Home Alone is Christmas comedy film that was made all the way back in 1990. Yes indeed, that is a very long time ago. Did they even have Wi-Fi or cell phones back then? What about Netflix? Nonetheless they did have this gem of a film. Home Alone is a movie that gets watched and discussed every single Christmas season. To some families it’s like a staple in their holiday tradition. Others, such as mine, even watch it when there's no snow on the ground to be found. Why my family likes to watch this particular film in the middle of July still alludes me. On the plus side I pretty much now every line throughout the film.
Home Alone was directed by Chris Columbus (no, not Christopher Columbus). The writer and producer of the film was John Hughes. Although there are certainly a lot of characters in the film, the movie centers around Kevin McCallister, a young boy who gets left behind by his family for the holiday season, played by Macaulay Culkin. The film also features Joe Pesci as Harry, Daniel Stern as Marv, Catherine O'Hara as Kate McCallister and John Heard as Peter McCallister. Home Alone was the highest grossing live action comedy film throughout the entire United States from 1990 until 2011. It still is the highest grossing Christmas movie of all time in North America when inflation is taken into account. Due to the film’s success four sequels were created and the second movie in the franchise, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, had the same original coast as the first movie.
Home Alone opens with the McCallister family preparing to leave Chicago for their holiday trip to Paris. Kevin does not get along well with his cousins, that are staying over at his house before the big trip, and his other siblings. After fighting with his older brother named Buzz, Kate sends Kevin up to his room for the night. Kevin responds by saying he wishes his family would just disappear. Due to a temporary power outage no one's alarm goes off and in a rush to get out the door to the airport the McCallister family forgets Kevin in his room. When Kevin awakes he finds his house empty and believes his dream has been fulfilled. However, he soon comes to fear the 'wet bandits", two criminals names Harry and Marv who are famous for breaking into people’s homes and leaving the water running, who are planning to target the McCallister household after they discover that Kevin is home alone. Meanwhile Kate realizes that she forgot Kevin and quickly discovers that all flights to Chicago are booked and can only get one as far as Scranton, Pennsylvania. Therefore, upon her arrival in Scranton Kate enlists the help of a traveling polka band to drive her all the way to Chicago. Back at the McCallister household Kevin discovers that Harry and Marv are going to attempt to rob his house on Christmas Eve. Therefore, he bobby traps his entire house and prepares for the inevitable theft attempt. Despite countless, and I do mean countless, injuries and failures the "wet bandits" refuse to give up and chase Kevin out of the house into a neighboring home that is vacant. However, they were unaware that Kevin had already called the authorities and with some help from his neighbor Old Man Marley young Kevin successfully escapes and the police arrest Harry and Marv. In the end Kate, Peter and the rest of the family arrive back at home in Chicago to find Kevin. They are surprised to find the house in such disrepair and that Kevin actually went shopping for groceries. The movie closes out by Buzz yelling at Kevin for the mess he created in his room.
Home Alone is considered to be the Christmas movies of all Christmas movies by many, and for good reason. It has won countless awards and is still sought each holiday season. Although it’s almost thirty years old it never fails to bring Christmas joy to all the families that watch it, every single year.