There is a place in my heart for the Home Alone movies. While I am not usually a fan of sequels (unless it is part of a trilogy), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York kept enough of the same theme to be entertaining yet changed things up enough to provide fresh material for audiences of all ages.
At 26, I am just four months younger than Macaulay Caulkin, the star of the Home Alone movies. I can recall playing ‘home alone’ in my own house. I spent my play time devising my own plan to booby trap it…just in case criminals ever broke in to my quiet, small-town, Midwestern, three-story home in the middle of the most boring and non-violent areas in the state of Ohio.
|
|
Once I knew that Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was in theaters I had no other alternative, but to go see the film. I know I saw this movie in the theater, though I cannot recall whether I saw it with my father, on one of his rare days off from his government job, or my grandparents, who were often more like parents during my own parents’ increasingly busy lives. Either way, I know I really liked the film back then, and as I have grown up and watched the film with my own son (who is 12), the timelessness of this film, which continues to delight audiences of all ages, has become quite apparent.
|
The Plot
In Home Alone 2, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Caulkin) is ten now. It is Christmas time again and the McCallister family is set to head to a new vacation destination. All of the McCallisters from Peter (John Heard) and Kate (Catherine O’Hara) and Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) and Aunt Leslie (Terrie Snell)’s broods are ready to head down to Florida for some fun in the sun.
In typical Buzz (Devin Ratray) fashion, Kevin’s older brother gets Kevin in trouble. This time, Kevin has a solo at his Christmas concert. As Kevin is singing, he is humiliated by Buzz. In retaliation, Kevin charges toward his brother (who always seeks to ruin anything special that Kevin does) and as a result, he knocks the entire choir off the risers.
Back at the McCallister house, the family is listening to Buzz, who has, in “court-style” fashion sucked up to the family by pointing out how immature he was and apologizing to both the family and his brother for his behavior. Of course, Home Alone fans know just how sorry Buzz truly is, so it is clear why Kevin does not apologize, especially since he did not start the incident and Buzz humiliated him in front of an entire auditorium of people.
Since Kevin will not apologize, his mother takes him upstairs to the attic again. This time Kevin makes a new wish. He wants to go on vacation, on his own, without his family. This, of course, foreshadows the events of the next morning.
The McCallisters wake up late again, but this time Kevin makes it to the airport. However, he needs batteries for his talking recorder. So, his father, Peter, gives him his carry-on bag, which contains batteries as well as cash and credit cards. As Kevin is putting the batteries in his “Talkboy”, he loses sight of his father. As a result, he mistakes a man with a similar coat for his father, and follows him onto a plane to New York.
|
When Kevin arrives in New York, he realizes while he is not with his parents, he has “old friends” in New York. Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), the two bad guys from Home Alone, have escaped from prison. Now, they are about to run into their old friend Kevin. This means paybacks for everything Kevin did to them in the original movie. Of course, Kevin cannot get off that easy.
Not only is he facing these two dolts, he has used his father’s credit card to check into the Plaza Hotel. Now he must outsmart the unsavory hotel staff (Tim Curry, Rob Schneider, and Dana Ivey) who are out to prove Kevin is staying there without the permission of his father.
Thoughts on the Movie
Home Alone 2 had the potential to fall into all of the traps that make sequels bad. It could have been the same movie as the first Home Alone, only with a different title. It could have been so completely different that it really was not a Home Alone movie. It could have had no plot or made no sense. However, thanks to the genius of the director & writer of this movie, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was none of these things.
|
|
In fact, the movie was different enough for you to enjoy yourself, yet it kept the same conventions of the first movie. Home Alone became such a success at the box office and beyond because it was funny and entertaining for audiences of all age levels. It was not just about kids. It was not just made for kids. People can relate to the characters, and that is the sign of a great movie.
Sure, it is a little far-fetched to imagine a child is left behind twice by the same family. However, if it were to happen, every parent and grandparent could relate to what Peter and Kate were going through. In fact, most parents would feel the same way.
That being said, as most of us reflect on our childhood…would we be a Kevin if we were put into the situations he faced? Would we be able to defeat two bumbling idiots or would we end up just going to the police even if it meant trouble for us? I like to think we all see a little bit of Kevin in ourselves and can relate to the way a child thinks…using toys and household items to make a fun house and defeat the powers of evil in the process.
What People are Saying
As always, IMDB does not let me down. Fans of Home Alone 2 are fighting and nitpicking over the stupidest things. I do not know why it is so difficult to realize that this is a movie. It was meant to entertain, not be realistic down to the letter. Since when did it matter whether ten year olds can spell insurance right or not? Since Kevin can, the movie must be wrong….It was just a year (or two) before when he was les incompetents. How did he get so smart so fast?
Otherwise, talk of the movie is good. As those of us from the 1980’s grow up and have our own families, we have brought this Christmas staple along with us for the ride and are introducing it to our own children.
The Bottom Line: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is family-friendly. If you like the first movie, you will like this sequel. It was written by John Hughes back when John Hughes actually wrote excellent movies that audiences could truly appreciate. Home Alone 2 was directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter, Home Alone). It is clear Chris knew the story, and the actors were very comfortable in their characters by now, making Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, a box office blockbuster, and a Christmas Classic for generations to enjoy.
If you like this site, Donate to help keep us going!
---------------------
Written by Dominick - Visit Website
No comments yet.