Movies that Put Life into Perspective: The Parent Trap-1998 (Trapped on Duty Night Three)

Cut to a fourteen year old awkward Kevin Dillon; he is a bit of a lonely kid, and spends most of his time with his sister and parents.  At fourteen I did not fit in with the popular crowd, nor did I have many friends who understood who I was (heck I didn't even understand myself).  One of the most important things was going to the movies with my family, and then after sitting down with in our home and having our ritual movie nights. They were the same movies, and we watched them over and over again.  They meant, and still do mean so much to me as adult.  As I was flipping through the channels I saw that The Parent Trap (1998) was on HBO, and I had to record it.  Being trapped on duty helped me to relive those wonderful family moments.

The Parent Trap was one of the Dillon family standards.  Lindsay Lohan was still cute, and had not touched hard drugs, or been imprisoned.  Nathasha Richardson (may she rest in peace) was glowing and looked like a younger version of her talented mother.  Dennis Quaid was at his peak and had never been sexier, or more charming.

While the original Parent Trap (1961) is a classic, my family and I always watched the remake.  This is one of those rare occasions where the remake is just so cute, and charming that you can't help to fall in love with this film.  Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, It's Complicated, and Something's Gotta Give) wrote and directed this film.  Looking at her resume proves to be a chick flick a-thon, but there is this magical charm within her films that is irresistible; she has this magic wand she waves and there is this automatic gooey feeling that is channeled within my stomach.  I kinda love this feeling, and may just have to watch one of her other films tonight I own most of them, and did not even realize this fact. I am not someone who likes to admit this often, but the fact that it's making me think of days from my childhood is just hard to resist.

Being stuck on duty has forced me to not only clean my apartment, but to be able to sit down, and re-watch some of my favorite films.  Movies provide me with such a nostalgic feeling, especially this one.  I remember my sister owning the VHS, and how she and I would sit and watch this over and over and over again.  While watching the film I had to text her to tell her I was thinking of her, and then she texted me a picture of her funny Halloween costume.  This only led me to the realization that we are no longer children; she is 20 and I am 27, it's an odd feeling, and as you watch films from your childhood you cant help but think about the days past, and the magical effect of film.