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181 out of 197 people found the following comment useful :- A timeless classic, 23 November 2003 Author: Kristine (kristinedrama14@msn.com) from Chicago, Illinois
Oh, come on, IMDb users. How could this film get only a 6.5? Yes, it's a kid's movie, but I know plenty of adults(not including myself) who loved this film. It touches our hearts, and tickles our funny bones. Not to mention I think in one way or another we could relate to it. That's why it remains a classic Christmas comedy.Home Alone is not only one of the highest box office successes of all time, but it deserves more praise. Mac showed a talent that very little child stars have now-a-days. He brought in a great comedy about a boy who accidentally is left home alone when his family goes on vacation and takes on two burglars. Yeah, it's quit unrealistic about the burglars, but honestly, this is a terrific family film. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are the perfect comedy duo of two idiots who can't rob the place because a 8 year old child has out witted them and set some clever and very funny traps around the house.Please give this movie a chance, it's just terrific and I guarantee nothing but great laughs for you and the whole family.10/10
75 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :- Heartwarming Holiday family classic., 18 February 2003 Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK
'Home Alone' has succeeded in establishing itself as a Christmas tradition, spawning off three sequels (including a made-for-television flop), and a whole franchise in and of it.Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin McCallister, the average American child. He has an attitude almost expected of a Chris Columbus film from the eighties. He lives with a large family, which, right now, being around Christmas time, is about quadrupled, flooded by relatives' children, all of whom pick on poor, poor Kevin (sympathy long lost later into the film).One day Kevin wakes up from his sleep to find his wish has come true: his parents (John Heard and Catherine O'Hara) have disappeared. Enthralled by this, he proceeds to do everything and anything he was not allowed to do before, including eating ice cream in the morning, watching violent gangster films, jumping on the bed, wrecking his brother's room, and having some fun with a BB gun. Unfortunately for Kevin, his parents have not just disappeared - they have accidentally left him at home before going to Paris!Trouble really starts when two pesky burglars, Harry Lime (Joe Pesci) and Marv Merchants (Daniel Stern), decide that their next burglary will be at the McCallister residence. Little do they know Kevin is more than prepared, arming the house with an array of booby-traps that would impress top spies in the American government.John Hughes, writer/director/producer of my favorite comedy, 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles,' wrote this film, and it is no wonder. It is just like Hughes' humor. It mixes emotion, belly laughs and a warm-hearted ending all into one little bundle called a movie. John Hughes' films, in my experience, are usually very good, mainly because he approaches films at a very classic level. He doesn't resort to crude, kid jokes, like 'The Master of Disguise' or 'The Tuxedo,' to name a few recent flops. He almost always levels everything out perfectly in his scripts, and nothing is different here. Also, he places Kevin and co. in a large brick home in a large neighborhood in Chicago; a home that very much resembles those in 'Planes.' and 'Uncle Buck' (I would not be surprised if it is the same home).As for the acting.Macaulay Culkin is not at his best here. His best performance would have to be in an earlier John Hughes film named 'Uncle Buck,' where he had more of a cute charm than an acting charm. Here, he could barely act his way out of a plastic bag. Fortunately, with great performances by John Heard, Catherine O'Hara, Pesci and Stern, his bad acting is long forgotten by the time we become absorbed into the film.John Heard and Catherine O'Hara bring Kevin's parents to life. They seem almost complete opposites. Kevin's father, Peter (Heard), is very calm and laidback. His mother, Kate (O'Hara) is extremely nervous almost all the time, fretting throughout the film. She is aggravated very easily and, like all mothers, her instinctive nature to care for her child is what drives her to the point she goes to in the film.And then there's Pesci and Stern. My favorite lot of the film. They perfectly blend humor, pain and aggravation to the film.Pesci's character Harry is very strict, easily agitated and picks on Marv for a great many things. Marv, the stereotypical 'tall, stupid one,' is completely stupid. He does things that would make a hamster blush. Yet he is the character I have found many like the most, mainly because he is so stupid you have to feel sorry for him. Stern brings a great trait to the character of Marv, and I am very pleased he got the part. It's a hard choice to decide which baddie is better, so I just say I like them both the same.All in all, 'Home Alone' is probably the best Christmas movie to rise out of the film industry in the last twenty years. It seamlessly blends humor, pain, emotion, human instinct and some great booby-traps all into one little bundle. This film has stood the test of time greatly.4.5/5 stars -
52 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :- Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the Grinches Who Almost Steal Christmas..., 18 May 2001 Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.
