Buzz, your girlfriend! Woof!!

Rating: 9/10 (9 January 2011)

8-year-old Kevin McAllister is accidentally left behind when his family takes off for a vacation in France over the holiday season.
Once he realises they've left him home by himself, Kevin learns to fend for himself.
He eventually has to protect his house against bumbling burglars Harry and Marv, who are planning to rob every house in Kevin's suburban Chicago neighbourhood.
Kevin's mother Kate is frantic when she realises that she and the family have unintentionally left Kevin behind in Chicago, and she tries to make it back to Chicago as fast as she can, getting help from a polka band leader named Gus Polinski....
After twenty years since it's release, this still is as original and fresh as the first time i saw it.
It's a simple premise given that fantastic Hughes magic. And the running time is deceptively slim, as you feel you are watching a much shorter film. The first hour is Keving enjoying his freedom, final third, the 'torture' of Harry and Marv.
And this is where the film really is magical, because no matter how many times you see Stern scream or fall down the stairs, you cannot help but laugh. In fact, Stern is the best thing in the film.
As with most Christmas movies, there is a moral to the film, and the token cheesy ending and cheesy scenes, but the lines in the film and the chemistry of all the cast make up for that.
With cameos from John Candy and allegedly Elvis Presley, this is just about the most perfect Christmas film for the whole family.
And who wouldn't want to put firecrackers in a pot and out 'Angels with filthy souls' on full blast?