A worthy sequel that believes if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Rating: 8/10 (25 November 2013)

Both Home Alone and Home Alone 2 are films very near and dear to my heart. I fell in love with them when I was a youngster and they have always been a permanent staple in my yearly movie watching. Home Alone is probably in my top ten films of all time and what sequel could live up to that? Well...this one. It isn't as good and it has its faults but they took everything that made the first a near instant classic and kept the key elements the same. When you look at Home Alone 2 up close you'll see that it really is just the first film rehashed but isn't that the idea of a sequel? The key is that the filmmakers needs to make sure they do it right. I feel like they did it very right. It has the same heart, the same level of fun, and the same carefree fantasy aspect of a young person on their own. I will say that I feel like Home Alone 2 amps up the violence to an almost extreme level. Certainly younger people watching this need to be told just how "fantasy" this film is because he does some pretty wild pranks to Marv and Harry this time around. There are some terrific supporting roles, plenty of laughs and of course that heart and soul that is Home Alone and will actually bring tears to your eyes.
Macaulay Culkin returns two years later and demonstrates again how terrific his chemistry was on screen. I said the same thing about Home Alone and that is Culkin wasn't and isn't a great actor. In fact, much of his performance in both films is very stiff and awkward and yet you rarely notice it. He has an indescribable charm and I remember as a youngster completely relating to him and loving every minute of his adventures. This was the perfect role for him. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern return as everyone's favourite bufoonish criminals. They are truly terrific and I think this is one of Pesci's best roles because it is fun. He is still a worthy villain and just embodies the role so well. You actually do fear him even though he's a bumbling idiot who gets pranked right into prison. And Stern is similar only an even bigger idiot and the two of them together are terrific. Catherine O'Hara and John Heard return as Kevin's parents who ridiculously leave him behind yet again. O'Hara and Heard are perfect for this series and they do such a great job with mostly small roles. They are just the perfect all-American parents. The supporting cast is far more diverse and significant than the first film and they are all really great. Tim Curry and Rob Schneider are both amazing in this and it is insanely fun watching them get pranked. I find them both irritating quite often but in this they are just perfect. Brenda Fricker does a great job as the pigeon lady that Kevin befriends and the very small role by Eddie Bracken is also great.
You can't expect much less than something truly terrific with a script penned by John Hughes and a film directed by Christopher Columbus. I mean these two guys together are gold when it comes to family films or capturing emotion in a coming of age/youthful sort of way. I've actually seen nearly every film Columbus has done and they all range from really good to amazing so the guy knows his genre absolutely. They knew what audiences loved about Home Alone and they gave them the exact same thing again with enough of a different story to make it stand on its own merits. I will say that Home Alone 2 feels a little less like a "Holiday" movie than the first one did. Both are set at Christmas but I felt like this one didn't have quite the same Christmas feel to it perhaps because it was set in the big city instead of a home. Regardless if you like or love Home Alone then you can't help but at least enjoy this decent sequel. Its a little darker and a little less kiddie friendly (I happen to think both films aren't exactly right for the real young ones) but in my mind and in my house these will always be staples. 8.5/10