Funny and highly entertaining.

Rating: 8/10 (1 May 2002)

Home Alone (1990) Rating: 8/10
It might be dumb and corny, but I've actually liked this highly entertaining flick. The plot's unbelievable, but who cares: it's funny! Macaulay Culkin plays 8 year-old Kevin, a misunderstood kid who lives in a big ass house with his family. They're about to leave for Paris, where they're gonna spend Christmas. About 20 people are running around the house, frenetically preparing for the trip. Kevin's mad at everyone, because no one pays attention to him, unless it's to yell at him. Hence, Kevin goes to sleep wishing that his whole family would disappear, and the next morning, they do! The thing is that they somehow woke up late, left home in a hurry, and hey, they forget Lil Kev! At first, he's happy as a monkey, but after a while, things get messy. Two dumbass robbers are planning to rob his house, but Kev ain't gonna let them!
Okay, I know, this is one stupid story, but it's developed into a wonderful family film, as enjoyable as it is warmhearted. Mac Culkin is awesome in the lead. He really carries the film: he's got style, he's funny and he's even a good actor! Too bad his personal life screwed up, because he had the talent to become a grown-up movie star. The idiotic criminals are also really cool, because they cast good actors instead of some Ernest-style lame-o over-actors. Oscar-winner Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern (the narrator on The Wonder Years) are hilarious, but they also bring a bit more depth to what could have been cardboard characters. Pesci plays an aggressive thug, and anyone who's seen him in a Scorsese film knows how good he is at it. Stern plays a total dufus, and he's also really convincing at it. The film's humor might seem dumb, but hey, it's funny. John Hughes' screenplay has Kevin protecting his home by turning the thieves into human Wile E. Coyotes, and like the cartoon, it made me laugh. The gags might be old, but they're played with inventiveness, and the acting is always right. I just love this film, and you will too if you look beyond the fact that it's a family film.