The Parent Trap (1998)

The Parent Trap (1998) Full Recap

A girl named Harie arrives at a summer camp and meets two girls who figure out that she's from California. The girls ask if Harley lives in Hollywood or next to a superstar, but she just laughs and says she has never even been to that part of California. She adds that she lives in Napa with her dad, Nick, who owns a vineyard. Almost immediately, Halley and the other girls realize that they're in the same bunk, and they look excited.

As they head to their bunk, a British girl named Annie arrives at the camp with her butler, Martin, who ensures that she has packed everything she needs. He also gives her a deck of cards and says she might find someone at the camp who can beat her at poker. Annie says it's unlikely, but she still takes the deck. She also thanks Martin for bringing her all the way from London.

This makes Martin emotional and he hugs her while saying she can always call him to pick her up if she doesn't like the camp. After this, they do their special handshake and greeting before Martin leaves. Have fun, old bean. Interestingly, Annie looks just like Hie, and while they're at the cafeteria, they stand next to each other, but don't realize it.

The camp director, Marva Senior, soon stands between them to serve herself. She then turns to Harie and asks if she would like some strawberries, but Halley says she's allergic and walks away. Marva Senior then turns to her other side and asks if Annie would like some. Annie says she's allergic, and Marva Senior looks confused and says Annie just told her that.

She then wonders how Annie quickly moved to her other side, but Annie just walks away. Shortly after, Harley defeats her opponent in a fencing match, and the instructor mentions that she's still the undefeated champion. While Hie is talking to her new friends about her victory, the instructor asks if anyone would like to try their luck against Harie, Annie hears this while walking with her friends, and she says she'd like to try. The instructor just tells Annie to get ready without looking at her face.

After Annie wears her fencing gear, she faces off against Harie and the match goes on for a while. Annie happens to be a very good fencer and she pushes Harley into a small pool of water to win the match. Annie immediately apologizes and tries to help Harley out, but Harley just pulls her in. This gets Annie pissed, but the instructor suddenly shows up and calls her the winner.

She also tells the girls to face each other and shake hands. As the girls take off their masks, they look shocked to see that they look alike. The instructor and some other girls in the area also look shocked. And as the girls shake hands, they feel a strange connection. Hi then pretends not to know why people are staring at them, but Annie says it's because they look alike.

Hi says she looks much better and she also insults Annie who doesn't like this. Before they can fight each other, the instructor quickly separates them. That night, Annie plays poker against some of the girls in her bunk and she beats them easily. As she asks if there's anyone who wants to try to beat her.

So that's it. No more takers. Harie shows up and says she'll try. The two girls seem to be quite good and Harley suggests making a deal to get the loser to jump into the nearby lake. After the game, Annie seems confident and agrees. But eventually wins the game. Annie cannot believe this, but she accepts defeat and agrees to jump into the lake.

Just as Annie does this, Harley packs her clothes and runs away with some other girls. This leaves Annie shocked. And after she gets out of the lake, she seems bent on taking revenge. The next morning, as Harley and her friends return to their bunk after breakfast, they see their beds on the roof.

Harie looks pissed and realizes that Annie had something to do with it. That night, she sneaks into Annie's bunk with her friends to set some booby traps around the room. The next morning, Annie and the other girls look shocked to see the weird things in their room, and they also get caught by some of the booby traps. Hi and her friends look excited as they watch this from outside the room.

However, Marva Senior and her daughter Marva Jr. show up for a surprise inspection. Surprise inspection. Harley looks shocked and tries to stop them from going into Annie's bunk. Marva Senior doesn't understand this, but it turns out that Harley is trying to stop her from pulling the door because there's a trap attached to it.

Annie figures this out and convinces Marva Senior to move out of the way. As Marva Senior does this and opens the door, she unknowingly triggers the release of a strange slimy liquid to pour over her and her daughter. The women also slide into the room and a set of other traps gets triggered. Marva Senior isn't happy about this and she angrily tells Hari and Annie to pack their bags.

Shortly after, Marva Senior and her daughter take the girls to an isolation cabin where they'll remain together until the camp closes. The girls don't look pleased, and on their first night in the cabin, they fight over leaving the lights on or off. The isolation cabin. The next day, Hari arranges some pictures on the wall, and as a strange wind nearly blows them away, she tries to close the window.

