Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) 20th Century Fox/Comedy RT: 120 minutes Rated PG (comic action and mild language) Director: Chris Columbus Screenplay: John Hughes Music: John Williams Cinematography: Julio Macat Release date: November 20, 1992 (US) Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Dana Ivey, Rob Schneider, Eddie Bracken, Devin Ratray, Hillary Wolf, Kieran Culkin. Box Office: $173.6M (US)/$359M (World)
Rating: ***
I’ve been thinking about a clever opening sentence for my review of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. I could say that Macaulay Culkin takes a bite out of the Big Apple, but that would be a total cliché. I could say that New York suffers a “Mac attack”, but that might be an overly obscure and very dated reference. Why not go with both statements then, the end result still remains the same. Home Alone 2 is pretty much the same exact movie as its predecessor, the only difference is the battleground on which Kevin McAllister (Culkin) fights his old enemies.
The movie begins with the McAllister family preparing for Christmas vacation in Florida, an idea that Kevin hates because it doesn’t fit in with his idea of the perfect Christmas, namely no Christmas trees. At his school’s Christmas concert that evening, Buzz (Ratray) humiliates Kevin during his solo and his retaliation destroys the entire event. He refuses to apologize for his actions and retreats to the third-floor bedroom out of anger.
Once again, the family oversleeps and they come within an inch of missing their flight. This time, Kevin makes it to the airport with his family. However, he gets separated from them and boards the wrong plane. He ends up in New York and believes (once again) his wish for his own vacation has come true. What better place to spend Christmas than NYC?
Because he has his father’s credit card, he manages to check in to the luxurious Plaza Hotel under the suspicious eyes of the concierge Mr. Hector (Curry, The Rocky Horror Picture Show). What starts out as a wonderful trip around the city becomes a nightmare when Kevin bumps into his old adversaries Harry (Pesci) and Marv (Stern) who have just broken out of prison. This time, they’re planning to rob a toy store and take all the money that the owner Mr. Duncan (Bracken, National Lampoon’s Vacation) intends to donate to a children’s hospital. Kevin learns of their plan and does what he does best to prevent them from accomplishing their goal. That’s right, he lures them right into another elaborate bunch of booby traps in an attempt to foil (and maim) them.
Directed again by Chris Columbus, Home Alone 2 is a real no-brainer. If the formula worked once, it’ll work again. It does work to a certain degree although it does tend to drag a bit before the fun-filled violent finale which is even more violent this time around. The violence looks a lot more painful as Kevin lures Harry and Marv to his uncle’s house which is undergoing renovations. This means Kevin has plenty of potential weapons of mass personal destruction at his disposal.
Once again, the MPAA proves that their rating system will never be understood by mortal beings. After witnessing the assault experienced by Harry and Marv, it’s a damn miracle they don’t end up in the Intensive Care Unit. Just like in the first movie, they keep getting up and brushing themselves off before continuing their pursuit of young Kevin. They get beaned with various objects (bricks, tools, bags of cement), set on fire and knocked down flights of stairs. In one scene, Kevin sends a big metal tool chest rolling down a flight of steps. It hits the door, knocking the two bad guys flat against a wall. There’s an audible crack as both men push their broken noses back into place.
All of this bone-crushing and potentially fatal violence equals a PG rating? The slapstick violence is far worse this time around. Yes, Home Alone 2 is another live-action Looney Tune. No, nobody should be taking any of it seriously. But what about the more impressionable members of the audience? Chances are that most of the children in attendance have watched the original version several times and the parents already know what to expect. Still, the question does bear mentioning if only to point out the arbitrary nature of the current ratings system. I guess if it’s a young child committing such acts of violence without anybody getting seriously injured, then it’s suitable for all ages. Okay, it’s just a comedy no more serious than a Three Stooges short, but I just love playing devil’s advocate.
At this point, Culkin was a household name and the biggest child star in the industry. There’s no denying he has personality. Unfortunately, he was pretty much forced on the public by his overbearing father who managed his career right into the toilet. Once his box office clout had been established, Mac’s father made incredulous demands of any filmmaker interested in hiring his son. It’s my understanding the elder Culkin demanded that his son be cast in The Nutcracker the following year even though he wasn’t a ballet dancer.
Pesci and Stern have fun reprising their roles. This time, Marv dubs them the “Sticky Bandits” because he steals hats and gloves by way of adhesive tape fastened to his hands. The two actors basically do what they did the first time. It’s their chemistry that makes it work. Curry is always a welcome presence in any movie. Of course, this comes from a big fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show so there might be some bias involved. There’s a quick cameo by a certain billionaire real estate mogul-turned-politician that I’m choosing NOT to comment on out of respect for my readers.
The best performance in the movie comes from Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) who plays a pigeon-loving homeless woman that Kevin befriends after realizing she’s not as scary as he initially thought. He first encounters her in Central Park covered with pigeons. She takes care of them and feeds them. They’re her only friends as she’s given up on the human race. Once again, Kevin dispenses some wise advice (out of the mouths of babes) and she becomes his friend. It’s actually a sweet relationship although one is tempted to ask why an Oscar-winning actress is appearing in a goofy kid’s movie.
Home Alone 2 isn’t a bad movie although it’s not quite as good as the original. It does have its strong points. Who can resist a Christmas movie that takes place in New York City? It just seems like a perfect combination. It makes this sequel one of the better ones. It has humor and warmth. It has slapstick and pathos. It also has Tim Curry as a Grinch-like meanie. It’s enjoyable enough to watch every year around the holidays.
