Home Alone

Home Alone is a juggernaut of a film that took over the world and made an influence on several different aspects for films of that era and going forward. What looked like just a standard family Christmas film became the highest grossing live-action comedy of all time for twenty-one years (only being beaten out by The Hangover Part II in 2011) and propelled then unknown child actor, Macaulay Culkin into stardom and made him a mega child celebrity. It went on to produce several sequels (none of which were very good, but still showed the brand’s livability), influenced several other kids’ films to adopt similar tones, child performances and climaxes (a lot of films had similar climaxes in the late 90s/ early 2000s) and many to this day still consider the original 1990 film to be a timeless Christmas classic. Just before the McCallister family plan to spend Christmas in Paris, the youngest of the family, Kevin (played by Macaulay Culkin) is the subject of ridicule from his older siblings and his parents. After proclaiming to his mother, Kate (played by Catherine O’Hara) that he wished he didn’t have a family, he wakes up the next day to discover that they are nowhere to be seen. Unbeknownst to him, his family rushed to the airport after oversleeping and in the rush, failed to realize they left Kevin at home alone. Overjoyed at first due to the solitude, Kevin quickly sees the downside of an adult-less house when its targeted by robbers. The robbers in question, Harry, and Marv (played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) had picked this house out due to knowing about the McCallister’s trip and are surprised to find that Kevin is still there. While his mother in Paris tries everything in her power to return home to her son, Kevin has to fight off the robbers through crafted traps (all of which cause immense pain to the victim) in order to keep his house (as well as himself) safe. For a movie of the era with as much hype surrounding it as it does, it’s refreshing that the movie does still manage to hold up and earn its high praising (for the most part).

The premise of the movie is one that definitely could appeal to a lot of kids, as the whole concept of being on your own at home is an intriguing thought that many would no doubt want to experience at least once and see what they could get away with, but the movie is constructed, written, and directed in a manner that makes it work nicely for adults as well. The film caters towards both in a decently well-balanced blend that showcases enough comedic slapstick, relatable kid scenarios and wacky hi-jinks for kids to get into, but the silly yet still well composed writing, the engaged acting and the premise that mixes enough real fear with light-hearted fun makes it appealing to adults. One of the reasons it arguably works as well as it does as a holiday film is because of its simplistic framework but also its emotion-driven heart at the centre. It’s a comedic film at the focus and it definitely isn’t shy of kid-oriented moments and scenes that would be common of other movies of the time, but the film also houses a cynical edge to its people and to its presentation that helps balances things out, and all of it combined with a legit feeling of heart and satisfaction come the conclusion results in an overall well-delivered package. Its not overly complex or deep with its morals, themes, or dialogue, but it feels honest and while definitely dated in parts, timeless enough to work for any time period. The directing by Chris Columbus and the writing from John Hughes really helps this film feel solid and without much fault around its concept, as the movie is very cleverly laid out and delivered in a way that makes a lot of the choices and decisions in this movie feel a least understandable (there’s at least a reason why he can’t just call the police at first), and the harsh but real dialogue attributes to Hughes’ attachment to teen-related material like Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club.

For a film that’s meant to be Christmas-themed and about the hope and joy that comes from familial connections, this movie weirdly helps build that by having the family separate throughout the whole thing. Its proof that putting people through tough and cruel circumstances can result in the eventual calmness afterwards feeling all the more joyful, but that positive energy is helped out more due to how awful a lot of these people are. This family is filled with unlikeable, bratty, and downright cruel people that presents them very early on as not very likeable individuals, and that isn’t any different with Kevin. Despite being the lead and the one we spend the most time with, its hard not to pretend that he isn’t himself a little brat who takes a little too much joy in his family’s disappearance and the harming of the intruders, but the movie does balance it out just enough that its not hard to be with him for the film. Macaulay Culkin reached big star power after this film and ever since was never able to turn in an equally loved performance after this film (honestly, he didn’t seem that good an actor after this movie) and that should’ve been obvious even from this film alone. While definitely not awful, he  isn’t the king of child-acting many praised him to be as his delivery is not very believable and it always feels like a performance. Despite this, he manages the cute wholesome moments okay enough and he does carry that genuine child-like energy that would’ve been very infectious and relatable for people (especially kids) of that era. The rest of the cast is pretty good and balances out the comedic as well as even some of the dramatic stuff okay as well. Catherine O’Hara is very effective as Kevin’s mother; carrying a stern and even cruel edge to her in the beginning but showcasing her true love after she realizes her error and does everything in her power to get back to him, she is able to bring both the heart and the humor that the film seems to mix pretty well. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are pretty great to watch as Marv and Harry and the moments of them getting pummeled by all the traps is easily the best part of the movie. The stunt people for both actors (Troy Brown and Leon Delaney) deserve praise for how they handle the scenes involving the traps as a lot of it looks like it really hurt, which makes it funnier, but their craft deserves recognition for that alone.

Chris Columbus as a director can be up and down when it comes to his material (he directed Bicentennial Man), but one thing that he usually always gets great in his films is how well he handles the production design and the atmosphere. This movie nails the atmosphere of every scene and manages to juggle back and forth between upbeat and happy to fearful and somber very nicely while still being in a child-like environment. He captures that energy very nicely where some of the cornier aspects aren’t as troublesome when it feels reasonable for a child to react as such, and the more ‘intense’ stuff isn’t really that bad but is through the eyes of a child. The McCallister house is definitely a great location to spend the film in as it’s a great looking set that’s wonderfully colorful, lively, interesting in each different room, and just believable enough as a typical household (even if it looks way to expensive for a family of this size). The craft that comes from the production design by John Muto and the set decoration by Eva Cauley and Daniel B. Clancy is very impressive and brings a lot to the likeable atmosphere that this film portrays. Sometimes the editing for the film can be a little poor, with certain scenes in the middle with him just playing around feeling out of place and not fitting with the previous scene (you can thank notoriously bad director, Raja Gosnell, for that blunder due to being the film’s editor), but it isn’t too much of an issue and the rest of the film is laid out very well in every other regard. The music score by the great John Williams is a nice little tune that really gives off the vibe of being a Christmas film but has that touch of rascally flair and slight hints of sinister undertones that works wonderfully for the kind of family film that Home Alone is (it was even nominated at the year’s Academy Awards).

Home Alone is so beloved and so heavily talked about around this time that you would expect there to be something that wouldn’t work too well years down the line and would change people’s perception on it, but thankfully there doesn’t seem to be that specific point as Home Alone is still pretty good. Its definitely not fantastic and has its own flaws of the time or from a personal taste that could keep people from getting into it, but for what it sets out to achieve and for what it changed in most kids’ movie back then, it did it well and deserves to be remembered for that. The story is simple, but charming and is structured very well, the characters aren’t the most likeable, but they feel real, and the performances help make the ending feel sweeter, and the atmosphere, production and overall vibe of the film helps cement this movie as one that can work for adults and kids equally. Truly a Christmas miracle this movie managed to survive and continue working all these years later (unlike most of the people that stared in this movie weirdly), Home Alone still feels like a solid Christmas classic.