"Maybe the kid will let us in." .. "He's a kid. Kids are stupid."

Rating: 5/10 (19 July 2015)

"Home Alone", directed by Chris Columbus from a screenplay by '80s golden boy John Hughes, has pleased millions of people, and is a not-unintentional holiday perennial as well, taking place as it does during the Christmas season. It is a film that operates at a level at which any sort of professional criticism is no longer helpful. Youngster is (improbably) left behind after his large family packs up and leaves for the airport to vacation in Paris; he fends off two inept burglars while mom makes her way back home. Macaulay Culkin plays the main character, Kevin, but there really is no character; Culkin succeeds in the role strictly by playing up his inherent precociousness--most often directly to the camera--while we admire his spunk and resourcefulness (both unrealistic for easy laughs). The picture looks immaculate, sparkly and shined to a fare-thee-well. Often times, just the reassurance that what we're watching is a big, expensive bauble made solely for our enjoyment is enough to keep the masses happy. The holiday trimmings trigger nostalgia in adults and joy for children, while the thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, both over-the-top) aren't scary, mean or nasty--just lovable, irascible losers who can't topple our pint-sized hero no matter how hard they try...and oh how the audience wants them to keep trying! Followed by two sequels in 1992 and 1997. ** from ****