The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
30 years of holiday high jinx
‘Home Alone’ celebrates big milestone
The holidays offer movie fans a treasure trove of options, old and new. Some are funny, some are heartwarming, some are inspirational and a precious few are all of those things combined. One such modern classic is celebrating a milestone this year, and viewers won’t want to miss it.
Macaulay Culkin (“My Girl,” 1991) stars as Kevin McCallister, a boy who is left behind when his family goes on vacation during the holidays, in “Home Alone,” airing Thursday, Nov. 26, on Freeform. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the beloved Christmas movie, which blends comedy and drama to bring viewers the touching and hilarious tale of an 8-year-old boy left to his own devices as burglars target his posh family home.
It may seems like a far-fetched premise, but it struck a chord with moviegoers when it premiered in November, 1990. According to a 2015 Time article marking the 25th anniversary of the film, screenwriter John Hughes (“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” 1986) came up with the idea while packing for a getaway.
“I was going away on vacation and making a list of everything I didn’t want to forget,” said Hughes (as quoted in Time). “I thought, ‘Well, I’d better not forget my kids.’ Then I thought, ‘What if I left my 10-year-old son at home? What would he do?’”
What Hughes dreamt up became box-office gold. As the movie opens, Kevin’s family is getting ready to spend Christmas in Paris. When the power goes out and the alarm clocks fail, the McCallisters and their extended family scramble to make it to the airport in time to catch their flight. In the ensuing chaos and confusion, parents Kate (Catherine O’Hara, “Schitt’s Creek”) and Peter (John Heard, “Cutter’s Way,” 1981) forget young Kevin, who had been sent to sleep in the attic after causing a ruckus the night before. The boy awakens to find his home deserted and believes that his wish for his family to disappear has come true.
At first, Kevin’s new parent-and-sibling-free existence seems ideal as he jumps on his parents’ bed, raids his big brother’s room, eats ice cream for supper and watches gangster movies. Unfortunately, it isn’t long before he runs afoul of burglars Harry (Joe Pesci, “My Cousin Vinny,” 1982) and Marv (Daniel Stern, “City Slickers,” 1991) who are determined to break into the McCallister house. Summoning his courage, Kevin sets a number of elaborate booby traps to protect his home and fend off the crooks.
The late Hughes had a knack for holiday comedy, as he had proven with such successful films as “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” (1987) and “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989). However, one of “Home Alone’s” most memorable characters was reportedly suggested by director Chris Columbus (“Mrs. Doubtfire,” 1993). He created Kevin’s neighbor Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom, “The Last Temptation of Christ,” 1988) to give the film a more serious tone.
Also of note was the appearance of John Candy in a small but a significant role. The actor often appeared in Hughes’ films, and had starred alongside Culkin previously in “Uncle Buck” (1989). As he was only available for one day, he filmed all of his scenes in about 23 hours and was only paid about $400. Candy was also, apparently, allowed to go off script and ad-libbed all of his lines.
Today, it’s clear that the talented cast and behindthe-scenes crew created Christmas magic with “Home Alone,” but the movie faced a bumpy ride to the box office. Initially, Hughes told Warner Bros. he could make the film for $10 million, but costs
soon grew beyond that. Warner Bros. shut down production, but 20th Century Fox quickly snapped it up. The gamble paid off many times over. While the final budget came in at around $18 million, “Home Alone” grossed more than $475 million worldwide and held the distinction of being the highest-grossing live-action comedy until it was eclipsed by “The Hangover Part II” in 2011. “Home Alone” was the No. 1 film at the box office for 12 weeks during it’s original run. It was so popular, it remained on the big screen for months, long after the holidays were over. In fact, the movie was so commercially successful, the title became a verb in industry circles. To filmmakers, to be “Home Aloned” means to have your box office take negatively impacted by the success of “Home Alone.”
In addition to making Culkin into a veritable worldwide superstar, the movie earned some pretty high profile accolades. It was nominated for two Academy Awards — one for John Williams for Best Original Score, and the other for Best Original Song for “Somewhere in My Memory.” “Home Alone” also earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy and a nomination for Culkin for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Ultimately, the young actor won a Youth in Film Award for Best Young Actor Starring in a Motion Picture.
Despite “Home Alone’s” success, not everyone loved it at the time of its release. The film was quite divisive among critics, with some panning it and others praising it. In fact, famed movie review Roger Ebert gave the film two thumbs down.
Regardless of what the critics say, it’s hard to argue with a movie that’s had this much staying power. Not only has it stood the test of time, it’s spawned a number of sequels, including “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” (1992), in which Culkin and most of the main cast reprised their roles. “Home Alone 3” (1997) featured new characters and a new story, but didn’t fare as well as the previous films. ABC’s made-for-television sequel “Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House” reintroduced the
McCallisters with a new cast, and the fifth film in the franchise, “The Holiday Heist,” had once again recast to feature new characters when it premiered on ABC Family in 2012.
There have been rumors of a sequel featuring a grown-up Kevin’s kid, but so far they are just that — rumors. However, there is an official reboot in the works. Last year, Disney announced plans to reboot the franchise for its Disney+ streaming service and announced the main cast, which includes Archie Yates (“Jojo Rabbit,” 2019), Ellie Kemper (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) and Rob Delaney (“Catastrophe”). Not much has been confirmed about the reboot, but it won’t feature Kevin. Production began
in Canada in February, but it was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In addition to sequels and the reboot, “Home Alone” has also inspired three video games, a novel, action figures, two board games and more. Fans should know that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has come out with a 30th anniversary edition on Ultra HD Blu-ray, which was released in September. However, there’s something special about catching your favorite holiday movie on TV during the Yuletide season. Thirty years later, Kevin McCallister will surely bring families together with plenty of holiday high jinx in “Home Alone,” airing Thursday, Nov. 26, on Freeform.