As she struggles with it, Annie helps her out, and they manage to close it. They look happy about this, and Annie helps Harie pick up some of the pictures that fell. Harley then shows Annie a picture of one of her favorite actors, but Annie doesn't seem to know who he is. Harley looks surprised and asks how far she lives in Britain.

Annie says she lives in London, and Harley mentions that she's from California. She also shows Annie a picture of her house with her dad's face not being visible. Annie then asks about the man in the picture, and Harley says it's her dad. She adds that he's kind of like her best friend because they do everything together.

Annie looks sad and heads back to sit on her bed. Harley asks what's wrong, but Annie says she's just feeling cold. Harley then offers her some Oreos and Annie says she likes eating them with peanut butter. Harley looks surprised and says she likes the same thing, even though most people think it's weird.

As they sit together again, Harie asks about Annie's dad. Annie says she has never met him before because he and her mom got divorced when she was a baby. She adds that her mom, Elizabeth, doesn't even talk about it and it's like he just evaporated into thin air. Halie says it's scary how nobody stays together anymore because her dad also got divorced when she was a baby.

Harley then asks how old Annie is and she says she'll be 12 on October 11th. Harley nearly chokes on her biscuit and says it's weird because they have the same birthday. As Harley then steps out of the cabin, Annie asks what her mom is like. Hi says she has never met her mom and that her dad barely talks about her.

She adds that the only thing she knows about her mom is that she's very beautiful. Annie asks how knows and Harley says her dad once gave her a picture of her mom to keep. Annie looks shocked, but Hie just suggests going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Annie then tells Harie to stop thinking about her stomach for a moment.

Because it's weird that they have a lot of things in common. She adds that she has a picture of her dad which looks like it was ripped right down the middle. Hi finds this weird because hers is just like that and as the girls put the picture together, they realize that it's from when Elizabeth and Nick had a date on a cruise ship called the Queen Elizabeth 2. The girls look shocked and realize that they're twins whose parents separated many years ago.

Later that night, Harie asks Annie what their mom is like. Annie says she designs wedding gowns and is becoming popular. The girls then talk about how their parents have never thought about getting married again since their divorce. Almost immediately, Harley comes up with an idea and suggests switching places so she can meet Elizabeth while Annie meets Nick.

Annie thinks it's risky because they're very different. But Hie says they can teach each other whatever they need to know. She adds that it will also serve as a good opportunity for their parents to meet again when they get switched back. Annie then agrees and the girls start teaching each other how to pull off the switch perfectly without their parents noticing.

Just days before the camp closes, Harie helps Annie cut her hair and pierce her ears so they'll look alike. On the last day of the camp, the girls change their clothes and Annie tells to find out how their parents met while she finds out why they broke up. She also tells Hie that Martin will pick her up at the airport. The girls then say goodbye to each other and Harie goes into the car that came to pick up Annie.

When she arrives in London, Martin shows up to take her home. Harley looks amazed to see him and they do the regular handshake and greeting, which Annie already taught Harley. Martin then notices that she's different with her short hair and piercings, but she just asks if he likes it. Martin says he does.

Love it. And on the way home, Harley admires the city. When they arrive home, Harie quickly goes into the house. And as she walks around, she sees her grandfather, who looks happy to see that she's back. He doesn't realize that she's not Annie, and she hugs him tightly because it's the first time she has seen him.

Just then, Harie hears Elizabeth calling Annie's name, and she heads out to meet her mom. She looks very happy and cries as she hugs Elizabeth, who doesn't understand why she's so emotional. says she has just missed Elizabeth so much and Elizabeth notices her short hair and ear piercings. Hi says a girl at the camp helped her and Elizabeth jokes that her daughter is now different. Shortly after, Elizabeth gets a call from a client to come and style her for a photo shoot.

Elizabeth asks if Harley would like to come with her and she says she would love to. Just as they get to the shop, Harley admires one of the wedding dresses on display and says she's sure Elizabeth would look good in it. Elizabeth just laughs this off and goes to meet the client. Harie enjoys watching Elizabeth at work and she says that her mom is really cool.

