"WRITER'S CUT": A collection of previously-published posts that have been thoroughly re-examined and re-edited by yours truly. The following is a combination of two pieces that were originally published on June 19, 2016, and December 17, 2017, respectively.
Even before the holiday comedy classic Home Alone was released in 1990, writer-producer John Hughes had several other theatrical projects in the pipeline for the following year. These included the crude road trip comedy Dutch, the romantic comedies Career Opportunities and Only the Lonely (the latter being a rare occasion where Hughes served only as producer), and his eighth directorial effort Curly Sue (about a con artist father-daughter duo). All of these films ended up performing below expectations, while Curly Sue ended up being the last film Hughes would ever direct in his lifetime.
When Home Alone became a surprise sleeper hit, its success not only led to becoming the highest-grossing live-action comedy at the time--as well as Hughes being named "Producer of the Year" by the National Association of Theater Owners later that spring--but also guaranteed a sequel. And a sequel (and sure-fire blockbuster) is what audiences and critics got in 1992 with Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, with most of the same cast and crew returning. It also confirmed a radical (though not as influential) shift that Hughes had been making, from stories of young adults and into broad family comedies.
The formula was the same: the McCallister clan accidentally leave behind the black sheep of the family (Kevin), who eventually faces off against two burglars. Only here, he gets on the wrong plane after a mix-up, lands in New York City at the famed Plaza Hotel (where he encounters a snooty concierge and bellman, played by a scene-stealing Tim Curry and Rob Schneider, respectively), befriends a mysterious stranger (Oscar-winner Brenda Fricker plays the "Pigeon Lady") and a kind-hearted toy store owner (played by the late Eddie Bracken a.k.a. Roy Walley from National Lampoon's Vacation), and eventually runs into some old foes (the Wet Bandits).
Many should agree that the film's title is misleading, as Kevin is not really "home" alone this time around. (An alternate title like "Alone Again" or "Alone in New York" would've been more legitimate.) In fact, the only reason Home Alone 2 exists--as is the case with many sequels--is to capitalize on the success of its predeccesor, as well as the growing star-power of its young lead. It was also the first of many copycat films that occupied "family entertainment" throughout the decade, some written and produced by Hughes himself. These included Dennis the Menace (1993), Baby's Day Out (1994), the second sequel Home Alone 3 (1997), and even Disney-distributed live-action remakes of 101 Dalmatians (1996) and Flubber (1997).
Home Alone 2 does have its moments. Culkin still delivers, complete with a signature wardrobe, demeanor, and trusty Talkboy recorder (a must-have among Nineties kids). He even peaks through a mail slot at one point, recalling one of his famous scenes from Uncle Buck. There's also some clever meta humor referencing events from the previous movie, such as rushing to the airport, ordering cheese pizza, and burglars attempting to outrun various (sometimes familiar) traps. And Kevin's montage through New York for the first time (ending atop the Twin Towers, and perfectly set to Darlene Love's "All Alone On Christmas") is a noteworthy time capsule, as well as something of a travelogue for the Big Apple (much like Chicago was in Ferris Bueller's Day Off).
 |
| Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York |
It's the subplot involving the Plaza Hotel where the movie has more originality and could of benefited more from, instead of just simply retreading the same characters and cliches from the last installment. With that in mind, the sentimentality and dilemmas throughout the rest of this sequel feel forced and unconvincing, from discussions about Christmas trees to family conflicts and the meaning of life. The sentimentality in the original, by comparison, was more believable, even tear-jerking, thanks in part to John Williams' unforgettable score and the more sincere performances.
The fact that Kevin (perhaps inevitably) encounters the same crooks as before (Joe Pesci's Harry and Daniel Stern's Marv) only adds to its unoriginality. This time, both characters are a strange combination of dim-witted, cartoony, and vengeful, as they plan a huge holiday heist at a popular toy store. (Stern is a natural when it comes to physical comedy, that's for sure.) Kevin's response: "You can mess with a lot of things, but you can't mess with kids on Christmas." Furthermore (and think about it), instead of defending his home, Kevin uses another place (his uncle's residence, under renovation) to lure the burglars in as an excuse to set the infamous traps on them.
One of the biggest criticisms the original film received was for its violence, which film critic Leonard Maltin described as "a bit extreme." Lost in New York takes those extremes to a whole new level, becoming more sadistic, dangerous, and even weird. Instead of just paint cans and iced turfs, there are kerosene explosions, staple guns, bricks to the face, two-story falls, and on and on it goes. So much so, that it gets to the point of feeling abusive. To be fair, the gags in the original (while edgy and sometimes problematic) were unexpected and clever. Still, YouTube channel "Screen Junkies" consulted a real-life medical doctor to describe what would really happen in these situations.
Perhaps the biggest disadvantage that the first Home Alone had, certainly as far as the box-office and Hollywood were concerned, was the belief that a "family comedy" needed to have Three Stooges-style slapstick in order to be a hit--which would explain the aforementioned films Hughes made in the decade, and why they didn't work as a result. The same goes for the silly motif of adults constantly getting outsmarted and brutally mauled by plucky tykes.
For instance, along with the aforementioned levels of violence, the expectations and timing of the gags throughout these comedies became longer and more predicable, resulting in humor that was ill-timed, overwhelming and repetitive. The protagonists in these movies seemed to age down as well, from pre-teenagers to babies, as well as animals (remember 1992's Beethoven?) and even bouncing green goo. Meanwhile, adult characters (whether Mr. Wilson or Switchblade Sam from Dennis the Menace, or Jasper and Horace from 101 Dalmatians) would continue to be the butt of the joke. Ironic, considering Hughes had previously been known for his authentic portrayals of young adults. Because of this trend, Hughes seemed to appeal to the lowest common denominator in film and entertainment. According to Watchmojo, many critics felt that Hughes "had traded his sharp writing and dialogue [from his teen movies of the 80s] for crude, broad-based humor."
 |
| Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York |
There's a moment in Home Alone 2 where Kevin tells himself, "I don't ever want to take a vacation like this again." Many viewers probably wouldn't want to either, as the franchise formula started to wear thin so soon. The following year, Macaulay Culkin would star in the dark thriller The Good Son, followed by the live-action/animated fantasy The Pagemaster in 1994. He eventually took a hiatus from acting and never returned to the Home Alone universe (save for an episode of the web series "DRYVRS" in 2015, as well as a terrific Google Assistant commercial in 2018).
Hughes, meanwhile, had practically given up making movies by the end of the 1990s, and spent his remaining years with his family in Illinois (and reportedly took up farming). Some of his scripts were occasionally produced, including 1998's widely-unseen Reach the Rock, before his unexpected passing in 2009. His final film credit (as a story-writer, under the pseudonym "Edmond Dantes") was the 2008 Judd Apatow-produced comedy Drillbit Taylor starring Owen Wilson. Though his latter films weren't as impactful (namely, those in the 1990s), John Hughes will nevertheless be remembered for his defining mark on the coming-of-age genre, which continues to influence contemporary cinema today.
As far as Home Alone is concerned, the lesson there is that, sometimes, what works the first time around doesn't necessarily (nor always) work the second time around or so forth. In other words, some franchises are best left at one installment. And that's something no cinephile (or Hughes fan, for that matter) should forget about.
No comments:
Post a Comment