Home Alone (1990) review

Home Alone (1990)

Directed by: Chris Columbus

Produced by: John Hughes

Screenplay by: John Hughes

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara

In the 1980s, writer/director John Hughes was known as the cinematic voice of a new generation. A former author of essays and stories for "National Lampoon" magazine, Hughes made movies that were hilarious but also contained a certain degree of honesty, even if some of his efforts haven’t aged especially well. Nevertheless, films like “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” are considered classics of the decade. In 1990, just a year after the release of one of his most beloved screenplays, “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” we got another Hughes holiday classic, “Home Alone.” Directed by Chris Columbus, who was in line to direct “Christmas Vacation” but left due to personal differences, it stars Macaulay Culkin as the precocious Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy accidentally left by himself when his family goes on vacation to Paris. Creative, witty and heartfelt, this movie overcomes logistical hiccups to earn its watchable reputation.

It opens in Chicago, where the McCallister family home of Peter (John Heard) and Kate (Catherine O’Hara) is jam-packed with relatives on the eve of their Christmas vacation overseas. Their youngest son Kevin is frequently picked on by his siblings and cousins, which results in Kate sending him up to the attic after a fight with his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) over dinner. An overnight power outage results in the family scrambling to rush to the airport the next morning, and in the confusion, Kevin is left behind. Initially overjoyed at his new freedom, Kevin becomes scared at the presence of his neighbor “Old Man” Marley (Roberts Blossom), rumored to be a serial killer, and a pair of burglars called the “Wet Bandits,” Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), who have been robbing vacant houses in the neighborhood. The resourceful Kevin is able to keep them away from the house with smoke and mirrors, but they eventually catch onto his tricks, and resolve to break in on Christmas Eve night. While Kevin rigs the place with booby traps, the guilty Kate resorts to any means to get back to Chicago and be with her son.

To say that Culkin was popular after this film came out is a huge understatement; he was the most bankable child actor in the world for a while, all while cultivating an image that was bratty yet still somehow wholesome. But that fame came with a heavy price, as pressure from his controlling manager and father Kit took its toll, and a string of movies more focused on promoting his image than being good led to him stepping away from acting for a while. I say all this because a lot of new viewers seem to look down on this performance that made Culkin such a star; but I’m here to argue that it’s more nuanced than you think. He plays Kevin exactly how he’s asked to; he’s mouthy and obnoxious, but in that identifiable way little kids are, and he portrays the excitement, fear, hyperactivity, ostracization and growth very well. Unlike some of his future roles that seemed to make him “too cool for school,” Kevin has very real childlike insecurities, like not being taken seriously and being afraid of the basement or weird-looking strangers, so seeing him come to terms with it on his own while also defending his home is the endearing heart of the story.

Speaking of which, the Wet Bandits are also a big selling point; they’re just the right blend of intimidating and dumb, with Marv more interested in creating a calling card than being at all stealthy, and Harry so hot-headed and stubborn he’d rather fixate on one house than stay on the move. Fun fact, Joe Pesci had a difficult time refraining from cursing on set, so Columbus advised him to say “fridge” instead of dropping the F-bomb, which results in some humorous Yosemite Sam-style rants. Meanwhile, I really think Catherine O’Hara gets some of the sincerest lines in the film; the moment Kate realizes what’s happened, she’s in the mindset of moving mountains if necessary. The scene where she begs an elderly couple (Billie Bird & Bill Erwin) at the Paris airport to sell her their ticket is so sad and tender, yet Hughes smartly injects just the right amount of humor too, with her harshly but still patiently tearing into the Scranton Ticket Agent (Alan Wilder) in a later scene.

The thing this movie became the most imitated for is the slapstick antics in the climax, when Kevin sets up Harry and Marv for pratfalls and various bodily injuries. Some of these traps are still very imaginative, like heating up the doorknob, rigging a blowtorch or simply icing up the steps. In fact, the whole movie is filled with really unique methods of tricking the Wet Bandits, none more inspired than Kevin playing an old gangster movie—not a real film, btw—where a shootout scene takes place. There are a lot of really smart choices implemented in the craft of the movie, such as the color scheme, music and overall sense of comfort. It doesn’t always work, though; I think the reason for the McCallisters miscounting Kevin is really contrived, there are a few too many cute moments at unbelievable times, and the scene where the police send an officer to the house defies all reason. Why would the cop not identify himself? Then again, considering certain historical events…eh, let’s not get into it right now.

In the end, “Home Alone” has enough in the aesthetics and writing to keep it entertaining, and it has a timeless holiday warmth. The ending where Kevin and his family reunite just as Marley and his family do the same thing is just so damn touching, I don’t care how far it pushes the boundaries of oversentimentality. It’s a movie that can go over-the-top, but the passion and commitment still shine through. Opening in mid-November, it stayed atop the box office for 12 consecutive weeks, and actually made Top 10 appearances all the way into June, becoming the third-highest grossing film of all-time. The success, like I said, made Culkin a household name, and led to an unlikely franchise that lasts to this day, for better or worse. Despite his post-“Home Alone” struggles, I’m really glad that Culkin is doing as well as he is now, clearly game enough to lampoon his old role in commercials and online web shows, and finding new cinematic success on his own terms. As far as Christmas classics go, this isn’t an absolute favorite for me, but it’s still a worthwhile holiday treat.

My rating: 8.5/10