Inferior to the original product that precedes it. It does have moments that are great, but it's too long and bloated

Rating: 6/10 (29 September 2013)

The whole gang returns for this sequel. Kevin is at odds with his family once again come Christmas time, and makes the same mistake he did in the first movie. Wishing his family would go away, once more. Kevin gets his wish, when he stops to look for batteries in his Dad's bag for his tape recorder at the airport. He boards the wrong plane, and is stranded all alone in New York for Christmas. Unfortunately, the Wet Bandits have escaped from Prison, and are in New York as well.
The first Home Alone is one of my favorite movies. (I will review it one of these days!) I even own this movie, despite having issues with it. It's still a fairly entertaining film, but I just felt they tried to outdo the first film with a bigger setting, and more violent gags. New York is a huge place, and I'm sure they thought this would be ever better than the original when they thought of it. It doesn't work in the long run, and it doesn't have the genuine feel of the first film. It feels like most sequels, a cash maker. It's also somewhat of a rehash of the original. The Pigeon Lady (Brenda Fricker) is essentially the same as Marley the enigmatic neighbor (Roberts Blossom) who befriends Kevin in need, and gets him out of jams. It wasn't nearly as special as the bond Kevin & Marley had. The Wet Bandits (Brilliantly played by Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern) make the same mistakes they did in the original with Kevin, by falling for the same traps. You'd have thought they might have learned a bit after the first one The violence is cartoonish in the original, but it didn't bother me. It's one of the many things I loved in the original, but here it borders on overkill. Onto the positive side of things, Macaulay Culkin is once again hilarious as Kevin. He is a main reason as to why I enjoy this movie. The Plaza Hotel crew is a scream. Tim Curry, Rob Schneider & Dana Ivey are all very funny. Look out for cameos from Ally Sheedy & Donald Trump as well.
Final Thoughts: Bigger, doesn't necessarily mean better. As disappointing as it is, I do enjoy this movie to an extent, but it's nowhere near the original's class. There are many things to enjoy about this movie, but just don't expect the original.
6.4/10