The overwhelming success of 'Home Alone' (it spawned two sequels), is enough to guarantee that most people will love this story of a family that departs for Paris on the Christmas holidays, mistakenly leaving an eight-year old boy to fend for himself. And fend he does, when burglars threaten to break in unless he can rig enough booby-traps to keep them out.That's the simple plot in a nutshell. Macaulay Culkin seems to have no problem carrying most of the film with a wide variety of looks, gestures and expressions--but for my money it's Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci who get the main laughs as the bumbling burglars intent on outwitting the kid's traps.Others in the cast don't have as much to do but do well enough by their roles, particularly Catherine O'Hara and John Heard as the parents who only discover on the plane that Kevin is missing. The laughs are steady, the color photography is great and the slight story is probably every boy's fantasy of what it might be like to be left home alone. Add to that the holiday flavor of Christmas and a pleasant musical score by John Williams and you have the makings of a classic. The proof is in the pudding--they must have done something right!!
48 out of 54 people found the following comment useful :- Funny and highly entertaining., 1 May 2002 Author: Twizm from TN, USA
Home Alone (1990) Rating: 8/10It might be dumb and corny, but I've actually liked this highly entertaining flick. The plot's unbelievable, but who cares: it's funny! Macaulay Culkin plays 8 year-old Kevin, a misunderstood kid who lives in a big ass house with his family. They're about to leave for Paris, where they're gonna spend Christmas. About 20 people are running around the house, frenetically preparing for the trip. Kevin's mad at everyone, because no one pays attention to him, unless it's to yell at him. Hence, Kevin goes to sleep wishing that his whole family would disappear, and the next morning, they do! The thing is that they somehow woke up late, left home in a hurry, and hey, they forget Lil Kev! At first, he's happy as a monkey, but after a while, things get messy. Two dumbass robbers are planning to rob his house, but Kev ain't gonna let them!Okay, I know, this is one stupid story, but it's developed into a wonderful family film, as enjoyable as it is warmhearted. Mac Culkin is awesome in the lead. He really carries the film: he's got style, he's funny and he's even a good actor! Too bad his personal life screwed up, because he had the talent to become a grown-up movie star. The idiotic criminals are also really cool, because they cast good actors instead of some Ernest-style lame-o over-actors. Oscar-winner Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (the narrator on The Wonder Years) are hilarious, but they also bring a bit more depth to what could have been cardboard characters. Pesci plays an aggressive thug, and anyone who's seen him in a Scorsese film knows how good he is at it. Stern plays a total dufus, and he's also really convincing at it. The film's humor might seem dumb, but hey, it's funny. John Hughes' screenplay has Kevin protecting his home by turning the thieves into human Wile E. Coyotes, and like the cartoon, it made me laugh. The gags might be old, but they're played with inventiveness, and the acting is always right. I just love this film, and you will too if you look beyond the fact that it's a family film.
42 out of 54 people found the following comment useful :- The Best Christmas Film of the Past 20 Years, 4 November 2000 Author: tfrizzell from United States
"Home Alone" is a hilarious film about a young boy (Macaulay Culkin) who is accidently left home during the Christmas holidays after the rest of his family goes to Europe. At first Culkin loves the situation, but soon he is scared to death when he learns that burglars Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are targeting his house. However, Culkin is pretty smart for an eight-year-old and he has plans for them when they attack. Chris Columbus' direction is smart and so is the over-achieving screenplay. This film has a little bit of something for everyone and the fact that the backdrop is the Christmas holidays, only makes it that much more special. All the performers do well and in the end the film also does. 4 stars out of 5.
