12 Days of Christmas 2015: Home Alone

Home Alone (1990)
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern
Directed by: Chris Columbus


Looking at the Christmas movies that you want to sit down and watch with the entire family, we've come to one of the modern classics. Home Alone is an early '90s family comedy starring Macaulay Culkin and written by John Hughes. That just screams a great combination for a great Christmas film (I'll probably be eating my words with the next review) and it's been one of my traditional favorites to watch every year since I was a little kid. Naturally, as a kid, the nostalgia I have for the film is for the slapstick. Now that I'm an adult, I watch it with a fresh pair of eyes and analyze the family themes, well-written script, and comedic timing that I wouldn't normally pick up on when I'm focusing on burglars getting hit with paint cans. And just to put it out there, I will NOT be reviewing the 3rd, 4th or 5th films. 3 is not centered around the holidays (more close to a winter in Chicago than anything directly), 4 was a made-for-TV movie and 5 went straight to DVD. With that out of the way, let's look at the original Home Alone film.

Of course everyone knows this as the family film that really put Macaulay Culkin on the map, as he plays our adorable, young hero Kevin McCallister. Kevin's the perfect age here to get away with his shenanigans. He's able to bridge the line between both adorable and mischievous, being both innocent and a schemer. He does a really great job of playing Kevin as a genuine kid. Sure, he mouths off and having those kinds of traps in his mind definitely show the early signs of a sociopath, but you still understand that he's just being a kid. Kids can be a lot smarter than adults give them credit for, and that's definitely the case with Kevin in this movie. He's left by himself and goes through all the emotions one would. He celebrates for a little bit, gets away with all the things he wouldn't normally be able to, but then starts to take care of himself and act like an adult in an act of survival. Culkin was the child actor of a generation because he showed a lot of adults what kids are capable of and showed kids what they themselves can accomplish a lot, while still putting on the image of being cute and cuddly.

Kevin has to protect his house from the bumbling Wet Bandits Harry and Marv, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. These guys are the entire reason I come back to this movie every year. They are so funny and work off each other so well that I wish we got to see more of them than Kevin. Like, had they taken this franchise to follow Harry and Marv, I totally would've been on board. They're simple comedic foils that work so well together. Harry is short and Marv is tall. Harry is the brains and Marv is stupid. You see it all the time with pairings, from Pinky and the Brain to Jay and Silent Bob. This great combination makes the Wet Bandits two of the most celebrated Christmas villains that we love to hate.

I'm sure this film could've been set at any other time during the year (such as a summer family trip or something), but Chris Columbus and John Hughes decided it would be worth it to cover the scenery in greens and reds. Surrounding the houses in fluffy, white snow and twinkling, bright lights really helps set a welcoming mood to the whole film. And I even enjoy a lot of the themes that older kids and adults will grow to appreciate. Like, even when they bicker, I love the family dynamic and I fully believe that they could be a real family interacting during the holidays. And I won't lie, the scene at the end always gets me a bit on the emotional side (ah, shut up!). It's a wonderfully written and thoughtful film celebrating the holiday season and everything around it.

But if I'm being honest here, Home Alone has probably stayed constant with viewers for 25 years because of the traps. This is some of the best slapstick you'll ever see and it's great to celebrate the comedic gold every year during December. Paint buckets to the head, blowtorches, and even a tarantula make appearances in this film's iconic final act. You'll laugh, you'll cringe, and you'll have a great time watching either with the family or by yourself. Just please...don't try any of that at home!


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Everything from John Hughes script, to the performances from the cast, to the iconic traps, to the Christmas atmosphere makes Home Alone one of the classic family movies to bust out every year for the holidays. Add this to your collection this Christmas, as I'm sure you'll be making it a tradition to watch this for years to come.

Home Alone and movie images are copyrighted by 20th Century Fox