Home Alone (1990)

My Review

“Home Alone” is the story of an eight-year-old boy who is accidentally left at home in a Chicago suburb when his parents and siblings travel to Paris for Christmas. Kevin McCallister has loads of fun by himself, until he realizes that a pair of burglars are trying to break into the house, with the comedy proceeding from there. Producer-screenwriter John Hughes and director Chris Columbus (“Adventures in Babysitting” 1987″) crafted this film into one of the great comedy classics all of time, with tons of laughs, slapstick comedy, outstanding production values, and good acting.

The cast is headed by Macaulay Culkin in the lead role, perfect as the boy foiling the burglars at every turn. The Wet Bandits are well played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Pesci especially demonstrates a wide acting range, appearing as vicious Mafia henchman Tommy DeVito in “Goodfellas” the same year as this “Home Alone” comedic role.

Co-stars include John Heard and Catherine O’Hara as Kevin’s parents, John Candy as the Polka King of the Midwest, Roberts Blossom as the neighbor, Devin Ratray as Buzz, Angela Goethals as Linnie, Gerry Bamman as Uncle Frank, Larry Hankin as a policeman, Kieran Culkin as cousin Fuller, Hope Davis as French ticket agent, and Billie Bird as a woman in the airport. Bird is a veteran actress in one of her final roles in a career that began in 1950..

“Home Alone” was nominated for two Academy Awards, for Best Original Score (John Williams) and Best Original Song (“Somewhere in My Memory” John Williams and Leslie Bricusse), filmed on location in the Chicago, Illinois, area. The movie was the second highest grossing film of 1990 for producer John Hughes, Hughes Entertainment, and 20th Century Fox. It spawned a number of sequels: “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992), “Home Alone 3” (1997), “Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House” (2002), “Home Alone: The Holiday Heist” (2012), and “Home Sweet Home Alone” (2021).