33 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :- A well done family comedy, 4 November 2000 Author: MisterWhiplash from United States
This type of family comedy truthfully works better if you are grown up with the stooges. Because this film has a climactic scene with more slapstick than most can take. I can though. But if you think this is strictly a kids film, parents will like it too I bet. The plot follows a kid (Macaulay Kulkin) who gets left behind in a Chicago suburb while his family leaves for Paris. And though the house is all his, 2 burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern who give the best on-screen duo of 1990) want the house. But not without the climax. While most of the film is unbelievable (both good and bad), most of the film should keep families in good spirits, unless parents don't enjoy seeing Pesci getting his head on fire and Stern screaming like a girl. Funny, even if it's not John Hughes' (writer/producer here) best. B+
24 out of 26 people found the following comment useful :- Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!, 14 December 2006 Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse
In the Eighties, John Hughes churned out a handful of movies and scored many, many hits. Quite rightly, as most of them were seriously funny - I'm DEFINITELY not referring to Curly Sue, so relax! In one particular scene from Uncle Buck, Macaulay Culkin interrogates a babysitter through the letterbox to make sure she's not a baddie. This inspired Hughes to write a whole new movie. Who would have known that this and its sequel would go on to become two of the biggest hits of all time? Both Hughes and Chris Columbus seem to prefer setting their movies during the holiday season (Gremlins, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Christmas Vacation) and manage to pull them off without too much sentiment, or sickening amounts of gooey love.There are two reasons why Home Alone was such a big success. The first is that it's about a kid who outsmarts grown-ups, something that happens every day, only there's a worldwide conspiracy of silence. This movie yells it out loud and clear. The second is John Williams's magical score, which elevates the movie way above slapstick family fare to something more serious and regarded. It was nominated for an Academy Award, along with the Christmas carol Somewhere In My Memory, but lost to John Barry's Dances with Wolves. Damn! In a mad rush to the airport one morning, the MacCallister family forget one little thing...Kevin (Culkin). He is an eight-year-old kid who wants nothing better than a peaceful Christmas and some time to himself. It's hard for him to get this when living in a house with seven other people(the exact same house from Planes, Trains And Automobiles, don't you know0. With the rest of the MacCallisters in Paris, Kevin runs wild doing whatever he wants, eating whatever he wants and watching whatever TV show he wants.But there's one major problem. The Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), are on the prowl and have knocked off every other house in Kevin's street. His is next. And seeing that he's man-of-the-house now, he HAS to defend it.Using whatever tools are at his disposal (rusty nails, blow torches, Micro Machines) he sets up a labyrinth of booby traps, so that the Wets can't break in. Their idiot-proof determination proves to be their downfall, as they are tortured and torn-up upon entering Kevin's domain.Although this is not the only point of the film, there is an important message that family is what really matters to a child, or to anyone, and having them home for the holidays is better than wandering a huge house all by yourself.There are some movies that work best at Christmas and this is one of them. I'm not saying that in a couple of decades it will be the new It's A Wonderful Life, but it will be remembered fondly at the very least.Don't be a Scrooge. It's Christmastime. Go rush to check out Home Alone.
33 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :- Great movie!, 10 December 2003 Author: Movie Nuttball from U.S.A.
Home Alone is arguably one of the funniest movies ever! Its really good. The cast is very good! It was sweet to see John Candy in it! The team work of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern is just not insanely hilarious but its also incredible that the two are so good together and I like how their scenes of punishment is followed right after the other! I think John Heard looks like Bruce Willis! I like Catherine O'Hara, she is a fine actress! Look for Larry Hankin and Roberts Blossom! John Williams has another great score here!This is a perfect movie for people to watch around Christmas and if you need a big laugh watch this as it will crack you up! Also, I strongly recommend Home Alone 2! It arguably funnier then this plus Time Curry, Brenda Fricker, and Rod Sell appears in it! Both movies are strongly recommended!
