Bad Movies/Good Party Themes: Parent Trap II Pepsi Challenge Party

Happy first Friday of the month everyone! I’m reaching back into the past for this month’s theme.

Growing up, many a sister sleepover involved a Hayley Mills movie: Pollyanna, Summer Magic, That Darn Cat!, and, my personal favorite, The Trouble with Angels (seriously fantastic movie), were strong contenders. And, of course, there was always The Parent Trap. Because of this, Ms. Mills has always held a special place in my heart (plus she got to teach Zach Morris!).

So, when The Parent Trap came out on DVD, my sister and I rushed to buy it. And, wonder of wonders, the disc also contained The Parent Trap II! We didn’t even know there was a Parent Trap II. The excitement was palpable.

This film takes place twenty-five years after the first. Our beloved twins are all grown up with families of their own. Sharon is divorced and raising a daughter. She plans on moving them to New York City, which her daughter is not at all pleased about. The daughter and her best friend decide the best way to prevent this is to get Sharon to marry the best friend’s father. And how to go about that? Call in twin Susan for a little identity swapping. And let the hijinx begin!

Not only do the twins switch places without each others’ knowledge, this movie also has a plethora of wonderful 80s fashions. So, pretty much everything a movie needs to be awesome.

For the theme, we went the route of the Pepsi challenge. I always wondered if I would be able to tell identical twins apart as the people in these movies never could. Well, there were no identical twins on whom to test my observational skills, so I turned the question of “Can you tell which is which?” in the direction of food.

Were there stomach aches? Maybe. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Crackerjack dialogue to look forward to:

-          “If their date is half as good as these cookies, we’ll be sisters in no time!”

-          “Nikki’s mom was the pretty blonde with the terrific body.”

-          “ ‘Passionately yours.’ That’s the way Rob Lowe signs all his letters in Sixteen Magazine.”

For a Parent Trap II Pepsi Challenge Party of your very own, here’s what you need:

-         The Parent Trap II (1986)

-          Party partner who is willing to dress identically to you.

-          Challenge foods included pretty much anything that there are two versions of. Some of my suggestions are:

o       Pepsi/Coke

o       Oreo/Hydrox (if you can find them)/Newman O’s

o       Lucky Charms/Generic Store Brand (generally named things like Happy Shapes or Marshmallow Mateys. This challenge can really be done with any brand vs. generic cereal. I just happen to like Lucky Charms. I mean…it’s got marshmallows.)

o       Lay’s/Herr’s Kettle Cooked BBQ Potato Chips

o       Hostess/Tastykake chocolate cupcake

-          A blindfold for the challenge.

-          Group of Hayley Mills sentimentalists and/or lovers of all things identical and/or individuals who you’d be willing to swap identities with.

And remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint. There’s still The Parent Trap III and The Parent Trap IV: Hawaiian Honeymoon (which also features Leanna Creel, aka Tori Scott from Saved by the Bell. The connections to Zach Morris are pretty much endless).