Monday, October 19, 2009

Home Alone


No real-life fantasy can even begin to compare to the glory of parent-free burglar-thwarting amazingness that is Home Alone. Even the most imaginative of children lack the capacity to dream up a scenario so perfectly aligned as to leave you both completely free to wreak havoc on your own home as you see fit and act as the hero. In child imagination-run-wildland, it's pretty much the perfect crime.

Many of us have a soft spot somewhere in our hearts for Christmas movies. I'm pretty sure it's congenital. In the case of Home Alone, however, Warner Brothers gave us the ultimate one-two punch: a heartwarming family Christmas movie with a heaping helping of general kid mischief. The film's iconic nature was no accident; it was written and produced by cinema auteur extraordinaire John Hughes. The man who gave us classics as National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Sixteen Candles found his most financially successful project in Home Alone.

The film also acted as a star vehicle for Macaulay Culkin. While Culkin had acted in previous movies such as Uncle Buck, it was Home Alone that ultimately gave him the elite status of bona fide breakout child star. Home Alone largely hinged on Culkin's solo scenes, in which his well-timed humor and general adorableness won over audiences worldwide. Kids everywhere wanted to be his character Kevin McAllister. We got our chance, too, when Nintendo released the Home Alone video games as part of the fast-growing franchise.



Home Alone revolves around the bustling McAllister family, a large clan who gathers to fly together to Paris for the Christmas holiday. In the chaos and stress of transporting the entire family from the house to the airport in the morning, the McAllister's completely forget about Kevin who has been banished to the third floor as punishment for his behavior at the previous night's dinner. Upon receiving his punishment, Kevin wished that his family would disappear. Incredibly, he wakes up the next morning to find that his wish is reality. Not a bad deal, overall, when you're an eight-year old kid yearning for a little space.

Almost immediately after boarding the flight, Kevin's mother Kate (played by one of my personal favorites, Catherine O'Hara) muses that she is certain she's forgetting something. After ticking through her mental checklist, it finally occurs to her that she's left her eight-year old son alone at home. Oh well, at least they remembered to lock up and set the alarm, right?

Kevin's totally reveling in his new found freedom, indulging in junk food, jumping on the bed, and generally causing destruction and mischief within the confines of his lonely house. His carefree parentless lifestyle is interrupted by the Chicago Police, upon whom his parents called to ensure his well-being and general not dead-ness. As if that weren't enough to shake things up, he also discovers that the infamous "Wet Bandits" burglar duo is headed his way on a rampant crime spree. Talk about your bad luck.

Kevin ingeniously devises a defense system made up of elaborate booby traps. Sure, it's a little violent, but come on, these guys are criminals. We don't see little Kevin bopping his mom on the head with a hammer or anything. As long as it's directed toward the bad guys, a little violence is A-okay in setting an example of angry revenge for children. Really. It's a commonly understood rule. Regardless, Kevin must be some kind of genius to come up with this stuff. Here's a little comically soundtracked montage someone (not me, of course) put together on YouTube of the general anti-robber mechanisms:



Needless to say, that stuff looks painful. It was all pretty slapstick, though, and in good fun. We never really thought these bad guys were going to shoot up the place, leaving a mangled Kevin in their wake. We knew our hero was safe and sound, and probably more dangerous than Harv and Marv (our merry burglar men) combined.

Simultaneous to all of this anti-burglarizing, there's also a subplot involving allegedly creepy neighbor Old Man Marley. The kids in the neighborhood are convinced he's offed his family, so imagine Kevin's surprise that he's actually a lonely old man painfully estranged from his son. Marley and Kevin become unlikely friends, and Marley even swoops in and rescues Kevin from a rather inextricable burglar-induced jam. All this sweetness and togetherness leaves Kevin ready to reunite with his parents, hopeful for their return.