After a while, they leave the shop and Harley asks if designing wedding gowns hasn't made Elizabeth think about getting married or talking about her father. Elizabeth says she didn't even wear a wedding gown when she married Hal's dad. And asks why. Elizabeth looks confused and asks why her daughter is suddenly curious about her dad.

Halie says she just wants to know because Elizabeth has never talked about him. Elizabeth then says that when she met Hal's dad, he was very lovely. She adds that they met on an ocean liner that sails from London to New York. She says they met on their first night on board the ship and they had dinner together.

As she says he was American, Halley asks if it was love at first sight. Elizabeth just jokes about this and calls a cab to take them home. Elsewhere, Annie arrives in California and is picked up at the airport by Nick. She looks very happy to see him and he says he has missed her so much.

He then notices that something has changed about her. And she jokes that she's practically a new woman. He also catches her staring at him and asks what's wrong, but she just says it's nice seeing him. On the way home, Nick notices that his daughter now talks like a proper girl, but Annie doesn't say anything about this.

He also notices that she calls him dad after everything she says. Annie says she has just missed him a lot and that she keeps calling him dad because she hasn't had the chance to do that in a while. Nick finds this interesting and after a while they arrive home. Annie then meets Nick's chef, Chesse, who looks happy to see her.

She says that something has changed about Annie, but she can't figure it out yet. Just then, Halie's dog comes over to meet Annie, but as she tries to touch him, he barks at her. Jesse looks surprised, but Annie says she's probably still smelling of camp. As she enters the house, Nick says there's someone he'd like her to meet after she's done unpacking and eating.

Just then, Nick heads out to meet a lady named Meredith, who asks if he has told his daughter something. Annie looks confused and while she's unpacking she asks Chessie who the lady is. Chessie says Meredith is a publicist from San Francisco and that Nick hired her to do some publicity for the vineyard. Chesse then implies that she doesn't like Meredith because she seems shady.

Annie also seems worried and notices that her dad is really happy around Meredith. Shortly after, Nick takes Annie to meet Meredith, who says she's happy to see Nick's daughter. As Nick walks away, Annie jumps into the pool to splash some water on Meredith. Annie pretends not to have done it intentionally, and Meredith says it's fine.

Meredith then mentions that she rode Annie's horse a while ago with Nick, and that she hopes Annie doesn't mind. Annie says she doesn't, and that her dad regularly takes different women on horse rides. She implies that Nick is only wasting Meredith's time, but Meredith sees through this and realizes that Annie doesn't want her dad to be with her. The next day, Annie calls the house landline in London and pretends to be someone else so she can talk to Harie.

After Harley gets on the phone, Annie tells her to bring their mom to California immediately because their dad is already in love. Halie looks shocked and says she has only spent one day with Elizabeth. As she insists that she needs more time, she pretends to be experiencing network issues before ending the call. Back in California, Annie looks bothered about the situation, but Chesse suddenly notices that Annie's appetite and food preferences have changed since she returned from the camp.

She also talks about hearing Annie on the phone very late last night. Annie says she was just talking to a friend in a different time zone. Shortly after, Nick takes her to the factory and says there's something he wants to tell her. Annie says she also wants to know about her mom. and Nick looks surprised.

Before he can say anything, Meredith arrives with a man named Richard and introduces him to Nick as her assistant. Meredith asks if Nick has told Annie what they're planning and he says he's almost there. He adds that he plans to spend the rest of the afternoon hanging out with his daughter. As Meredith leaves with Richard, she says the first thing she'll do after getting married to Nick is to send Annie to a boarding school in Timbuktu.

Richard seems impressed and it turns out that he's her real boyfriend. Shortly after, Nick takes Annie to the vineyard and asks what she thinks about Meredith. Annie says she's beautiful, but before Nick can say anything else, she quickly takes her horse back to the house. As she goes inside, she seems nervous and says she doesn't think she can handle the situation anymore.

Interestingly, Chesse hears this and asks what Annie is talking about. Annie says it's nothing, but as she speaks like a proper girl again, Jesse realizes that something is odd about her. She says it's almost as if Annie is someone else. Annie asks what she means, but Chesse just decides to walk away because she doesn't want to say anything about it.

