The Parent Trap1961The Parent Trap
1961
Two girls from opposite coasts meet at summer camp and discover, to their shock, that they're identical twins, separated as babies when their parents divorced. They swap places to meet the parents they never knew and hatch a plan to bring the family back together.
The default: films the whole family can watch together; any scary or intense moments for the littlest viewers are flagged in the Context Notes.
Why it’s here
Twins split by their parents' divorce scheme to make their family whole again. It treats a reunited marriage and home as something worth fighting for.
Context notes
For parents, before you press play.
Divorce is at the center of the story, and the twins deceive both parents by swapping places to reunite them; the deception is played as charming and rewarded, so it's worth a talk about honesty. The father's fiancée slaps one girl, and adults drink cocktails and smoke.
The Parent Trap (1961)
Discussion questions
When the credits end, go around the room. Each person gives the film a score out of ten and says why.
- Why did Susan and Sharon want their parents back together?
- Was it right for the girls to trick their parents? Why or why not?
- What did you think of Vicky?
- What do you think made Mitch and Maggie fall in love again?
Content advisory
Common Sense Media 6+: a woman slaps a girl; slapstick; adults drink and smoke; mild "birds and the bees" jokes.
Trailer
Best edition
The disc comes first.
The Parent Trap Blu-ray (Disney Movie Club Exclusive)
Blu-ray · April 24, 2018
Coming later
Where to stream
Streaming services are not listed yet. When they are, this note stays secondary to the disc.