Year of Release: 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Angela Goethals, Devin Ratray, Gerry Bamman, Hilary Wolf, John Candy, Larry Hankin, Michael C. Maronna, Kristin Minter, Diana Rein, Senta Moses, Kieran Culkin
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 5
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Synopsis and Review
One of the films that is now synonymous with the Christmas season is in fact Chris Columbus' "Home Alone". The film which premiered towards the end of 1990, turned out to be one of the biggest hits of the year (only behind Jerry Zucker's "Ghost"), and went on to generate a franchise of its own, that never reached the heights of popularity and success of the first film. The narrative focuses on a young boy by the name of Kevin McAllister. Being the youngest in a big family, Kevin has plenty of personality in order to deal with his older siblings, but this time around he has a fuller house, as his uncle's progeny is also staying with them, since they're all going to Paris to spend Christmas with another part of the family. When there's a mini-meltdown during dinner time, Kevin is banished to sleep in the converted attic. The following morning the entire house is awoken by the transportation service - they all slept in due to a storm and power outage. In the chaos of getting to the airport on time, everyone is accounted for, save for Kevin, who was still asleep in the attic. One of the neighbors' kid got mistakenly counted as him. During the flight, Kate, Kevin's mother, suddenly realizes something is wrong, and is crushed upon realizing they forgot the youngest at home all by himself. Kevin in the meantime initially thinks he made his entire family disappear, and decides to indulge in doing everything he always wanted to. However things take a darker turn, when he realizes that some less than reputable individuals are circling the houses in the neighborhood, which he gathers to be for looting. He has to devise a plan to prevent a plan from preventing the same from happening to his place, at least until his parents get back.
John Hughes' script for "Home Alone" was both economical and ingenious in its premise. Young boy with a resourceful mind puts two inept criminals through a wild ride. That premise summarizes what happens during the entire film. What he does however manage to bring as additional layers of interest, includes nuances to some of the lead characters, which makes them that much richer than say, a cartoon character that is being played by a human actor. The film aims to be somewhat of a universal tale of a kid who is always in trouble and deemed the black sheep of the family (a Bart Simpson of sorts), and put a spin on it, by showing he has a heart, is intelligent, capable, and not entirely defenseless. The film does have a limited dramatic arc, and for all the charisma and good humor Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern bring to their characters, theirs are still a rather comic book type of villainy and buffoonery. The film is limited in many aspects, particularly when it comes to its characters, but Chris Columbus does manage to illustrate some of the set pieces competently, even if the film does feel borderline generic. Much of its charm is derived from the cast, with Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Gerry Bamman, and Catherine O'Hara taking the lion share of compliments. They manage to bring these set-pieces to life, with vivacity, energy, and emotion, which makes their characters a bit more than just short-typed clichés. Chris Columbus, who had previously made a name for himself with the popular "Adventures in Babysitting" and would go on to have other successful features such as "Mrs. Doubtfire", "Nine Months", and "Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone" (to name but a few), didn't bring anything particularly memorable in terms of point of view, but John Hughes' script and the actors' work did ultimately atone for his performance in the director's chair. The production team is top notch, with highlights going to John Williams' score and Julio Macat's cinematography. It is watchable, and it does have its moments, and at times, that's enough.
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