Annie then confesses that she's not Harley, and Chesse looks shocked almost immediately. Nick comes in to scold Annie for running away while he was trying to talk to her. He then sees Chesse looking at Annie weirdly and he asks what's wrong. Chesse says it's nothing, but she still cries and goes to hug Annie.

Nick doesn't understand this, but Chesse says she'll make something special for Annie. After she heads to the kitchen, Nick asks Annie what she thinks about making Meredith a part of the family. Annie says she'd love to have an older sister, but Nick looks shocked and says he wants to marry Meredith. Annie cannot believe this and she laments in French.

Nick looks shocked because he didn't know she could speak French, but Annie says she learned it in camp. She then blames him for trying to ruin everything. And before he can say anything, she runs outside. Almost immediately, Meredith arrives and asks what happened, and Nick says his daughter didn't take the news well.

Meredith then tells him to calm down, and she says she'll talk to Annie. When Meredith sees Annie, she talks about how much she likes Nick because he's the kind of man she has always wanted to marry. However, Annie says she doesn't trust Meredith and that she thinks Meredith is just after her dad's money. Meredith seems pissed, but doesn't deny that she wants Nick's money.

She then mentions that she'll get married to Nick in 2 weeks and there's nothing Annie can do to stop her. After a while, Annie sends a fax to her house in London to get attention. Martin sees the facts but doesn't understand the coded message. After he serves a special wine to the family, Harley gives a very good review of it and her grandfather looks shocked as Halley then sees Martin with the facts.

She looks worried and says she's going out to get some fresh air. Elizabeth looks confused, but Harley runs to the phone booth to call Annie, who gives her an update on their dad's upcoming wedding. The wedding's in 2 weeks. Harley cannot believe this, but Annie says they need to speed up their plan.

As Harley leaves the phone booth, she realizes that her grandfather is standing outside and he heard everything she said on the phone. Her grandfather then asks what's happening and after she tells him, he encourages her to tell Elizabeth. After Harley does this, Elizabeth looks shocked and realizes that the kids switched places. She also looks very happy to meet, but she mentions that Harie technically belongs to Nick. while Annie belongs to her.

Harie says the arrangement sucks and Elizabeth finds this funny. Hi then tells Elizabeth that Nick wants her to come to San Francisco so they can swap the kids and see each other. Elizabeth looks nervous because she still loves Nick and she starts complaining about how she thought she'd never see him again. She eventually tells Martin to come with her on the trip as a friend.

And he gladly accepts. He also picks out a dress for her to wear when she meets Nick. After a while, Martin, Elizabeth, and arrive in San Francisco and head to the hotel where they'll meet Nick. Elizabeth happens to be drunk because she's still worried about meeting Nick, and looks bothered that things might not go well.

Interestingly, Nick, Annie, and Chesse are also at the hotel to see Meredith and her parents. Nick says it was Annie's idea, and Meredith's parents greet him and Annie. Annie eventually leaves with Chesse to find their room. Coincidentally, Hie and Martin are also heading to their room while Elizabeth stays back to get some fresh air.

After Halley and Martin enter the elevator, Halie's dog sees her and runs to meet her. Elizabeth then bumps into Annie, who realizes that her mom is drunk. As Elizabeth walks away, Annie complains to Chess that her mom barely drinks and she doesn't understand what's happening. Meanwhile, Elizabeth continues walking around to find a bar.

Nick and Meredith then leave Meredith's parents to check out the proposed venue for their wedding. As they enter an elevator, Elizabeth and Nick see each other and look shocked. Elizabeth just waves at him weirdly before the elevator door closes and she realizes that Nick had no idea she'd be there. She then heads to the room and sees Annie and Harie.

They confess that their plan is to stop Nick's wedding by making him see Elizabeth so he'd change his mind. Elizabeth cannot believe this and as she scolds the kids Martin and Chesse who now like each other try to excuse themselves. However, Elizabeth calls them back and asks if they knew about the plan. Chesse and Martin confirm this and Elizabeth seems annoyed.

