Fun Christmas film

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2009)

A little boy ends up "Home Alone" when his family leaves for Paris without him in this 1990 film starring Macauley Culkin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. The family is running late and nearly misses a flight to Paris; a neighbor boy gets into their van, so when the oldest girl does a head count, all are accounted for. Except that little Kevin (Culkin), who was sent to bed early and wishes his family would disappear, isn't there. It's not until they're on the plane that his mother (O'Hara) realizes that Kevin is missing. While she attempts to get back to him, Kevin needs to fend for himself and also protect himself from two robbers (Pesci and Stern) who are systematically robbing the neighbors and have Kevin's house targeted.
Very funny, often laugh out loud film with Culkin pulling all kinds of pranks to keep the criminals out, from making it look like he's not alone by queuing up video tapes of crime films and setting booby traps should they break in. He also takes the time to talk to a mysterious neighbor (Roberts Blossom) who is estranged from his son. Mom, meanwhile, ends up in a movers truck with John Candy.
Culkin is adorable without being cloying, and the movie has a wonderful warmth about it as well. Not the type of thing I'd normally enjoy, but I sure enjoyed this one.