Funny Kids Movies the Parent Trap
While the wheel can't be fully reinvented, movies like The Parent Trap could always put a new spin and present interesting new angles to this typical identity switcheroo narrative.
This 1998 Disney version starred Lindsay Lohan at the height of her pre-adult career. Playing herself as twins who never knew the existence of the other, this life-swapping tale focused on a heartwarming objective of getting to know one's self and one's real family.
It's not just twins who could swap personas on film. Check out my recommended movies like The Parent Trap to see how Hollywood brainstormed such cinematic speculations.
10 Cinematic Switcheroo Movies Like The Parent Trap
1. Freaky Friday (2003)
A straight-laced mother and a rebel teen rocker suddenly find themselves inhabiting the body of the other just before crucial events are to happen in their lives—the mother getting remarried, and the teen performing in a music contest.
Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis put a millennial vibe to this often adapted 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. More than the usual switcheroo, the story focused on miscommunication and misunderstanding parents and teens often go through.
If you can catch the 1976 original Disney film version that had Jodie foster playing Lindsay's role there, compare how each tackled the topic.
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2. All of Me (1984)
A disgruntled lawyer suddenly finds himself sharing his physical body with the soul of a cantankerous millionaire client who died and wanted to have her soul transferred to the body of a youthful woman.
Steve Martin is at his comedic best playing the lawyer and millionaire character of Lily Tomlin in this somewhat switcheroo film. The bickering of these legendary comedians is priceless, as the rather ludicrous yet entertaining storyline was made believable by comedy director Carl Reiner.
Catch it if you like '80s comedy nostalgia and jazz, as the film features a 1931 classic standard for its theme song.
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3. Monte Carlo (2011)
An American high schooler on a budget Paris trip with friends gets mistaken by the media for her lookalike—a rich British but snobby heiress. As the royal ditches her responsibilities, the American somewhat takes her place and enjoys a grand holiday.
The switcheroo in this teen flick has Selena Gomez both playing the American and her British doppelganger. Comparisons of class and breeding are the comedic foils in this film, which found an audience in similarly awkward teens.
Unlike movies like The Parent Trap where the switchers are aware of their actions, this reinvents the plot—and it works!
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4. She's The Man (2006)
A tomboyish teen girl pretends to be her twin brother to cover for him as he plays hooky from his school. She takes this opportunity to play soccer with the boys' team as a boy—until she falls for one of the guys who thinks she's one of them.
Amanda Bynes essays the gender-bending role of Viola-as-Sebastian, partly inspired by Shakespeare's comedy Twelfth Night. A young Channing Tatum plays the unsuspecting roommate, soccer teammate, and eventual apple of Viola's eye.
Movies like The Parent Trap could also make the switcheroo more fun and romantic, as exemplified in this hit film.
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5. 13 Going on 30 (2004)
In the late '80s, a frustrated teen wishes to be a grownup during her birthday. She suddenly wakes up in the early 2000s as a grownup indeed, but her spirit and mind still remain that of a 13-year-old's.
Jennifer Garner plays the teen trapped in an adult's body in this comedy of self-discovery. She balances the air of innocence while trying to level up her adulting. Mark Ruffalo's character—her childhood best friend—provides an equally good support to her character's growing pains.
Its worldwide commercial success shows that even female-driven switcheroo narratives work for the global audience.
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6. Big (1988)
A boy makes a wish to be big on a mysterious arcade game one night, only to find himself growing as an adult the next day. He tries to navigate this new bodily territory with his 12-year-old best friend.
Tom Hanks plays this career-defining role of Josh, exhibiting his early knack for situational humor and slapstick comedy. His clumsy yet eager take of a child viewing the world with adult eyes became a classic.
Like one of those movies like The Parent Trap, Big set the tone early on for identity-swapping narratives—but swapping it with your own future self.
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7. 17 Again (2009)
A 37-year-old burnout family man, who's starting to regret his life choices, mysteriously transforms into his 17-year-old self one day. He starts posing as a friend's son to intimately know his family from a new perspective.
Matthew Perry transforms into Zac Efron in this fantasy-comedy that rewrites the switcheroo narrative anew: to transform into one's younger self to make him appreciate what he has been through all this time. It's a cinematic form of redemption done through comedic ways.
The majority of this film's fans is female, given the heartthrob pull of Zac—leading to a box-office global film hit.
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8. Vice Versa (1988)
A busy divorced father magically switches bodies with his disaffected 11-year-old child who wants more time to spend with him. Now, they need to live the life of the other to know what goes on in their respective days.
Another parent-child swapping occurs here, this time between a father and son. The comic Judge Reinhold pulls off the child-trapped-in-a-parent's-body well while the young Fred Savage shows off his impressive acting skills portraying an adult inside a child's body.
It's another adaptation of an 1882 novel. However, this one didn't have much box office success, but Fred's performance is a must-see.
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9. Like Father, Like Son (1987)
A successful surgeon mistakenly drinks a native potion that momentarily transfers his mind to the mind of the first one he looks at after taking the magic serum—this time, his slacker son.
Two of '80s stars, Dudley Moore and Kirk Cameron, try their hand at one of these cinematic switcheroo movies like The Parent Trap, displaying their penchant for good comedic timing and humorous punchlines. This time, the parent sees how pressuring his child to pursue a career would affect his life.
The film rode on Kirk's heartthrob fame, and it worked—it opened in the number two spot.
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10. The Princess Switch (2018)
A young Chicago baker travels to Belgravia to compete in a bake-off and encounters a duchess who looks exactly like her. The royal asks her to switch places for a couple of days to relieve herself of her societal duties for a while.
Another spin on the classic mark Twain literary switcheroo The Prince and The Pauper, Vanessa Hudgens plays the dual role flawlessly and with ease. This comedy of not-so-mistaken-identity brings laughter as the tale unfolds how people are pressured by social expectations.
The formula still proves to be successful that Netflix produced a 2020 sequel to this hit.
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Source: https://popcornmatch.com/movies-like-the-parent-trap/
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