Movies: The Home Alone series
To appreciate the magnitude of the success of "Home Alone" in 1990, you have to step back a bit. Here's a PG-rated kid's movie that went on to become a worldwide hit, grossing nearly half a billion dollars. It starred a near-unknown child actor, Macaulay Culkin, along with a supporting cast of character actors. There aren't any flashy special effects, and there aren't any big name stars (unless you count Joe Pesci and Catherine O'Hara).
The ridiculous premise - a well-to-do American family accidentally leaves their 8 year old son Kevin at home while embarking on a Christmas trip to Paris - is pure childhood wish fulfillment. Directed by Chris Columbus (one of the most successful family comedy directors in the business), "Home Alone" mixes Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote slapstick with well-worn Christmas heartstring tugging, to great effect. Imagine if Bedford Falls from "It's a Wonderful Life" turned into a warzone between a kid and some bumbling burglars, and you have "Home Alone."
The sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," was a critical failure and, while it performed adequately at the box office, didn't have the blockbuster success of the first film. Again, Kevin is separated from his family, this time at crowded O'Hare International. The labored steps taken to recreate the conflict from the first film (the Wet Bandits manage to escape from prison, and they just happen to be in Manhatten at Christmastime) mean you should throw plausibility out the window and just enjoy the ride.
The ridiculous premise - a well-to-do American family accidentally leaves their 8 year old son Kevin at home while embarking on a Christmas trip to Paris - is pure childhood wish fulfillment. Directed by Chris Columbus (one of the most successful family comedy directors in the business), "Home Alone" mixes Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote slapstick with well-worn Christmas heartstring tugging, to great effect. Imagine if Bedford Falls from "It's a Wonderful Life" turned into a warzone between a kid and some bumbling burglars, and you have "Home Alone."
The sequel, "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York," was a critical failure and, while it performed adequately at the box office, didn't have the blockbuster success of the first film. Again, Kevin is separated from his family, this time at crowded O'Hare International. The labored steps taken to recreate the conflict from the first film (the Wet Bandits manage to escape from prison, and they just happen to be in Manhatten at Christmastime) mean you should throw plausibility out the window and just enjoy the ride.
I'd argue that "Home Alone 2" more accurately reflects the spirit of Christmas than its predecessor; Kevin McAllister's vow to stop his old foes, Harry and Marv, from stealing money meant for patients at a children's hospital rings as true for me now as it did then: "You can mess with a lot of things, but you can't mess with kids on Christmas." The booby traps are amped up (the burglars suffer from a 2-1/2 story fall onto pavement, electrocution, and immolation), and so are the stakes.
Growing up, though, both of these movies were holiday favorites of mine - I must have seen that grainy VHS tape version of "Home Alone 2" a dozen times. Even though I'm grown up now, I can't really give them an unbiased rating, since I still see them with an eight year old's eyes. But maybe that's the point.
Growing up, though, both of these movies were holiday favorites of mine - I must have seen that grainy VHS tape version of "Home Alone 2" a dozen times. Even though I'm grown up now, I can't really give them an unbiased rating, since I still see them with an eight year old's eyes. But maybe that's the point.
posted by Mulliga @ 11:30 AM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I saw Home Alone 2 long before I ever saw the first Home Alone--in fact, I'm not actually sure I've seen it all the way through to this day--so my nostalgic fondness for the franchise focuses, on, yes, the grainy VHS tape of Home Alone 2... I kinda like the pigeon lady, you know? And Tim Curry's in it! C'mon! Tim Curry! <3
For other holiday favorites, I was quite fond of 's Hocus Pocus--but then I would be. Hocus Pocus was also the first Vonnegut book I read, around age ten or so?
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