I love happy accidents. Yesterday, I wrote about the 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street," written by John Hughes. Coincidentally, today I watched "Home Alone," another Hughes script I had forgotten. Unless he wrote something else still on my list, this is his last appearance.
This is one of those movies I watched as a kid that actually holds up. In fact, given all the crazy fan theories and analyses I have seen in the intervening years, I might enjoy it more. My favorite fan theory is that Kevin’s dad works for the mob. One thing that gets pointed out is that the house is massive, and the only way he could afford it is if he were doing something illegal.
One thing about the movie I have heard a lot and agree with is that Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is a sociopath. When he figures out that the Wet Bandits are going to rob his house, he doesn’t call the cops. Instead, he sets up deadly traps (let’s face it, Harry and Marv are dead multiple times over) to stop them. He does it so distrubingly quick that it all seems premeditated.
I really appreciated Joe Pesci in this. Looking at his IMDb, he played serious characters in dramas until “Home Alone.” He allowed himself to look foolish and be the butt of the joke as Harry. Once they get to the break-in, Pesci does so much physical/slapstick comedy. This comes from a man whose most famous role was in “Goodfellas.”
