Good Family Film with Tom & Jerry style violence

Rating: 6/10 (2 January 2001)

A picked-on 8 year old kid (a surprisingly competent performance from Macaulay Culkin before he grew up to be a bigger kid!) is left home-alone by a family taking a Christmas vacation to Paris. Expecting a quiet few days on his own he has to contend with a couple of inept burglars with his own inventive traps & bouts of violence.
A very simple film with a sugary & predictable message at the end. But inspite of the thread-bare plot it is a very enjoyable romp, perhaps because of the rather inventive but uncomplicated writing from John Hughes.
The film only really comes alive during the battle of wits between Culkin & the two robbers (well supported by Pesci & Stern) while the rest of the film just trundles along at a rather predictable pace.
I saw this film back in 91 and found it quite funny (still do in fact). But at that time I hadn't really had much chance to see other Pesci movies of the time.
But now, some 10 years on everytime I see Pesci screaming in agony as he suffers more comic violence from the inventive little brat I keep thinking he's going to go into Goodfellas or Casino mode and pull out a gun along with a hail of abusive language and shoot the kid full of bullets, or put his head in a vice.
But anyway, Home Alone is a good family movie that doesn't stretch the mind and never really offends anyone although perhaps the Tom & Jerry style violence is perhaps a little too strong in places. Its a nicely packaged movie and I have to admit Culkin is very very good here. Best not mention the two limp sequels.
***/*****