The Parent Trap

The Parent Trap is currently streaming in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Disney Plus, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. It knows exactly what kind of film it is from the opening scene, and never loses that thread. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Lindsay Lohan — stay for everyone else around them. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Disney Plus.

There is a reason The Parent Trap keeps coming up in conversation. The jokes in The Parent Trap land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Hallie Parker and Annie James are identical twins who were separated at a young age due to their parents' divorce. Unbeknownst to their parents, the girls are sent to the same summer camp, where they meet, discover the truth about their relationship, and come up with a plan to switch places in an effort to reunite their mother and father. Between them, Lindsay Lohan and Dennis Quaid carry the comedy without ever forcing it. The Parent Trap came out in 1998. The Parent Trap earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

The Parent Trap is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Lindsay Lohan is funny in a way that holds up on rewatch. Put it on when you need something guaranteed to land.