Film Review: Home Alone (1990)

When the McCallister family takes a vacation to Paris, a series of events leads the clan to accidentally leave one of their youngest, Kevin, behind. Alone in the home, Kevin learns to take care of himself. When a pair of shady burglars target the house, he takes steps to scare them away, but must eventually confront them and defend the house.

Home Alone was a smash hit in 1990 and it continues to be a regular staple for Christmas time. It has plenty going for it—slapstick comedy and goofy hijinks for the kids, and a few serious narrative threads laid over the scripts to unify its morals and deliver some stronger emotional payoffs. The former is easily the most memorable part that draws the most attention, even to the point of drawing parallels to Die Hard and Saw thanks to the way Kevin choses violence to torment and humiliate the robbers. I’m 76% certain these comparisons are satirical though—it’s easy to see that Home Alone carries a lightweight tone even during its busy climax. When the home defense subplot kicks in, it’s played in a bloodless, cartoony fashion, albeit with some level of creditability and without too much mugging to the audience (something that gets lost in the execution from Home Alone 3 onwards). Somehow, this film straddles a fine line between playing up the buffoonery of the villains and maintaining them as serious, creditable threats (in no small part thanks to Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, both of whom commit to their parts admirably). As a kid, watching Kevin outsmart and torment Harry and Marv was certainly the biggest highlight since these scenes rolled up action and comedy into an exciting bundle. As an adult, I can’t help but to see it as a form of low-key absurdism.

The build-up to the thrilling climax is no less compelling though as the story focuses on Kevin’s shenanigans and his family’s struggle to reunite with him. There are many scenes that show off Kevin just being a wild and crazy kid (a shtick that would define Macaulay Culkin as the most famous wild child actor of the 90s—leave it this kid to make a ridiculous face-slapping scream iconic), but the story’s trajectory firmly propels Kevin on an arc that emphasizes maturity, responsibility, and gaining perspective. The plotline maintains its snap as characters overcome a variety of challenges, both mundane and major. It feels unified and complete thanks to the way it sets up various assumptions in the first act, then forces the characters to discover different truths through their challenges (as any good story should). There are good moral lessons embedded into the story, and with the Christmas setting, it is pleasant (and perhaps enlightening) to see the moments when people are actually good and kind.

This film doesn’t really beat you over the head with style—the photography is firm and steady, but rarely a huge standout. It finds subtle ways to accentuate the story though, so the invisible nature of the cinematography could be one of the reasons why the film succeeds as it does. There are plenty of effective scenes where the camera places us in Kevin’s shoes, invoking a more connected experience. I didn’t think much of the film’s color scheme since it's mostly natural-looking, but I have to admit that the way it contrasts the warm interiors with the cold, gray outside world is likely an inspiring creative choice. It all serves as a comfortable backdrop to let the actors shine—aside from Culkin, Pesci, and Stern, there is a plethora of other great performances from the likes of Catherine O’Hara, John Heard, Gerry Bamman, Devin Ratray, and a bunch of child actors that help breathe life to this massive family. John Candy appears towards the end in a few select scenes (an appearance that he shot for one day only, for a mere $414, and was entirely improv—what a guy). Permeating the entire film is the magical score by John Williams (boasting some classic carols in the mix, in addition to the “Somewhere In My Memory” theme). Its memorable leitmotifs invoke a number of emotions, while some cues (like the whole “Making the Plane” bit) successfully draws inspiration from Tchaikovsky. Naturally, the film also uses its fair share of commercially licensed Christmas songs, some of which have their place and some of which are dully inserted because Christmas. For all that goes, keep your eyes open for a cute nod to It’s A Wonderful Life (although the film noir pastiche, Angels With Filthy Souls, is a funny and creative inclusion that stands out as its own funny centerpiece).

When this film came out, I had taken it for granted, because as a young boy I was more invested in the exciting final act and the rest seemed mundane (although there are a ton of great lines that makes the whole film entertaining all the same). As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate the effort John Hughes and Chris Columbus put into the script. It does a perfect job of setting up a number of gags and delivering good punchlines. Above all though, it sets up the characters in a way that they learn and grow into better people, leading up to a heart-warming denouement where family connection is celebrated. The film is memorable for its slapstick, but it still resonates thanks to the way it invokes heart and the Christmas spirit.

8/10