Heartwarming / The Parent Trap (1998)

Oh, darling, I've loved you your whole life.

• During the summer camp scenes, there's a minor subplot involving a boy (played by Lindsay Lohan's brother) who arrived thinking it was an all-boys camp and not all-girls. By the time camp ends, he's made friends with most of the girls and is seen promising them that he'll come back next year.
• Martin's special handshake with Annie when he drops her off at camp, which follows a hug between the two as they both tear up and preceded with Martin also giving Annie a kiss on the forehead too. Goes to show that he’s not just a brother to Lizzie, but an uncle to Annie as well.
  • Notable that he got on a plane with her only to drop her off at camp and turn right around to board a plane home, just so she'd have company. It wasn't like she was considered too young to travel by herself—she does so on the return trip (Hallie-as-Annie does, rather).
• The moment when Annie and Hallie realize they're related and Hallie becomes overwhelmed with tears.
  Hallie: So if your mom is my mom, and my dad is your dad, and we're both born on October 11, then that means you and I are like sisters.
  Annie: Sisters? Hallie, we're like twins! (both hug each other)
• Come nighttime, they've shoved their beds together, creating a double bed, so they can sleep next to each other. The reunited halves of their parents' picture are tacked to the wall above them.
• A small one is Marva Jr. hugging Hallie-as-Annie goodbye right before she gets into her car. It shows she tried to interact with the girls more peacefully after their punishment.
  • Hallie was notably closer with Marva Jr. than Annie was at that too, so aside from it being Marva Jr. wanting to share a nice little goodbye with who she thinks is the one she didn't get so close to, it's also Hallie getting the sweet goodbye with her as well.
  • Much like in the original, the goal of the Isolation punishment was a Cruel to Be Kind measure: forcing Hallie and Annie to spend the rest of their time together to get them to eventually get along—and that they unearth the connection between them and do completely bond does indeed show that above all else, it worked like a charm.
  • All the girls saying goodbye to each other in general. It's easy to get the strong sense of bonding that they all experienced with each other throughout the summer at the camp and it's very moving overall.
  • Marva Sr. herself is saying goodbye with a hug to a whole group of girls on the final day, showing that despite the strictness she and Marva Jr. both expressed earlier, they both do really care for all the girls they took care of that summer.
  • Hallie and Annie share three hugs before they part ways. They no longer care about the problems they had with each other and seeing it on full display in front of everybody when they fought like cats and dogs before is incredibly moving on its own. Also, they just reunited and learned their connection, so of course they don't want to let each other go either.
• The taxi driver also gives Hallie a sweet "home again" when he drops her off outside Elizabeth's house.
• And inside the house, they've hung a banner reading "Welcome Home Annie" for her.
• Hallie-as-Annie hugging her grandfather for the first time and declaring that she's going to make a memory of what he smelled like so she'll always remember him when she's all grown up.
• Hallie on the plane to London praying that her mother will like her. And their first hug, she's so emotional and is only allowed to express it with double entendres.
  Hallie: I've missed you so much!
  Elizabeth: Oh, I know. It seems like it's been forever.
  Hallie: You have no idea.
• The scene where her mother is on the phone and Hallie explores her dressing table objects: makeup, perfume, jewelry, crystals, framed pictures. She's probably never been in a grown woman's bedroom before (except Chessy's, but her room probably doesn't look much like that), and the sight of Hallie marveling at the finery ignites the imagination.
• Elizabeth gets a phone call about a problem at work requiring her to come in, and apologetically asks Hallie-as-Annie if she'd mind going with her. Hallie's face lights up as she says she'd love it—she's thrilled to spend any time with her mother, but particularly to see her mom's job up close, something that wouldn't be terribly novel for Annie.
• The adoration in her face as she watches her mother work, and the joy she gets in being a part of it.
  "My mom is too cool."
• There's also an adorable scene where the model for the photoshoot invites Hallie to come and join in, and we see several snaps of them dancing together, the model giving Hallie a piggyback, and having her try on the veil. D'awww.
