Books vs Movies: The Parent Trap.
Twin love wins the day.
Parent Trap (1998) was one of those movies I watched as a child and fell instantly in love with. My love for twins might have originated from that moment. I have never hidden my love for twins and those close to me can attest to that.
I admire the camaraderie; the bond that would most likely last for a lifetime, being alike but different, how they could switch places and do all sorts of pranks and get away with it ( sometimes), the matching clothes etc. What I love most is that they are identical.
I know there are fraternal twins, but I have always stated that if twins are not identical, they should come as a boy and a girl. I have seen twins of the same sex who look nothing alike- like nothing alike and that's a big blow to identical twin lovers but enough of my love for twins and straight to the review.
The movie has remained a beloved classic and one that brings a smile to my face. So imagine my joy when I discovered that it was based on a book — Lisa and Lottie by Erich Kästner.
I had gone digging and researching a series a friend and I were working on when I discovered the book and pronto, I got the book and dived into it.
Lisa and Lottie was a beautiful read, it took me an hour and it was worth it. It is a children’s book so it was easy to understand and straight to the point. Instead of Napa, California, and London, it was Munich and Vienna. The storyline is still the same but the movie had to adapt to suit their new surrounding which was fine by me.
Instead of being a wedding gown designer, their mom was a picture editor at a newspaper company and their dad was a wealthy conductor instead of a wealthy American vineyard owner.
Their names were also changed -Hallie Parker and Annie James/ Lisa Palfy and Lottie Körner while their parents were Nicholas “Nick” Parker and Elizabeth James / Arnold Palfy and Lisalottie Körner.
Meredith/ Irene was also less roguish in the book than in the book. She wasn’t as calculating and I believe she did like him not just for his money.
The twin’s ages are also different, they were 9 instead of 11. They were able to reconcile faster in the books than in the movie. I don’t want to add any more so I don’t spoil the book for those who haven’t read it so I will stop here.
Now that I have read the book, for the first time, I am warmed by the two versions. I wouldn’t take anything out of the movie and I love the book too. They are both wholesome in their way. Although the movie didn’t follow the book entirely, I accept their difference and would continue to hold them dear to my heart.
4 well-deserved stars for the movie and the book.
