react more unrealistically - it's kinda odd, but actually works.

Nikki and Mary are the child stars of this, the former is the daughter of Sharon and niece of Susan; both of whom are the leads in 1961's 'The Parent Trap'. The aforementioned are again portrayed by Hayley Mills, somewhat surprisingly but very much welcome. She does a good job, as do Carrie Kei Heim (Nikki) and Bridgette Andersen (Mary). Tom Skerritt plays the role of Bill competently, also.

It most definitely isn't a great production and isn't a patch on the first one. However, for what it is - a made-for-TV sequel - I actually rate it. I don't hold high hopes for the other two follow-ups, though perhaps they'll surprise me like this did.