20 out of 31 people found the following comment useful :- Home Alone, 20 June 2005 Author: Jackson Booth-Millard from United Kingdom
*** This comment may contain spoilers ***
If you like a really good family film at Christmas, then there's a big difference, there is no family in this film (or at least for most of it). The McCallister family are preparing a Christmas holiday to Paris. The night before they leave the youngest child of the family causes trouble and is sent to bed early. He wishes that the family would disappear. The next morning, the family leave and realise when they are in Paris that they have forgot one thing, Kevin (Golden Globe nominated Macaulay Culkin)! Kevin now has all the fun that he wants. Only problem is that two crooks Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) are trying to get into the large house to loot it. This is just wonderful for goofy live action gags, kids entertainment and Christmas fun. Also starring John Heard as Peter McCallister, Roberts Blossom as Marley and Catherine O'Hara as Kate McCallister. It was nominated for the Oscars for Best Music for John Williams and Best Song for "Somewhere in My Memory", it won the British Comedy Award for Best Comedy Film, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical. It was number 22 on The 100 Greatest Family Films, and it was number 17 on The 100 Greatest Christmas Moments. Very good!
9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :- Surreal and hilarious, 20 August 2007 Author: Atreyu_II from The world of artists
"Home Alone" is both one of the best holiday films of all time and one of the most popular movies from the 90's. Its success was phenomenal and it's a movie that stayed in the history of cinema. This movie also made Macaulay Culkin a superstar.The plot is quite original and surreal: a child who is home alone and is capable of making the bandits's lives miserable? Sure, it's an impossible story, but who cares? The movie is simply hilarious, very pleasant to watch, full of amusement, very entertaining and contains slapstick humor too.Our story takes place in Chicago at Christmas time, which makes this a Christmas film. In fact, the movie has lots of Christmas decorations, lights, snow and many other details which create the feeling and magic so characteristic of Christmas. To accent the Christmas atmosphere even more, there are a cup of nice Christmas carols such as "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" (performed by Brenda Lee), "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch", "White Christmas", "Carol of the Bells", "Oh Holly Night" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas".Kevin McCallister is the hero of the story. He's not just a kid, he's a very smart one. In fact, although at first he's a little afraid of some things in his house after being accidentally left alone, he gets over it soon. He also knows about the intentions of the "wet bandits" Harry and Marv and prepares them lots of unexpected "surprises". Their lives won't be easy with Kevin defending his house. Sure, they are the villains and as such they get what they deserve, but they do suffer a lot too. We almost feel sorry for them.The "wet bandits" were nicknamed like that by Marv because their "calling card" (according to him) was to let the water running in every houses they robbed. That said, both "wet bandits" are hilarious. Harry is the most serious and cranky of the two and he often swears words I can't understand. I know this movie (and the 2nd one either) since my childhood days and I always wondered what is Harry swearing. To this day, I still don't understand what is he swearing. For what it's worth, it's always hilarious to see him swearing like that. As for Marv, he is the most stupid of two (although both of them are stupid) and maybe that's why people tend to sympathize more with him. Marv's stupidity also makes him the funniest of the two. Marv is the typical tall and clumsy guy with no brain, a bit like Averell Dalton from the Lucky Luke comics.The funniest parts of this movie are so many. It would take forever to number all of them. As such, I will only tell quickly some of the most hilarious parts for me. Whenever Kevin fools the bandits in a try to make them believe the whole family is at home when Kevin is all alone. Most moments with Marv are always a full plate. Whenever the traps for the bandits are in action is always hilarious too, especially the one with the barrel of the air rifle - that one is hysterical! For some reason, I also find funny whenever Kevin screams maniacally. It's also funny when Kevin fools the Little Nero's Pizza boy and Marv with the gangster film "Angels with Filthy Souls", although in the case of the Pizza boy is unfair for him - poor guy.Old Marley is an interesting character. I always felt bad for him because of the lies Buzz tells about him. Buzz is a jerk and Uncle Frank isn't any less. Buzz is mean for Kevin and Uncle Frank openly shows he doesn't like Kevin.This movie is a classic. We can also feel a certain "pizza taste" while watching this movie because pizza appears more than once in this movie.Macaulay Culkin is terrific as the clever kid Kevin McCallister. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are awesome as the "wet bandits". The others actors are great in their roles as well. It's also delightful to see John Candy as Gus Polinski - «Polka, polka, polka...».This should definitely be on Top 250.
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