• Annie-as-Hallie exclaiming, "Finally!" when she meets (and is hugged by) her father for the first time.
• Each of the girls has some insecurity, wondering why their other parent was so willing to let them go. Upon revealing their switch, each finds out she had family that knew her and missed her and loved her even if she wasn't in their lives.
• After Hallie runs off to ring her sister, her grandfather follows her and, instead of getting angry at her for running off, just gently puts his arm around her shoulders and takes her for a walk, encouraging her to tell him everything in her own time.
  • Before that, Hallie told Annie over the phone that she'd tell Elizabeth the truth the next morning. Grandfather lets her honor that rather than pressuring her to tell the truth right away.
  • Grandfather still calls Hallie "Sweet Pea" after finding out who she really is. When they're hugging goodbye later too, she calls him "Pop", having chosen her own name for him. He also hugs Elizabeth while telling her good luck and tells Hallie to say hi to Nick for him too.
• Chessy's reaction to discovering that "Hallie" was actually Annie, completely falling to pieces. She blurts out in front of Nick that she still remembers Annie's birth weight (fortunately, Nick doesn't seem to notice the slip), and asks if she can hug "Hallie", before rushing off to make food Annie actually likes. She clearly bonded with Annie when she was a baby, and is overcome with emotion on seeing her grown up.
  Nick: [notices the expression on Chessy's face] Chessy, why are you looking at her like that?
  Chessy: Like what? I'm not looking at her in any special way, I'm looking at her like I've looked at her for 11 years. [voice starts wavering] Since the day she came home from the hospital… 6 pounds, 11 ounces, 21 inches long, this is how I look at her! Can I hug her? [hugs Annie, practically in tears] Oh, she's so beautiful! And so big!
  • The fact that 1) the line reveals Chessy has been their housekeeper for more than eleven years, 2) Nick doesn't feel one bit uncomfortable with her doting on his daughter (he's a little incredulous, but otherwise doesn't express any umbrage), and 3) she remembers the exact measurements of both twins at birth speaks volumes as to exactly how much Chessy is considered a part of their family. It's obvious that, even though he doesn't say it like Elizabeth does to Martin, he probably considers her to be more of a sister than a servant. Considering that Nick was still dreaming of having his own vineyard when he and Liz split up, she may well have been a close friend before he made enough money to hire a housekeeper.
• And the flip side: Hallie telling the truth to Elizabeth.
  • Elizabeth gets the truth out of Hallie in a sweet way, by playfully tickling her.
    Elizabeth: Oh, I see, and where might Annie be?
    Hallie: In Napa, with her father, Nick Parker.
  • Elizabeth looks to her father in shock and he slowly nods smiling.
  • And this bit in the same scene.
    Hallie: Because I love you so much, and I want you to love me as me, and not as Annie.
    Elizabeth: Oh, darling, I've loved you your whole life.
  • Grandfather while watching as Hallie pours her heart out to Elizabeth removes his glasses and tears up.
  • Even Martin is in tears watching the reunion.
    Martin: I've never been so happy in my entire life!
  • While he does at one point give him a "Pull yourself together man" look, Grandfather is still trying to comfort Martin though by holding his hand and letting him rest his head on his shoulder.
• Elizabeth tells Martin she thinks of him not as a butler but as "a dear brother who just happens to work for [me]", and asks him to come with them "just as a friend". He assures her that he'd be honored and, in a crossover with Funny Moments, even advises her on how to get Nick's attention with her choice of outfit.
• Within only a short time of meeting his long-lost granddaughter, Grandfather has already told Hallie he'll visit her for Thanksgiving. It gets all the more touching when you consider the fact that he's English and Brits don't normally even celebrate Thanksgiving.
• Fridge Heartwarming: Elizabeth briefly worries "what if [Nick] doesn't recognize me?" - and not only does he recognize her from afar, but he ends up falling into a pool distracted by her beauty.
  • Additionally, the fact that she never even bothers to worry about not recognizing Nick implies that she's thought enough about him over the last ten years that that won't be a problem — and it isn't. She recognizes him immediately as well.
