"You guys give up, or are ya thirsty for more?"

Rating: 7/10 (6 December 2011)

Eight year old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin, in his appealing break through lead performance) is frustrated enough with his family to "wish them away". And he gets this wish, sort of, when the entire family - parents, siblings, aunt & uncle & cousins included - is in such a rush to get to the airport in time for a trip to Paris that they leave him behind. At first, he has great fun with his temporary freedom and independence, but will eventually have to save his house from being burgled by a bumbling pair of oafs, Harry and Marv, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. This he does by staging an elaborate series of booby traps.
"Home Alone" is a pretty charming little family comedy that does have quite a bit of heart to go along with all of the farce and slapstick. This material is indeed pretty funny, with Pesci and Stern playing their slow witted lowlife criminals for all that they're worth; some of their facial expressions and reactions are just hysterical. Some of it may be a bit much, and may not jibe that well with the more serious portions of the movie, but it's doubtful many kids watching are going to care that much.
It does, in the end, make a very good case for the need for family, how we're perfectly capable of taking our loved ones for granted, how to deal with one's fears and do some growing up, and in the case of Old Man Marley (the excellent veteran Roberts Blossom), how it's never too late to mend relationships. The wonderful scene between Culkin and Blossom in the church where they make a connection is indeed the best moment in the entire picture. Kevin's been administered (erroneous) warnings about the old man's supposedly sordid past, and is understandably afraid of him, and realizes how one shouldn't be too quick to believe that sort of thing.
Lovely funny woman Catherine O'Hara also does extremely well in the role of the mother willing to do anything that's humanly possible in order to atone for what she feels is an unforgivably stupid mistake. It's truly a treat to see her reunited with 'SCTV' co-star John Candy, who's as engaging as ever in his cameo role as polka star Gus Polinski. John Williams supplies an expectantly catchy score and touching song (both Oscar nominated, with song lyrics by Leslie Bricusse).
Good fun overall, with a bright wrap- up, it's not surprising that the movie would have been such an enormous hit over 20 years ago, and it continues to entertain today.
Seven out of 10.