Sunday, December 22, 2019

Home Alone (1990) (Movie Review)


    It’s funny how some people can miss growing up with a film that many deem a family holiday classic … and the 1990 Christmas comedy “Home Alone” was regrettably one of those films I missed.  Back when I was just a little kid, I was Initially scared to watch this film, as I honestly thought it was a horror movie. Front in center of the poster is a little boy screaming, while two intimidating burglars are looking in through the window, and even the title “Home Alone” sounded like the cover of a horror movie. As such, I avoided this movie for years, up-until my late Elementary School years, and I watched it once with a best friend who loved comedies. I remember having a decent laugh at the films signature slap-stick and goofy house traps, but I didn’t think too much of it after. Years pass again up until collage, and I found myself noticing “Home Alone” ranked highly on lists as … not just a great comedy, but one of the all-time great Christmas movies. I didn’t even remember any tie-in’s with Christmas, I just remembered a smart kid out-witting two goofy burglars in a house full of elaborate traps. Needless to say, my curiosity was peaked, I gave it a second viewing … and deeply regretted not growing up with it. Not only does the film hold up over the years, but it makes for an incredibly wholesome family film, and is now absolutely one of my favorites to re-watch around the Christmas season.    


  It's the holiday season, and one large joined family called the McCallister’s are eager to set-off for Parris. However, in a big family, there’s bound to be that one member who’s just not getting along with anyone, and here it comes in the form of a little boy named Kevin, who not only feels mistreated by his siblings, but his parents too. After making a silly blonder, followed by a heated argument, Kevin wishes they’d all just disappear. 
Well … Christmas is that time of year when wishes come true. After a freak storm causes a power outage to the block, the family accidentally sleep in, then make a mad dash to the airport … and subsequently forget to bring their 8-year-old son, who was previously banished to the attic. When Kevin finally comes around, he deludes himself into believing he made his family disappear, and now it’s time to party. At first, it’s a dream come true for Kevin, as he watches forbidden video’s, eats his favorite junk food, sleeps in his parents bed, and raids his brother’s belongings, which leads to me favorite line delivery … “Buzz, your girlfriend … woof!” Things take a frightening turn for the boy when two burglars aim to break into the boy’s house. As such, fun and games are officially over, time to protect the house using ingenuity, and devise some brutal booby traps to ward off the invaders. To bad they didn’t have smart phones back in the 90’s, or this premise would have never worked. Actually, even for a film from back then, you really need to drop all plausibility in favor of a fun experience.  


    When re-watching this movie as an adult, I loved rediscovering things that I either didn’t notice or didn’t pay attention to when I was a kid. 
The first thing that hooked me in upon my second viewing was rediscovering how rich the atmosphere is. Director Chris Columbus gives this film a very magical, whimsical, seasonal feel, and it’s a trait that would carry over into the first two “Harry Potter” movies he directed. Actually, some of John Williams select music ques in “Home Alone” also feel like they carry over into those early Harry Potter films. On that note, the score is one of the most iconic tracks to any family comedy, and rightfully got an Oscar nomination for best original score. There’s also the gentle quire song titled “Somewhere in my Memory”, which was also nominated for best original song, but lost to "Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)" from “Dick Tracy”. How about that ... still, it’s not often a comedy gets nominated at the Academy Awards. Of course, I have to mention the late writer and producer John Hughes, who was on a high point in his career. He had made a name for himself after writing, directing and producing 1985’s “The Breakfast Club”, as well as 1987’s “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”, and he already had a hand in Christmas comedy’s like “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation”. He was basically a comedy giant in the 80’s, and “Home Alone” in my view was his last truly great work before his mediocre family films in the 90’s … including the mixed, yet still enjoyable sequel “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York”, and a so-so live action Disney remake of “101 Dalmatians”, which likewise included a series of traps that take out a group of goofy villains.


   Child star Macaulay Culkin had appeared in movies prior, but it was undeniably “Home Alone” that skyrocketed his career as one of the decades most loved kid actors. While he did become something of a marketable icon, his performance as little Kevin still holds up as one of the great child performances. 
He goes beyond just being cute, as Macaulay Culkin expresses great range of emotion, from shock, to genuinely touching, to the self-possessed, all-encompassing smart kid that can weasel his way out of any situation. By the time “Home Alone 2” came around, he was raking in the green, and his acting admittedly got more phoned in. Still, his original performance was one for the ages, and not to be overlooked. Another performance that shouldn’t be overlooked is Catherine O’ Hara as the mother, who throughout the whole movie is trying desperately to get back home to her son, and is met with set-backs all along the way. Her little side quest, and the psychotic lengths she goes through to get back home are just as entertaining as the boy’s shenanigans. There’s no over the top slap stick in her side story, it’s simply her relentless passion to get back home that makes it so engaging. It also makes great use of a supporting role from the late great John Candy, who was in a previous John Hughes production called “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. Aside from that, it’s just great to see the late comedian in one of the decade’s most popular comedies. Even if he did little, John Candy is just such a welcome presence, and we lost him way too soon. At last we have Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who both shine as the crooks Harry and Marv. Not only do they make for a great buddy act, but they also walk a fine line between being goofy and semi threatening.   


