No matter what generation you’re from, Home Alone has been the go-to Christmas movie to watch on TV with family, friends, or even home alone. Who’d have guessed that a simple family comedy about an orphaned 8-year-old child would become the highest-grossing Christmas film of all time? Who thought Macaulay Culkin would rise to prominence as a child star after Home Alone? After all, the film’s premise is intriguing – what small child hasn’t wished at one point or another for their entire family to disappear?
How to Stream or Download Home Alone
You can stream it or you can download the film from a number of digital stores. Click on the Download button at the end of this review.
The Movie Review
It’s finally Christmas season, and the McCallisters are getting ready to travel to Paris for a holiday vacation. Their eight-year-old son Kevin always gets into fights with his older brother Buzz. One day, his parents get tired of his antics and send him off to the third-floor room. The next day, the McCallisters oversleep and barely make it to their flight, only to realize they’ve forgotten Kevin once they’re airborne.
Despite this, Kevin makes the best of the situation by jumping on beds, eating ice cream, watching gangster movies, and doing anything he wants. However, a pair of robbers known as Harry and Marv have robbed many homes in the area and are now after the McCallister house. It’s now up to Kevin to defend his castle.
Chris Columbus was relatively fresh in the Hollywood scene when he directed Home Alone, which eventually became a huge hit in 1990. He then went on to direct two film adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, as well as a movie based on the Percy Jackson novels.
This is clearly a guy who knows how to win children’s hearts, and the same thing happened with Home Alone. The movie also inspired writer-producer, John Hughes, to use the same slapstick formula he’s successfully used in previous comedies. Hughes is known for some pretty popular films such as cult-classic The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The most fun thing about this movie isn’t just the reimagining of our childhood dream of having the entire house to ourselves, but the cat and mouse chase between Kevin and the two burglars. Speaking of cat and mouse, the type of violence that happens in Home Alone is in the same field as Tom & Jerry, like that moment when Marv gets smacked in the face with an iron or when Harry’s head is set on fire.
In reality, all these booby traps would’ve killed them, and parents may not be too fond of their children being taught first-degree murder. But isn’t the point of the film exterminating home burglars?
Macaulay Culkin is really cute as the brat who sets up invasion traps all over his home. But what makes the torture convincing are Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern’s performances, who easily steal the show as Harry and Marv. They have amazing chemistry together and create a hilarious comical duo.
The supporting cast is also good, with John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Catherine O’Hara, and John Candy all giving excellent performances. Another important plus is John Williams’ score, who adds to the film’s overall appeal.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, Home Alone is a great film that proves the importance of family (despite having no family in it for the most part), how we’re perfectly capable of taking our loved ones for granted. It also teaches us how we can face our fears, and that we can beat the bad guys no matter how small we are.
What makes Home Alone so special is the film’s simplicity, the inspired use of clichés, the realization of a child’s dream, and a parent’s biggest fear. The movie is filled with laughs and wholesome moments throughout, so I believe it is fair to label it a classic after all these years.
