Home Alone (1990)

The strange slapstick turn that the silly third act takes is an odd choice which remarkably doesn't stunt the film's growth but is still an odd departure from the relatively down-to-earth proceedings that precede it. It's only because it acts as a natural extension to the expert character development already done, that it slots in so successfully to end 'Home Alone (1990)' on an uproarious if (strangely) slightly sadistic note which represents the hero's transformation from naïvely vulnerable to cunningly independent. The layered screenplay puts everything in its perfectly imperfect place during the impeccable set-up, allowing for the forgetting of a child to become wholly believable and entirely empathetic, and the wonderfully ostentatious performances place everything in a state of heightened reality ripe for rib-tickling laughter and heart-warming sentiment. A true Christmas classic for any season. 8/10

I know this is a "triple F" and "triple C": feel-good fun family and classic Christmas comedy... so you'll forgive me to be a triple ass and introduce this review with a downer opening. Here it goes.We're in 2017, John Candy is comedy legend (sadly of the dead sort) since the mid-90's, John Hughes died in the same untimely fashion eight years ago, followed by Robert "Old Man Marley" Blossoms two years later and John Heard, the father with such a lovable face, has died this summer. Sorry to go on this eulogy but even Roger Ebert and Gene SIskel who gave two thumbs down to the movie because of its implausible narrative and sadistic treatment of the villains, are also gone. This is just to show how this 1990 classic is already surrounded by an aura of nostalgic sadness.Of course, Chris Columbus, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are alive and much alive but look at Macaulay Culkin, another sad example of the devastating effects of child stardom, although he's probably richer than I but he didn't exactly follow the 'Natalie Portman' path, not even the Anna Chlumsky one. Whenever I see him on the screen, I can't help but think of how this cute little face has turned to, but there are so many sad things about the lives that contributed to the movie that it almost plays like a sort of shelter for laughs, a time capsule for December 1990 or the whole early 90's, where we can comfortably enjoy Christmas in the lovable and cozy McCallister house and forget about the real stuff, the time of a movie.It's funny that there's so much escapism in such an enclosed movie.Besides, watching "Home Alone" again in 2017 allows us to appreciate a time where even a good old-fashioned comedy could hit the box-office jackpot and be the highest grossing movie. No superheroes, no Transformers, no magical superpowers, the (r)evolution was on march, sure, but it didn't take much at that time to draw audience to the theaters, what counted was a simple concept and an appealing main character. The concept here is simply terrific: what would happen if a boy was left alone in his home? and during Christmas holidays at that, and when the kid is played by such an adorable and talented kid as Macaulay Culkin, half the work is done. There's also an interesting implication, every kid would love to be alone in such a big home (granted he's got enough to eat or buy food) but how about when it happens at the very time where you count on the presence of adults.... even for selfish reasons.I concede that John Hughes didn't really try to make an existential plot out of the concept, and picked the easy way, which was a confrontation between the boys and bad guys... but what bad guys! As Hitchcock said, a film is as good as the villain and Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern form a very interesting variation of 'Laurel and Hardy', 'George and Lenny', 'George and Junior' or 'Pinky and the Brain', the interaction between the two burglars while not reinventing the wheel, is the perfect foil to little Kevin's quick wits, agility and ability to come up with the most ingenuous devices in order to 'defend his home'. I think it's safe to consider that the film was already a winner once they got the concept, the kid and the villain. The rest was just a sort of icing on the cake, what kind of booby traps to install in the house, how to make it 'impossible' for the parents to reach their kid or for him to get help, and of course the 'spirit'... otherwise it wouldn't be a Christmas movie.So of course, it's going to be implausible, with such a title as "Home Alone", you either have a comedy or a horror/thriller and if the movie had to be 'realistic', it wouldn't have taken more than three hours (movie time) to get Kevin out of the house and arrest the burglars. But we wouldn't have a movie either, we wouldn't have the 'Playboy' scene, the after-shave moment inspiring the iconic recreation of the 'Edvard Munch' painting with Kevin's trademark scream, whose only match was Marvin's shrill arachnophobia reaction. The film is a Christmas classic because it has filled that over-the-top category, if you want a movie that recreates the fun of Christmas in a realistic way, you have the no-less iconic "A Christmas Story", but the concept of "Home Alone" could only work with that level of slapstick. AndCulkin's performance is so good it even conveys a sort of edgy attitude, he's not your typical kid either, but he's still convincing enough as a kid.It's not just a matter of suspension of disbelief, but of "let it go" for the sake of innocent fun, of course, watching this right now reveals some baffling contrivances we couldn't spot where the film came out, yes, we know the supposedly shovel murderer isn't a bad guy, we know Kevin relies a lot on the assistance of luck and perfect timing, we know it will all come down to the powerful family reunion and Catherine O'Hara provides the emotional arc of the film. Yes, it's true Marv and Harry aren't so bad they really deserve all the hurtful stuff that happen to them, and Kevin's scream can get annoying at times, but the film is closer to a live-action cartoon than a realistic comedy.And there is no way for "Home Alone" not to make it in any Top 10 of classic Xmas movies, but maybe I'm biased because it was totally the kind of movies we used to watch countless times as kids to the point I always identified Tchaikovski's "Nutcracker" music as the 'Home Alone' theme.

