With 20 days left to go before Christmas, today seems to be the best day to officially get some proper Christmas Spirit. No more shall I tease you with such things as Robert Downey Jr, children stuck in wardrobes, and all the rest of it. Because today’s the day that one of the most classic of Christmas movies enters our advent calendar. So without further ado, I shall begin Home Alone.
This Christmas the Macauly Culkin classic turns twenty-two years old and it’s hard to imagine such a film being done in todays world. With the 90s setting of pre-mobile phone technology it could be easily believed that 8 year old Kevin McCallister (Culkin) could get left behind at christmas and cause havoc with the local thieves. Today we would get 5 minutes in before wondering why Kevin hasn’t yet facebooked his mum. Or at least tweeted her. With the advancement in technology it’s reassuring to know that an attempt at a remake would be utterly pointless and therefore safe to assume that, no matter how desperate studios become, a remake won’t ever see the light of day.
The comedy is fantastic throughout. Even after over twenty years worth of rewatches, you will still be finding yourself giggling like a child as memories come flooding back whilst Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try desperately to outwit young Kevin in his fun-house of traps. Although now I’m older and have seen Joe Pesci’s other work I must admit it’s odd coming back to this and seeing him desperately trying not to swear. For a good while I was imagining a scene in which Pesci’s Harry asks Kevin ‘How exactly am I funny?’ but alas, writer John Hughes decided not to go down that particular route and instead opted for good old slapstick comedy, the greatest asset to a children’s film it seems.
The late great John Candy’s cameo as Gus Polinski is another high point of an already fantastic film however a bit more screen time for the comedy legend would have been nice. But you can’t really complain as you’ll be too busy laughing at his recollection of leaving his child at a funeral parlour.
Home Alone is all you could wish for in a Christmas movie really. A great time for both kids and adults alike and a sure fire way to waste away an afternoon without having to look at the clock wondering when the film will end. And with it’s easily quotable lines and unforgettable scenes it gets better after every viewing!