On Christmas morning, Kevin wakes to find his mother and later his whole family returning just in time to celebrate the holiday together. Magically, there's no evidence of the break-in (save for one of the intruder's flashy gold teeth) of the family's none the wiser to Kevin's solo antics. Marley and his son reunite per Kevin's insistence, and all in all, it really is a wonderful life.

It wasn't the most probable of plot lines, but it sure did leave an indelible impression on moviegoers. The film became one of the highest grossing ever, showing you don't need flashy cinematography and Oscar-worthy acting to be a resounding success. All you need is a mischievous little boy, some injury-prone robbers, and one semi-creepy but inevitably lovable old man, and you've got yourself a winner.

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only the greatest movie of all time...

Tis the season for it to be on at least once a day for the next 2 months straight. YES!!!

Suburban Princess said...

I love this movie!

Stephanie said...

OMG I JUST watched this last night.

I am not ashamed to admit I own 1 & 2 on DVD.

Anonymous said...

I love Home Alone! I always liked 2 better though, with the whole New York connection. I watch it every holiday season!

Anonymous said...

I love this movie!!! It's going on my list of movies to watch this holiday season, for sure!

for the love of pictures said...

My family gets a real kick out of this movie. We watch it every Christmas season (as it's always shown on some cable channel). It's just so sweet, cute, and funny all at the same time.

Lauren said...

Seriously, I could watch this movie over and over again, anytime of the year!!!!!!!!!! :) :)

brad said...

I loved this movie so much I remember kind of wanting our house to be broken into so that I could prove just how much like Kevin I could really be.

Nessa said...

I caanot even express my love for this movie...it was and is beyond words. One of the BEST of all time.

Lauretha Sudjono said...

OH MY Gosh! Home alone. I'm still remember how Culkin truly makes me laugh big on the movie. i love your blog so much. since i truly thankful be Growing up in those 90's era. i'm 90'ers.<333

Unknown said...

a classic. I quote lines fro it all the time!

Brittany said...

We still watch this every year at least once!

Anonymous said...

OMG! Home Alone is one of my favorite movies!!

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog and for your sweet comment. Your blog is the best!!

xoxo
Amy
thebargainhunterextraordinaire.blogspot.com

Emily said...

What a freaking great movie! The scene in the church with Kevin and Old Man Marley is one of my favorites of all time.

Now I want to get out my box of Christmas stuff early...

Melanie's Randomness said...

One of my favorite movies of all time. I love the first & the second. I will totally admit that I tried to take my sled down my stairs but forgot to realize that there was a wall at the bottom of my steps not a direct line to my door. Yeahhhhh. There is a part of my grandmother's wall that will never be the same color as the rest the wall. lol. Great post!

Sadako said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L13S-8cSwG0

This is my favorite youtube re-imagining of Home Alone. So hilarious.

And I loved this movie as a kid and still do!

Milltini said...

I'm such a loser--I cry every single time Kevin is reunited with his family. Hahaha.

alexa @clevelandsaplum said...

this post is going to be forever bookmarked - love this movie more than i care to admit.

LWLH said...

I love this movie!!

Hannah said...

holy shit i'm so in love with your blog! so rad.

i actually make a point to watch home alone (1 and 2) every christmas - haha so lame! i can't believe they went and destroyed it with home alone 3..

ps. i didn't think anyone else remembered the magic school bus!

xx

Katie said...

such a great movie! i still watch both home alone and home alone 2 during the holidays (and yes i have them both on dvd)!

Unknown said...

oh, man! i love me some home alone!
even though i used to be so scared of it.
i thought our house was going to be robbed for years!

LOVE the blog! good memories!

Lorelai said...

We had this movie taped off TV. I've seen it so many times I can not only tell you where the commercial breaks were, but what the commercials were actually for.

Having said that, Home Alone 2 is one of my all-time fave movies. Ever. Tim Curry is a god among men.

Annie said...

bahaha,
I LOVE HOME ALONE!

thanks for the comment on my blog btw!

love annie <3

p.s thanks for following!
will do the same :D

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