Christmas Movies, Pt. 4

"This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back. No toys, nothing but Peter, Kate, Buzz, Megan, Linnie, and Jeff. And my aunt and my cousins. And in a few years time, my Uncle Frank. Okay?" — Kevin McCallister, "Home Alone"

Today I continue my celebration of Christmas movies with a look at an all time classic, "Home Alone."

Home Alone
Starring: Macaulay Culkin, John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern
Synopsis: Few movies spell the holidays like "Home Alone." It was released in 1990, and since then has had regular rotation on the networks and cable. Mostly I associate it with Thanksgiving time, because that used to be the day NBC would trot it out most. I remember watching the film when I was young and loving it. I have always considered it a holiday classic, but it had been years since I sat down and watched the movie. Let me tell you, watching it as an adult in 2012, (one who is looking at starting a family of my own) is a different experience. "Home Alone" remains a fun, charming holiday film. But it REALLY breaks down in logic the more you think about it. Can you imagine leaving your eight-year-old behind? Really? And not remembering until you're somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean? Really? There are a lot of places where this breaks down. If you watch the movie, you're supposed to see Kate McCallister as a loving mom desperate to get back to her son. If you don't have that, it's hard to get into the story. But, really, what loving mother wouldn't put eyes on ALL her children when getting on the airport shuttle, when arriving at the airport, when going through security, and when boarding a plane. We are asked to take on faith that, in a hurry to make their flight, something like an entire person falls through the cracks. And, sure, the neighbor kid messes up the count when getting into the vans, but wouldn't you do a recount when getting on the plane? That's just logic. Also, in 2012, it's hard to appreciate the relative ease with which the family gets on the plane and how few flights there are back to the United States. Another logical flaw — the response from the police. If a parent calls and says, hey, I left my eight-year-old behind in Chicago on accident as we flew to Paris, the cops are taking that pretty seriously. Of course, these logical flaws are all needed to drive the story forward, but, still, it seems pretty striking. My wife mentioned — when I was discussing all these flaws — that the movie's target audience is 10-year-olds. That's probably true. I know when I saw the movie at 10 years old I loved it. Still, it's hard to get past these things when watching it today. Another logical question would be — having left your child behind once — how would that happen again? Yet, "Home Alone" has spawned a number of sequels. To be fair, I haven't seen all those, so I don't know how they made that work. But, "Home Alone" remains enduring because of the performance of a young Culkin, it's unique holiday approach, and the fact that, like the other films we've looked at, it upholds the notion of the importance of family. Young Kevin (Culkin) wishes his family would disappear. He wants to be all alone. He gets his wish, and spends a bit of time embracing his freedom. But he soon realizes that life is lived better with company. So, by the time he's reunited with his family, he better appreciates them for all they bring to his life. Such is the nature of Christmas movies.
Rating: PG
Verdict: Three stars out of four.