• Sammy the golden retriever, naturally, knew from the start that Annie wasn't his human. By the time they're at the hotel, he's relaxed enough to let her take him around on a leash, but when he sees Hallie, he barks with joy and breaks away from Annie to go see his girl, jumping a luggage cart to get to her. Hallie, for her part, smiles adorably wide on seeing Sammy, squeals out his name, and kneels to hug him.
• Although Elizabeth is furious with the girls for not telling Nick she was coming, as soon as she sees them together, she's momentarily so moved she hugs them both and coos, "My girls!"
• When Chessy meets up with Lizzie after so many years, Chessy greets her with "Hi, you probably don't remember me..." Instead, Lizzie gives her an enthusiastic greeting and a kiss on the cheek.
  Chessy: I knew I always liked her!
  • It's even more heartwarming when you compare Elizabeth's treatment of Chessy versus Meredith's treatment of her, with Meredith treating Chessy like a servant while Elizabeth greets her like a friend. Is it any wonder why Chessy prefers Elizabeth over Meredith? Then you realize that Elizabeth immediately recognizes her and remembers her name, despite the fact that they haven't spoken in over a decade. And, unlike Nick, she probably had no particular reason to think about her all that much.
  • And it’s while she’s still drunk, no less.
• When Hallie runs into her father in the hotel lobby. He thinks she's Annie-pretending-to be-Hallie, whom he just saw upstairs, and she plays along with it because they're not ready to reveal themselves yet. Still, she can't resist stepping forward and giving him a big, warm hug, despite the fact that he won't realize that it's Hallie, who hasn't seen him in two months.
  • Especially heartwarming given that this is probably the longest they've ever been apart.
  • Long before that, Elizabeth has her reunion hug with Annie in the hallway outside the hotel rooms—the two having also not seen each other since before Annie went to camp.
• Nick’s official reunion with both the girls, with him hugging Annie with excitement about finally knowing it's her and Nick hugging Hallie since he now knows he's seeing her again as well.
• A rare Pet the Dog moment from Meredith. When she meets Elizabeth and realizes who she is (the designer, not Nick's ex-wife), she Squees and tells her how much she loves her gowns.
• The pride in Hallie's voice as she introduces Meredith to Elizabeth: "And this is our mother: Elizabeth James!"
• "T-H-E-M. Them. Get the picture?"
• After having just grounded the girls for making a mess of the camping trip and ending his engagement, Nick chimes this gem in to Lizzie:
  Nick: I gotta remember to thank them one day.
• The goodbyes as Elizabeth and Annie leave California. How do you say goodbye to the daughter you haven't seen in eleven years, or the sister you just found out you had?
• Elizabeth's speech at the end of the movie, and Nick's response.
  Hallie: It took us around thirty seconds after you guys left for us to realize we didn't want to lose you two again.
  Lizzie: [wide-eyed] We?
  Nick: [stepping into the room] We. I made the mistake of not coming after you once, Lizzie. I'm not gonna do that again, no matter how brave you are.
  Lizzie: And I suppose you expect me to just go weak at the knees and fall into your arms and cry hysterically and say we'll figure this whole thing out, a bi-continental relationship with our daughters being raised here and there and... you and I just picking up where we left off and growing old together and... and... C'mon, Nick, what do you expect? To live happily ever after?
  Nick: Yes. To all of the above. [tenderly] Except you don't have to cry hysterically.
  Lizzie: [already in tears] Oh yes I do!
  [cue "Shut Up" Kiss and truly epic snog]
  • The name of the score for this particular scene on the movie's soundtrack: "We Actually Did It". It perfectly sums up both the Twins and the audience's feelings during this moment.
• The ending montage of photos of Nick and Elizabeth's second marriage are all incredibly adorable, and in a couple of the photos, it shows that Annie and Hallie's parents aren't the only ones who live happily ever after: Martin proposes to Chessy, and judging by her overjoyed reaction, she says "yes".
  • The use of Natalie Cole's "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" really drives home the Earn Your Happy Ending vibes.

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