Home Alone (1990) 20th Century Fox/Comedy RT: 103 minutes Rated PG (slapstick violence, mild language, some suggestive material) Director: Chris Columbus Screenplay: John Hughes Music: John Williams Cinematography: Julio Macat Release date: November 16, 1990 (US) Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, John Candy, Angela Goethals, Devin Ratray, Gerry Bamman, Hillary Wolf, Michael C. Maronna, Kristen Minter, Kieran Culkin. Box Office: $285.7M (US)/$476.6M (World)
Rating: *** ½
Who knew that some silly comedy about an 8YO boy left on his own would become the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time? Who knew that Macaulay Culkin would become a major child star for a brief time? In hindsight, it should have been obvious given the talent involved with Home Alone. It has some pretty major players. It’s written by John Hughes whose credits include Mr. Mom (1983), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), Sixteen Candles (1984) and The Breakfast Club (1985). It’s directed by Chris Columbus whose debut feature Adventures in Babysitting (1987) was a surprise hit. John Williams (Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T.) composed the score. The cast includes Joe Pesci (Goodfellas), Daniel Stern (City Slickers), Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice), John Heard (Big) and John candy (Planes, Trains and Automobiles). Then there’s that Macaulay Culkin kid.
The premise of Home Alone is rather brilliant. What young child hasn’t wished, at one time or another, that his/her entire family would disappear? What would happen if there were no parents around to stop the child from having fun? Kevin McAllister is about to find out.
As the youngest family member, he takes a lot of grief from everybody. Nobody listens to him. His older brother Buzz (Ratray) bullies him terribly. He gets blamed for things that aren’t his fault (not entirely). Presently, everybody’s rushing around trying to get ready for a trip to Paris for the holidays. Kevin keeps getting in the way. He gets banished to the attic bedroom after an ugly incident at dinnertime. He angrily tells his mother (O’Hara) he wishes they’d all go away saying “I hope that I never see any of you jerks again!” What is it Oscar Wilde said about wishing?
It’s been said Christmas is the most magical time of year. Sure enough, Kevin gets his wish when he wakes up the next morning to an empty house. The family accidentally oversleeps and in their mad rush to get to the airport in time for their flight, they leave Kevin behind. When he realizes the situation, he celebrates by running around the house like a maniac and doing all the things that he’s not allowed to do, like eating huge amounts of junk food and rooting around in his brother’s room for cool stuff. It’s every kid’s dream come true.
There’s one thing that Kevin didn’t count on though, the two burglars robbing vacant houses on his block. Harry (Pesci) and Marv (Stern), who call themselves “The Wet Bandits” because they leave the water running in every house they rob, have their eye on the McAllister residence. Kevin knows something is amiss and takes measures to protect hearth and home. He tricks them into believing adults are presents for a little while. Once the guys realize they’re being tricked, they plan to break in and ply their trade. Kevin can’t let that happen, no way. It’s on him to defend the place.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother is frantic. It isn’t until they’re airborne that she realizes Kevin isn’t with them. He’s (GASP!) home alone! The phone lines are down and the police aren’t any help so Kate shifts into super-Mom mode to get home to Chicago. Because it’s the holiday season, getting a flight anywhere at the last minute is nearly impossible. She doesn’t care. She’ll do whatever it takes to get to him, even hitch a ride with a bunch of “polka bums” led by a hilarious John Candy.
Home Alone is funny, but it really hits its stride in the third act when it turns into a live-action Looney Tune with the invaders falling victim to booby traps set up by Kevin. Some of them are quite inventive. This, for me, is the most interesting aspect of Home Alone. Although I’m sure there are ways to sugarcoat it, I’m just going to come right out and say it. Kevin is a little sociopath. Some of the things he does to the guys look extremely painful. One of them repeatedly falls down an icy set of steps. The other has his hair set on fire. One of them gets burned by a red hot doorknob. They get assaulted with paint cans. What Kevin does to Harry and Marv basically amounts to aggravated assault and battery, possibly attempted murder.
It’s amazing that Home Alone got away with a PG rating, especially since it’s marketed as a family film suitable for young children. Did it ever occur to the makers that impressionable children might try out a few of these neat tricks? Personally, I never heard any reports of anything like this happening in the wake of the movie’s release, but is it a risk worth taking? I’m personally not offended by the movie’s content. I’m simply playing devil’s advocate here and posing a question. Obviously, it’s impossible to expect an 8YO boy to come up with elaborate booby traps that appear inspired by Rube Goldberg. But like I said before, Home Alone is basically a live-action cartoon and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
I can’t help but remember a comment from an adult member of the audience at the preview screening I attended. She said that no parent in their right mind should bring their children to this movie. I would have liked to hear her take on Problem Child released earlier that year. At least Home Alone has a sense of warmth to it whereas Problem Child was 100% malicious and mean-spirited. What does she think about the parents who brought their children to see that one? She’s probably the type who keeps 911 and Child Protective Services on speed-dial. Either way, this woman is in the minority as Home Alone grossed about $286 million domestically and spawned three sequels.
I mentioned that Home Alone had some warmth to it. It’s mainly in Kevin’s relationship with Mr. Marley (Blossom, Christine), the elderly next-door neighbor who’s rumored to have killed his entire family with a snow shovel. At first, Kevin believes the rumors and runs away every time he sees the man. On Christmas Eve, Marley sits next to Kevin at church and they have a sweet conversation about the difficulties associated with family relationships. It’s been said that great truth comes out of the mouths of babes. Kevin dispenses some wise advice to the older man about his family situation. It’s actually a beautiful moment made even more so by the children’s choir singing “O Holy Night”.
Culkin gives a decent performance. He changes quite a bit over the course of a few days. He learns to be more self-reliant and appreciate his family more, even if they do suck sometimes. He learns not to be afraid of so many things. This is especially important if he’s to effectively defend his home from a couple of inept burglars.
Pesci is absolutely hilarious. He’s one of the funniest people working in film although I’d never say it to his face. It’s interesting to see him in a family movie. He’s normally associated with roles that require him to say the f-word a lot and when he does, it sounds like poetry. Here, his swearing sounds like gibberish, but we all know he’s swearing. Stern does quite well as dimwitted Marv. He’s the genius who came up with the idea of turning on faucets at every house they rob. Did it ever cross his mind that it would only make it easier for the police to tie them to all the robberies? O’Hara delivers a strong performance as the protective mother. Kevin might be at the top of her s*** list, but he’s still her child and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect him. Every scene involving Gerry Bamman (Pink Cadillac) is memorable. His Uncle Frank is the relative from hell. He’s a selfish jerk.
Although I question its appropriateness, the finale of Home Alone is very well-orchestrated. The rest of the film isn’t too bad either. It has several funny moments with the topper being a rapid-fire dialogue exchange between Kevin and a nosy supermarket cashier. It has its serious moments too with a message about the importance of family. Columbus manages the delicate balancing act between laughs and pathos very well. There’s a good reason Home Alone is a beloved Christmas classic, a reason besides watching a little sociopath commit violent felonies.