She then says she came to San Francisco to swap the kids and she'll do just that. Shortly after, Nick starts looking for Elizabeth around the hotel because he really wants to see her. Meanwhile, Elizabeth stops at a bar to get a drink to cure her hangover. Coincidentally, Meredith also sits at the bar and recognizes Elizabeth as the famous wedding dress designer.

She says she really loves Elizabeth's work and that she'd like Elizabeth to make her wedding dress. Shortly after, Nick sees Elizabeth walking toward the pool and he looks happy to see her as he tries to walk very fast to meet up with her. He falls into the pool and she sees him. When they meet, Nick says he's surprised to see her because they haven't heard from each other in years.

Annie and Harley then show up to tell him about how they switched places. Nick looks amazed and hugs his daughters, who imply that they're tired of the arrangement. Elizabeth then tells the kids to give her and Nick some time alone and they agree. While Elizabeth and Nick are talking, Meredith shows up and says she's happy to see that they've met each other.

Nick looks shocked and Elizabeth realizes that Meredith is Nick's fiance. As Meredith wonders what's happening, the kids appear next to her and she looks shocked. Nick then explains that they're twins and the kids mention that Elizabeth is their mom. Meredith seems annoyed and says it's weird that Elizabeth is at the hotel at the same time as her and Nick.

Later that night, the kids take their parents onto a cruise ship to recreate their first date. Elizabeth and Nick realize what they're trying to do, and Chesse and Martin serve their meal. Nick then says he hopes Elizabeth wouldn't mind talking about what happened between them. Elizabeth says they were just young, and after they had a fight, she threw a haird dryer at him and left.

The Parent Trap (1998) Ending Explained

She adds that Nick didn't come after her, but Nick says he didn't know she wanted that. Elizabeth says it doesn't matter anymore and that she thinks they should just put on a good face for the girls and give them a good show. The next morning, the girls aren't happy that their parents still want them separated. They then come up with an idea to confuse their parents by wearing the same clothes and not revealing who Harley or Annie is.

Elizabeth and Nick do not like this, but the kids suggest going on a camping trip together as a family. Elizabeth and Nick agree, but when they get to Nick's house, Meredith seems pissed that Nick didn't invite her. Elizabeth then offers to let Meredith replace her, but the kids aren't happy about this. Shortly after, Nick and Meredith leave with the girls while Elizabeth stays back with Chesse.

On the way, Annie and Hie play a series of pranks on Meredith to frustrate her. They also scare her with stories of animals that could attack her in the woods. That night, while Meredith is sleeping in her tent, the kids gently drag her bed into the nearby lake. When Meredith wakes up in the morning, she looks shocked and eventually falls into the lake.

After she gets back on land, she seems really pissed and tells Nick that he'll have to pick between her and the girls. Nick says he'll pick his daughters, and as Meredith seems pissed, she cancels the wedding. Later that day, Nick and his daughters return home, and he realizes that Elizabeth intentionally set up Meredith to go on the trip. That night, he tries to impress her by showing her his old wine collection.

After he shows her the one they drank on their wedding day, she gets emotional and implies that she doesn't think they should be together. Nick looks sad because he still loves her, but he agrees to let her return to London. The next day, Elizabeth and Annie say goodbye before leaving Nick's house for the airport. A while later, they arrive in London and return home.

Elizabeth then heads to her dad's office to tell him that she's back. However, she sees Harie sitting in her dad's chair. As Elizabeth looks shocked, Harley asks if she knows that the Concord gets to London faster than a regular plane. Annie also sees Harley and asks what she's doing in London.

Harley says she and Nick left California immediately because they didn't want to lose Annie and Elizabeth again. Just then, Nick shows up and says he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Elizabeth looks impressed and admits that she really loves Nick. The kids enjoy seeing their parents together and after a while, Elizabeth and Nick get married again.

After being separated at a young age, Harie and Annie meet at a summer camp and realize that they're twins. Since their parents are still single, they decide to work on a plan to get them back together. Interestingly, Meredith tries to ruin their plan by getting married to Nick for his money, but the girls frustrate her until she gives up. The girls then bring Nick and Elizabeth together and they get married again.