WRITER'S CUT: Expect the Unexpected--There's No Place Like "Home Alone"

"WRITER'S CUT": A collection of previously-published posts that have been thoroughly reexamined 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.) 

There's a scene in the 1989 film Uncle Buck where the titular character's nephew peaks through a front-door mail slot and interrogates a potential babysitter. This scene reportedly inspired writer-director John Hughes to create another family vehicle, this time with that same boy (a then-unknown child actor named Macaulay Culkin) in the lead role. The premise was simple: an eight-year-old is accidentally left behind by his family when they head to Paris for Christmas vacation, and defends his home from two burglars who try to break in. This high-concept plot that eventually became Home Alone went on to become--quite unexpectedly--a wild commercial success and a pop-culture phenomenon when it was released in November of 1990. 

Hughes had been transitioning from his original teenage stories of the mid-1980s (i.e., Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off) to more adult-oriented fare (i.e., Planes, Trains & Automobiles; She's Having a Baby), before eventually settling on edgy "family" entertainment. He even made time to write a sequel to his 1983 road trip comedy, National Lampoon’s Vacation--aptly titled, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation--which, like Planes, has since become a seasonal watch every year. Home Alone has been a part of that same watch cycle as well, despite its darker undertones. 

From the opening credits, Home Alone already has a spooky atmosphere, like one of those "scary ghost stories" we hear Andy Williams singing about every holiday season. Chaos ensues as the McCallister clan packs and prepares for their flight the next morning, leading to a mix-up that leaves young and neglected Kevin (looked down on as the troublemaking black sheep of the family) by himself. I mean, who couldn't identify with growing up and feeling neglected at times by others, including family? As one character tells us, families can be complicated. 

Then there's the subplot involving the possible murderer-neighbor next door. It's no spoiler, really, that this turns out to be an urban myth. Still, one such scene involving Old Man Marley used to scare me as a child; or maybe it was just Culkin’s reaction that did so. The advertisements with Kevin’s famous scream (recalling Edward Munch's aptly-named painting) certainly traumatized me. Yet, unlike director Chris Columbus's previous holiday blockbuster Gremlins (which featured mischievous, even murderous, creatures terrorizing a small American town on Christmas Eve), Home Alone isn't mean-spirited or as nightmarish in comparison. In fact, the themes here have more to do with holiday memories rather than consumerism. As everyone will certainly agree, Culkin is half the reason Home Alone struck a chord (and continues to) with audiences; ditto John Williams' unforgettable score, recalling a similar effect the legendary composer had on Steven Spielberg's 1975 summer tentpole Jaws. With enough emphasis on the joys of having a house to himself and eventually realizing the importance of family, Culkin carries the film splendidly. Sure, it’s implausible that any other child could do all the things his character does (this is surreal fantasy, after all), but we still feel for him anyway.

The famous "home" in Winnetka, Illinois

In spite of scarring me as a young boy, I nevertheless credit this film for introducing me to several other Christmas staples, ranging from classic tunes like Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph" and Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” to clips of the animated Grinch television special. Home Alone even created some iconic moments of its own, from the front yard statue constantly getting knocked over by the pizza delivery man, to Kevin's mannequin diversion (complete with a life-sized cardboard cutout of Michael Jordan) and the bathroom scene featuring the film's central image. And then there are, of course, the booby traps. 

From a screenwriting standpoint, Home Alone is actually well-written. Even when it's silly, Hughes's trademark wit, vernacular ("Don't you know how to knock, flem-wad?") and fourth-wall breaking (“I made my family disappear”) are all genuine, and the story follows a typical three-act structure brilliantly. Again, its premise is simple, and yet there's a timeless quality that permeates the film, from Julio Macat's unforgettable cinematography to the subtle color schemes of reds and greens. As The Breakfast Club and E.T. did previously, Hughes really makes the most out of Home Alone's titular setting, making a suburban neighborhood and home feel like an epic, adolescent adventure, as well as a universal experience. "To me, this was always an A picture," Hughes once told the New York Times, "and I didn't want to see it treated as a B kiddie picture." In her 2010 book, "You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried," author Susannah Gora writes, "Hughes's genius was not only coming up with the simple idea . . ., but knowing it would work . . ." 

The casting remains irreplaceable as well. Along with Culkin and "Wet Bandits" Joe Pesci (the same year he played Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas) and Daniel Stern (equally remembered for screaming with a tarantula on his face), there's Second City veteran Catherine O'Hara and the late John Heard (both convincing as Kevin's parents), late character actor Roberts Blossom (as the forbidding neighbor, whose pivotal scene in a church is endearing), and John Candy (whom I honestly keep forgetting cameos as a polka musician). Home Alone was also a turning point for Columbus, who went on to direct Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) and a then-unknown Daniel Radcliffe and company in the first two Harry Potter films (2001-02), as well as produce the Oscar-winning The Help (2011).

Director Chris Columbus and Macaulay Culkin on the set of Home Alone

At the time of its release, Home Alone was only the third highest-grossing film worldwide, behind Star Wars (1977) and E.T.. It even stayed in the top ten at the box-office for twelve consecutive weeks and (adjusted for inflation) holds the record as the second highest-grossing live-action comedy of all-time (behind Ghostbusters [1984]). Like the previous year’s box-office champ Batman, Home Alone garnered mixed reviews from critics, and represented an exponential trend in mass entertainment that would dominate the second-half of the decade with tentpoles like Independence Day and Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace.

Taking recent tragedies into account, however, the fake movie-within-the-movie, "Angels With Filthy Souls" (along with Kevin branding a Red Ryder-style BB gun a la Ralph Parker) is, in retrospect, a bit disturbing to watch. And some of the booby traps during the climax (particularly the pasted nail, blow torch, and heated doorknob) really test the film's PG-rating. Stern's Marv even loses his shoes and socks, and walks around barefoot like Bruce Willis in Die Hard. Some parents were reportedly upset about this level of violence, and the stamped “Parental Guidance Suggested” label in poster advertisements was rightfully deserved. Not as much emphasis is placed on a brief moment where Kevin discovers a Playboy magazine in his older brother's bedroom. (To his credit, he discards the magazine as "sickening.") 

This is the kind of film that could never be made today--at least, not the way it was back in 1990. It does suffer from a few drags, such as when Kevin's mom tries to get countless flights back home. Even so, Home Alone remains a classic piece of cinematic nostalgia, not to mention a now-seasonal comedy that's still making a scream years later, for better or worse. It's also proof that some of the most original ideas can come from anywhere, even from a mail slot.