Too much like the original in some points, but still funny

Rating: 7/10 (31 March 2008)

After the surprise hit "Home Alone" in 1990 took the world by storm, a sequel was bound to happen.
"Home Alone 2" takes place just two years after the events in the first movie when Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) was accidentally left home alone by his family and relatives because of an argument and later had to deal with two burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) wanting to rob his house before getting arrested. Now in the sequel, Kevin is at it again except this time he's on his way to New York after getting confused during an airline station where he sees another man dressed in the same coat as his father. While Kevin's parents and relatives are worried that the hero is not in their presence, the young boy is in New York having the time of his life from spending his father's money to living in a luxury hotel at the Grand Plaza along with meeting interesting and weird characters from a homeless lady (Brenda Fricker) who feeds pigeons and later becomes his friend; then there's the hotel staff from the sinister Tim Curry as the concierge who has the smile of the Grinch to Rob Schinder as a suck-up bellboy.
And if you thought that Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) were in prison...think again. Kevin encounters the two thieves where he finds out that they want to rob a local toy store.
Home Alone 2 feels like we're watching the same movie over again but in a new setting. Some of the gags are very funny when Kevin sets up his usual pranks at an abandon apartment complex, but they don't compare to the original. I didn't like how Kevin always got blamed for everything when it should have been his older brother, Buzz, taking the heat. I still had fun watching this movie, though only the first one will be played more during my Christmas season.