A Perfect Storm
John Hughes, writer of iconic films like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Mr. Mom, joined forces with Chris Columbus, director of hits such as the first two Harry Potter films, Adventures in Babysitting, and Mrs. Doubtfire, to bring audiences across the world one of the biggest films of all time: Home Alone.
The film starred Macauley Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight year old boy that wishes his family away for Christmas. Through a series of unfortunate events, his wish is granted. He’s left behind by his family as they leave to celebrate the holidays in France. Two less-than-intelligent cat burglars, Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry (Joe Pesci) , who’ve staked out Kevin’s neighborhood, set about looting the empty homes of Kevin’s wealthy neighbors. They soon discover that Kevin is home alone and make plans to overcome him and clean out the McCallister home.
But Kevin ain’t having that.
It what is quite possibly one of the funniest physical comedies in history, Kevin squares off against Marv and Harry. He uses BB guns, Micro Machines, tar, ice, a “classic” movie, feathers, Christmas ornaments, paint cans, an iron and more to protect his home from the duo, better known by the name, “The Wet Bandits.”
Pesci and Stern (in most scenes, their stunt doubles) fall down stairs, slam into brick walls, are set on fire, get feathered, walk on broken ornaments, get hit in the chest with crowbars, get shot in the crotch and face with a BB gun and more as Kevin protects his domain. The result is laugh-out-loud scenes supported by sequences of Kevin’s mother, Kate (Catherine O’Hara), attempting to return home to her son. Her own adventures are far less physical, but one entire sequence with John Candy (who improvised all of his lines), is just as funny in its own right.
The film has plenty of heartwarming moments as well. The eventual reunion with Kevin’s family is nice, but my favorite moment is whenever Kevin visits the local church to seek a little heavenly advice about protecting his home and getting his family back. In the church, Kevin runs into Mr. Marley (Roberts Blossom), an elderly man that lives near Kevin and who all of the local children are afraid of seeing. The pair talk about facing fears and their conversation is tied up at the end of the film when Marley reunites with his own family. It’s a very touching moment in an otherwise hilarious film.
Aside from those already mentioned, the film featured a solid cast of supporting actors such as John Heard, Angela Goethals, Gerry Bamman, Kristin Minter, Kieran Culkin, and Billie Bird. The standout supporting cast member, in my opinion, was Devin Ratray as Buzz, Kevin’s oldest, meanest, and densest brother. Ratray’s career might not be as prolific as some of his fellow castmates, but he’s managed to appear in quite a few films and television shows including The Tick and Mosaic.
When the film was released in 1990, it quickly became one of the most popular and successful films of all time. According to the Netflix series The Movies That Made Us, the film was initially going to be produced by Warner Bros. When the budget proposal was given to Warner, however, they refused to cough up the funds and 20th Century Fox scooped it up instead. The film went on to be the third highest grossing film worldwide behind only Star Wars IV: A New Hope, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial once it left theaters.
The film left an impression on audiences in the early 90’s and it continues to do so today. It has been released multiple times on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray, and is available for streaming. It fired up the career of Culkin, who would go on to star in a number of films that never quite matched up to the success of Home Alone. A sequel starring most of the original cast was made in 1992. Home Alone: Lost In New York proved to be a popular film, but it failed to match even half of the first film’s gross. A third sequel, Home Alone 3, featuring a new youngster in a completely new story, failed to clear the 100 million dollar mark. Two completely forgettable made-for-television sequels were also produced.
I love this film. I’m not ashamed to admit that. I still laugh out loud every time Marv or Harry take a shot from Kevin, get hit with an iron, or get set on fire. This is a solid family film and it’s one of a very small group of Christmas movies that recommend owning.
Thanks for reading my post. Another Focus On Christmas post is coming your way this weekend!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 