The Most Underrated Home Alone
Katherine Lin (G11)
Whether or not your family celebrates Christmas, I think everyone can celebrate winter. There is nothing more winter-y than snuggling up under a fuzzy blanket with a good movie playing. Growing up, Home Alone 3 was definitely a personal favorite, despite its somewhat notoriety. I’ll let you decide whether it deserves more hype.
(Courtesy of Wikifandom)
Holding the World Guinness Record as the highest-grossing live-action comedy for over 25 years, Home Alone has established itself as THE Christmas movie. We can all hear at the back of our heads, Mrs. McCallister screaming: WHERE’S KEVIN?!
Home Alone is undeniably a Christmas favorite. We are all delighted by the mischievous smirk, as well as the iconic palms-on-cheeks and mouth-dropped- open pose of Kevin McCallister. The first two films in the Home Alone franchise followed the adventures of eight-year-old Kevin McCallister, who keeps finding himself being forgotten or unknowingly separated from his family during Christmas travels. He repeatedly finds himself in the presence of the same pair of thieves, Harry and Marv, who are better at making fools out of themselves than stealing.
However, by the third Home Alone film, all of our most beloved characters had disappeared. Indeed, the film producers, too, forgot Kevin!
(Courtesy of 80skids)
While the original Home Alone reaped $476 million in box office revenue worldwide, Home Alone 3 fell far behind with $79 million. The primary source of criticism according to reviewers was the absence of Macaulay Culkin, arguably the biggest child-star of the 90’s era. Culkin decided to take a break from acting after he felt “burnt out.” Being pushed “relentlessly” (Looper) by his father and manager, he starred in 15 movies in just a short seven-year time period.
Unfortunately for the new film, a lot of people agreed that there was half the charisma for double the violence. This Home Alone film didn’t even include one single Christmas tree in its scenes, leading the viewers to ask whether the story was even set during Christmas. The first and second Home Alone films evoke a sense of family affection and Christmas holiday cheer. The lack of Christmas representation in Home Alone 3 definitely irritated some viewers.
(Courtesy of IMDb)
Despite its critics, Home Alone 3 delivers an intense and exhilarating plot. While bidding farewell to the McCallisters, the audience is introduced to the Pruitts. Alex Pruitt (played by Alex D. Linz) is the new precocious and cunning child protagonist. His enemy is no longer two doofus bandits, but four spies working for a North Korean terrorist group. They are armed and they are dangerous! This immediately changes the tone of the story. The spies were retrieving a top-secret missile-cloaking microchip. To pass airport security, they hid the microchip in a toy car.
(Courtesy of Chud)
How the heck did an eight-year-old become entangled in international military affairs, you might ask? Due to a baggage mix-up at the airport, Alex’s sour, old neighbor, Mrs. Hess, ends up bringing the microchip home. Aggravated by her artisan bread being replaced by a remote control car that would be useless to her, she decides to give it to Alex. You can guess what unravels next... The villains invade Alex’s house in hopes to retrieve their prized microchip. Alex, due to the chickenpox, was left home alone. Each time Alex requested help in dealing with what he thought had been “burglars,” Alex was dismissed and undermined. Of course, he decides to tackle the bad guys alone, devising a series of much more brutal booby traps— electrocution chairs, activated lawnmowers, ice baths, and several barbells or crowbars against the head (as well as some more sensitive male areas).
(Courtesy of Republic World)
One of the most relatable annoyances that this film alludes to is agism.
Every child is stigmatized as being overly imaginative and not credible. Children often do not receive the acknowledgment and credit that they deserve. Out of panic, Kevin called the police to report strangers invading the house, only to be made the laughing stock of the neighborhood. Scolded by the police force and his parents, then teased by his bitter older siblings, Kevin was left alone to face the evil spies. Although the average kid in real life may have never fought terrorist agents, he or she most likely have been brushed to the side: excluded by their elder siblings, faced incredulous parents despite telling the truth, etc.
(Courtesy of 9GAG)
Nevertheless, Alex Pruitt is the model representation of courage and kindness. Despite being the size of a gumdrop, he commands the house and actively defends his loved ones. He loves and respects his mother, even though she completely ignores his ‘burglars’ narrative. He protects and aids his neighbor, even when she has treated himself so coldly in the past. Alex leaves a heartwarming impression on the audience, and his genuine smile is truly one of the most charming aspects of the film.
(Courtesy of Uproxx)
