The Parent Trap II (1986)

Sadly Over-hyped

Better Late Then Never

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

In this movie Haley Mills has passed the torch and her character's children are up to antics this go round! Fun movie! I love the location of the movie, set in Tampa. Lots of beautiful scenery! This was filmed in 1985 and the wardrobe reflects that! This can always be a great reference for mid-80's period clothing!

Released to TV in 1986, "The Parent Trap II" is a sequel to the popular 1961 film. It's 25 years later and so the twin sisters, Sharon and Susan (both played by Hayley Mills) are in their late 30s. Sharon is single with a daughter in Florida while Susan is married and lives in California. Sharon's daughter (Carrie Kei Heim) teams up with her best friend (Bridgette Andersen) to match-up her mother with her friend's father (Tom Skerritt). Susan secretly flies in from California to help the girls in their 'parent trap.' While this sequel is nowhere close to being as good as the original, it's a must-see for fans of the latter. After all, you get to see what Sharon and Susan look like 25 years later and what they're doing. The two girls are cute and amiable despite their well-intended, but deceptive antics. Because this is such a lesser movie than the original people tend to over-criticize it, but it's really not that bad. It's fun and continues the story, plus it doesn't overstay its welcome.The movie runs 81 minutes and was shot in Tampa Florida.GRADE: B-

Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the original Parent Trap movie. The story line of that film is charming and there is plenty of witty, humorous dialogue. This film, the second installment, lacks the wit and charm of the original film. The story line is lame, the dialogue falls flat, and the outcome is exactly what any viewer would predict. Additionally, there are repeated references by the two main child actresses to the opposite parent's hotness, great body, etc., which I found inappropriate and a little bizarre. Why not focus on their character, sense of humor, intelligence, or excellent parenting skills instead? Hayley Mills must have been desperate for a paycheck to agree to starring in this ridiculous sequel. Ugh.

I like this movie. I am an adult female in my 20's and when I was little this was a favorite of mine. It's very cute, and it portrays well how friends are as children. I mean, when I was little my friends and I used to giggle and talk about how cool it would be if we were sisters (although we never actually tried to make it happen). This is just a fun movie. But...this movie, in my opinion, has very little to do with the original. Thank goodness it at least had Hayley Mills in it. Other than that and a brief reference or two to the original (like a picture of the young Susan/Sharon in a tent while camping), Parent Trap II is it's own separate movie. I think fans of the original such as myself would have LOVED for a Parent Trap sequel to focus on more other characters from the first one. We don't find out how Mom and Dad are doing (Mitch and Maggie), and we don't know anything about Susan's children that she says "are in camp." I realize that the focus is on Sharon's daughter Nikki and that's what Parent Trap II is based on. It would have been so nice to have more in the movie with details of the whole family. So it's better to watch this movie as it's own original, while getting a little kick out of seeing Hayley as a mom, but if you love the original don't expect that same magic.