Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Chris Columbus, 20th Century Fox, PG 120 Minutes.
Director Chris Columbus has made a gem of a movie with his humorous depiction of an eight-year-old boy inadvertently left home alone at Christmas time before having to contend with a couple of inept house intruders.
As a frantic McCallister family rushes to catch their plane to Paris for the Christmas holidays it is Mrs McCallister (Catherine O’Hara – ‘Beetlejuice’) who suddenly realises her son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin – ‘My Girl’) is not on board their flight.
Arriving in Paris, Kevin’s mother Kate is desperate to book a flight home unaware of her son’s relief in being left behind as he starts digging into his brother’s savings to buy refreshments and using his BB gun.
Although he enjoys his new-found freedom and home surroundings he is surprised to be told by police of the real possibility of the Wet Bandits-Harry (Joe Pesci – ‘Goodfellas’) and Marv (Daniel Stern – ‘City Slickers’) breaking into homes that appear to be vacant.
While watching a choir in a church on Christmas Eve, Kevin gets to meet his good-natured neighbour Mr Marley (Roberts Blossum – ‘Always’) prior to overhearing the plans being made by Harry and Marv to break into his house that night.
On leaving the church Kevin heads home to set-up several booby-traps in preparation for the break-in by Harry and Marv, which turns into a succession of memorable and hilarious misadventures by the clumsy culprits.
As a result of Mr Marley’s speedy intervention both bandits are arrested with Kevin becoming ecstatic at seeing his mum again on Christmas morning followed soon after by the rest of the family.
Without any doubt the ‘Mrs Doubtfire’ filmmaker, Columbus, has made a most entertaining comedy with a great storyline written by the late John Hughes (‘Weird Science’) and filled with many memorable scenes showing Kevin constantly outwitting the bungling burglars.
Apart from the enjoyment derived from the Christmas-time settings and the portrayals of Pesci and Stern it is Culkin’s stand out performance as Kevin-turning him into an overnight star-that makes ‘Home Alone’ one of the best ever Christmas movies.
Home Alone is to be televised on Channel 7FLIX on Sat 13 February at 7.00pm.
Vic’s Verdict: 4 ½ Stars