   Let’s look a little closer at how “Home Alone” works as a Christmas movie, because with the films set-up, it really could have just been a comedy by itself, but went another step further. Visually, the film is highly decorative, as all the hijinks are set in this warm and cozy house, with red and green colors in every frame. 
I also love seeing all the vintage Christmas classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” on the TV’s. I especially liked seeing a clip from the 1947 classic “Miracle on 34th Street”, which felt like subtle foreshadowing from John Hughes, as he’d go on to write, produce and direct the 1994 remake. There’s also a number of recognizable Christmas songs, and quires herd throughout, which add to the films holiday atmosphere. On that note, this movie contains my absolute favorite music rendition of “Carol of the Bells”, which is conveyed as an electric rock balled, and adds to my favorite individual scene in the movie. There comes a point when Kevin has to choose between running away or protecting the house, and after making his chose he goes racing home. I love this shot of him running off into the night, with all the Christmas lit homes turning on one at a time and all while that awesome music is rocking in the background. Putting aside the aesthetics, this film also has a lot of gentle and heartfelt moments that equally add to the films holiday tone. Throughout the film, Kevin is frightened of this mysterious neighbor, but then meets him at a church, and the two have a very mature heart to heart. I like that each gets a chance to convey words of wisdom to the other, which makes the moral feel less preachy and more wholesome.  Also, jumping ahead a little, the films epilogue with the family reuniting is all around one of the most heartwarming scenes I’ve ever experienced in Christmas movie.  
         

    Of course, I can’t talk about a comedy without highlighting the funny bits throughout. Personally, I find the film more amusing then “gut-bustlingly” funny. The whole appeal is just seeing this little kid act smarter and more controlling in his young age, while getting away with things we never did as kids … at least I couldn’t have gotten away with any of this when I was a kid. 
One issue I have is that some of the films funniest jokes get repeated more than once, and they lose the fresh appeal as a result. For example, the iconic shaving cream scene is done twice, when once was enough. Also, I love the fictional movie within the movie titled “Angels with Filthy Souls”, which for me is easily the funniest highlight of the film. Unfortunately, even the jokes revolving around this fictional movie are recycled too many times. We also have one of those classic “Jerk Santa’s” in a Christmas movie, and while the scene is memorable, I think they could have made this guy a lot funnier. At last, we have the big climax with all the booby traps. Despite being the most famous thing about the movie, the traps thankfully don’t overstay their welcome, and come in a fun variety. There’s the swinging paint buckets on the stairs, the big fan blowing feathers, the icy steps outside, and the flame thrower greeting the burglars at the door. The funniest thing about these traps for me are actually the crook’s reactions … HARRY: “Marv, why would you take your shoes off?” MARV: “Why are you dressed like a chicken!” I must admit that as an adult, some of these traps are just a little too painful for their own good, like a sharp object impaling someone’s foot, or an iron to the face.  


   In the end, “Home Alone” was a box office event for its time … and I think it’s earned the title of a modern classic. Not only is it a staple of the comedy genera, but it absolutely deserves to be ranked right along with the most beloved and re-watched Christmas movies. Just like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Die Hard” before it, “Home Alone” goes that extra step beyond simply being set during the holiday season. 
It really does capture the themes, morals and feels we attribute to Christmas. Any sibling in a cluttered family can probably relate to the announces, and exhaustion that comes with siblings … and sometimes even with parents. Yet, no matter how frustrating, or heated things might get … it’s still better than the alternative of not having them at all. That to me is such an important lesion to impress on young kids, especially during their early selfish years, and this is the reason beyond all else that “Home Alone” continues to put people in the warm holiday spirit. Christmas is the perfect time for family togetherness, to share love and feelings with one another, and to look past our own narrow point of view. Kids will obviously enjoy the slap stick, the ingenuity and the decorative visuals, but they can also look back on this movie and appreciate the films big heart and thoughtful message. It’s certainly a film I took for granted, and regrettably didn’t grow up with … but rest assured, I’m now a fan, and it deserves it’s place in the family’s collection of yuletide favorites.


Thanks for reading my review of the 1990 Christmas Comedy Classic “Home Alone” … and continue to enjoy the holiday specials that you Love!  
     


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