Rising child star Macaulay Culkin first worked with the late screenwriter and producer John Hughes on his 1989 hit 'Uncle Buck' in which he starred alongside the much missed John Candy. Hughes was impressed by the young man's talents and remembered him for when he set about writing his next film which, of course, was 'Home Alone'.Eight year old Kevin McAllister is constantly the butt of his family's jokes, particularly his eldest brother Buzz ( Devin Ratray ). After getting into a fight with Buzz over a pizza the night before their Christmas vacation, Kevin is sent to his room whereupon he wishes that his family would disappear. That night, a huge storm knocks out the power lines meaning that the McAllister's sleep through their alarm. As they leave for the airport in a tearing hurry, they are unaware that Kevin is still in bed fast asleep. The first the family realise of this is when they are halfway to Paris.Kevin is initially overjoyed when he realises that he is home alone but when he learns that two burglars, Harry and Marv, also known as 'the wet bandits', are planning to raid his house on Christmas Eve, he wishes his family would come home. In a bid to protect his home from Harry and Marv, Kevin sets about rigging his house with booby traps to outwit the bad guys. Fortunately, a kindly neighbour ( who is wrongly accused of being a murderer ) who Kevin has befriended is also nearby to help...'Home Alone' is my favourite Christmas romp of all time, excellently delivered by its cast - Devin Ratray as Kevin's troublesome brother Buzz, Catherine O'Hara and John Heard as Kevin's overwrought parents, Roberts Blossom as Old Man Marley, the old man who came to Kevin's rescue. Full credit however must go to, of course, its star Macaulay Culkin as the cheeky but likable Kevin and the brilliant and underrated Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern ( who in my view was a comedy legend in his own right, as his performances in 'Bushwhacked' and 'City Slickers' will testify ) as the bumbling wet bandits.Also impressive in the short time they are on screen are John Candy as Gus Polinski 'the polka king' and Macaulay Culkin's brother Kieran Culkin who as Kevin's younger ( and weak bladdered ) cousin Fuller ( was he named that because of his regular consumption of fizzy drinks, do you think? ) had me in stitches, especially in the scene in which he is pinned against the wall by a chair.In 1992, a sequel - 'Home Alone 2 - Lost In New York' ( which was the last to feature Macaulay Culkin ) - appeared and did just as well commercially as the first film. Video game versions of both films were also released for both the Sega and Nintendo Consoles. In 1998, 'Home Alone 3' appeared, with Alex D. Linz as Alex Pruddit. It was not as popular as the first two movies but was worth watching nonetheless. Unfortunately in 2002, 'Home Alone 4', which had Mark Weinberg inheriting the role of Kevin McAllister, was made. It was a crushing disappointment for fans of 'Home Alone' and is generally regarded by fans as the worst in the series, a view I share wholeheartedly. Surprisingly, ten years later a fifth film entitled 'Home Alone - The Holiday Heist' was made, this time as a televised film rather than a cinematic release. It fared better than its predecessor though in my eyes nothing will come remotely close to equalling the original.Funniest moment - the fight between Buzz and Kevin over the pizza. I really cannot begin to do the scene justice here but it is a classic moment of comedy, wonderfully delivered by all concerned.Second funniest moment - Harry and Marv continually falling foul to Kevin's various booby traps, each one being more pain inducing than the last!

This is one of the better Christmas films. In this comedy, a child is accidentally left at home when his family go to France on holiday. He has to defend the house from two burglars.There are some parts of the story which are ridiculous. For example, how could everyone forget Kevin? How could he have slept through the huge amount of noise from everyone else getting up, getting ready, talking and leaving?