REVIEW: ‘Home Alone’ remains a holiday classic

Staff Writer Hannah O’Grady writes that “Home Alone” remains a holiday classic, even 30 years after its release.

Hannah O’Grady, Staff Writer
December 22, 2021

With humor, heart and a killer score, the 1990 classic “Home Alone” is a fantastic Christmas film.

The film, written by John Hughes (best known for “The Breakfast Club” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”) and directed by Chris Colombus, is set in Chicago and follows eight-year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), who is accidentally left home alone, as he fights to protect his house from two determined, albeit not very clever, burglars. The adventure is full of slapstick humor and clever lines, and the movie’s ability to not take itself too seriously is its greatest strength.

The movie opens in the McCallister household, as the family prepares to leave for a Christmas vacation in Paris. Following an argument between Kevin and his mother Kate (Catherine O’Hara) and a neighborhood-wide power outage, the family oversleeps and forgets to wake up Kevin in their hurry to the airport.

Initially ecstatic to have the house to himself, Kevin takes advantage of his newfound freedom, before something throws a wrench in his plan: burglars Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) are planning to rob the McCallister home. The movie follows Kevin’s attempts to protect himself and his house and his family’s efforts to reunite with him.

Humor is by far the most endearing element of this film. Kevin’s antics, which include sledding indoors and eating junk food, are a joy to watch, largely because of the youthful energy that Culkin brings to his role. Meanwhile, Pesci and Stern are also successful in generating laughs. The grouchy, irritable aura of Pesci’s character paired with the simple-mindedness of Stern’s create a hilarious, if sometimes over the top, dynamic. The scenes in which the two bandits face off against young, inventive Kevin are highlights of the movie, allowing all three performers to shine in moments of witty banter and pure slapstick comedy.

While Pesci, Stern and Culkin provide the humor, O’Hara provides the heart. The steadfast determination she portrays through Kate keeps the story grounded. Without her worries for her son and her commitment to reuniting with him, “Home Alone” would lack the themes of love and family that make it a classic.

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The thing that ties everything together is John Williams’s brilliant score.

Some of the characters are a bit too much at times, most notably Kevin’s older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) and Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman), who are an over-the-top kind of mean. However, the actors intentionally lean into the over-the-top nature, and their characters come across as more comical than harshly intimidating.

The thing that ties everything together is John Williams’s brilliant score. His orchestration creates a distinctly holiday sound with the bells and the celeste—instruments that are linked to other iconic holiday scores such as Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker.” Williams’s themes elevate both the story and the characters. Harry and Marv’s theme in particular—a low, bouncy motif played on the bass clarinet and bassoon—is memorable because it matches the comical energy of the duo. The icing on the cake is an original carol titled “Somewhere in My Memory,” which paints a beautiful picture of the importance of connection during the holidays.

“Home Alone” has stood the test of time, and remains a fun, humorous watch. This lighthearted adventure is sure to leave viewers of all ages with a smile on their faces, whether they are watching it for the first time, or have made it a holiday tradition. The movie can be streamed on Disney+.