Home Alone

• Directed by Chris Columbus
• November 10, 1990 (Chicago) / November 16, 1990 (US)

A kid is left home by himself accidentally when his family leaves on their Christmas vacation.

The story in Home Alone is a plot that has been done with adults for decades before and since. What I am talking about is the inexperienced fighter having to face off against more experienced foes. The twist here is that the inexperienced fighter is a kid.

With any film centered on a kid, the casting of that child is key. That is probably why the sequels after Home Alone 2 did not connect with audiences. Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister was perfect. Culkin played him as a bit of a smart aleck and made the creative-beyond-his-years aspect work. Not every kid can do that. Hence you need a kid that is more than cute. You need one that is talented also.

And what is a hero without good villains? Again the key is casting-especially in something made to be family friendly. They need to pull off that they might be able to defeat the hero but not look like they might slaughter the hero if they did. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern star as ‘Wet Bandits’ Harry and Marv respectively. They are bumbling yet made enough of a threat that they pose a serious danger to Kevin.

Not only is this movie fun but it has a bit of a lesson while it focuses on the holiday. The lesson here is to love your family. Don’t get so wrapped up in the season or past anger that you forget about them. In this case everyone was so focused on Christmas and the trip to France that no one took the time out to think about Kevin and Kevin was upset with their treatment of him.

One thing that stands out to me is that very early in the film it is established that the phone lines are down for a few days. That’s why Kevin’s mother (Catherine O’Hara) is turning around and coming straight back home. The police are not any help, and she cannot reach any neighbor or her own home.

I was a little bothered by the Wet Bandits hearing a message on the answering machine, but you could assume that the phones were only out at Kevin’s house. If that were true though then how did he order pizza after his parents left? Oops.

I cannot think of anything that makes me laugh out loud here but I did smile and I did enjoy watching it. This film is definitely done through the lens of an eight-year-old kid. Kevin is a little wise beyond his years but not to the point that he doesn’t seem like a small child. He is doing his best to mimic what he saw adults do.

Kevin goes through a bit of a character arc. He thinks his wish about just making his family go away is why the house is empty and he is there by himself. But by the end of the film he comes to realize he does love his family and while he may get mad at them he doesn’t truly dislike them.

Kevin grows as an individual by reaching out to the elderly neighbor (Roberts Blossom) who his brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) had terrified him with stories about. It’s a moving little moment with it being capped off by a scene at the end of the movie revealing that the man did indeed reach out to his son and everything looks like it’s going to be okay.

This is movie that has a pure entertainment value. It manages to be heartfelt, funny, and be about the power of the season. It pulls on the heartstrings and has believable moments that are pushed into the silly.

Home Alone is a classic bit of Christmas filmmaking. It’s fun and easily watchable with your kids or by yourself. If you haven’t watch this yet you should!