My Movie Review on Home Alone · 5:01pm Jul 30th, 2019
Greetings, my good amigos.
This is your friendly film, TV Show, and episode reporter here with another review.
And today, for my fourth and final installment of my "Christmas in July Jamboree" for this year, I'll be reviewing "Home Alone".
Here's the summary of this film:
Kevin McCallister is an 8-year old boy, whom, on the night he and his family are preparing for a vacation to France, has been feeling neglected and mistreated by his family. Having the last straw, he proclaims that he hates his family and wishes that they would disappear.
After a mix up the next morning, Kevin is unwittingly left at home by his family, much to his delight because his wish came true.
Meanwhile, though, two crooks by the names of Harry and Marv have been targeting the neighborhood houses, and their eyes are particularly set on robbing Kevin's house.
Will Kevin be able to keep his house from getting exploited? How long can he also keep Harry and Marv from discovering he's home alone?
And, is being home without the comfort of his family really what Kevin wants?
I'm not gonna lie, this is a Christmas film that I particularly grew up with and became fond of.
For my first noting, I'll be starting with the acting, casting, characters, and character development.
Admittedly, Kevin wasn't the most likable character because of how bratty he was being at the beginning. However, as the film progressed, Kevin became perhaps the most lovable and funny character that the movie featured. His character development throughout was awesome, and his growth in kindness towards others, particularly Old Man Marley, was heartwarming. Macaulay Culkin's performance was likewise amazing, because he gave Kevin a lovable smart-alec personality, along with a consistently funny sense of humor.
The developments of Kevin's family was also stunning. Similar to Kevin, his siblings weren't too likable at the beginning because of how mean they were being to him. His parents were not any better because of their consistent neglect of him. As the movie kept going, though, they all begin to realize how much Kevin means to them and how much they care for him. It was the development of Kevin's Mom that was particularly powerful, and the performance of Catherine O'Hara was so heartfelt, loving, and full of emotion.
John Candy was also quite a scene-stealer with his portrayal of Gus Polinski the Polka band leader, even giving a hilarious sense of improvisation and personality for his character. The chemistry between him and O'Hara was additionally fun.
Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were also amazing with their portrayals of Harry and Marv. They gave their villainous characters terrific personality and comedic-timings, and the chemistry they developed between their characters was also fun. They likewise continually developed into an intimidating force to be reckoned with, and their growing personal hatred towards Kevin made them all-the-more threatening.
There is one element concerning the characters I wasn't too fond of, but I'll be explaining what it is near the end of the review.
Moving on from that, though...
The music by John Williams was quite spectacular. Once again, Williams was able to make music that was so compelling, it aided the movie in being great.
The direction by Chris Columbus, and the story by John Hughes, was likewise amazing. The two of them did a great job at making a film that's not only funny, but full of heart and emotion. Their addressing about how important having a family is and how meaningful it is to have one is what I'd like to call one of the best parts of the film.
The humor that this film has is absolutely hilarious! Every joke that was thrown in was so well-worked and executed, particularly the ones revolving around while Kevin is alone, and the slapstick used with Harry and Marv when they stumble into the booby traps.
The funniest moments, though, would be when Kevin uses the TV and plays "Angels with Filthy Souls" to make the Pizza Man and Marv think there are adults in the house. How Kevin times it, and the reactions Marv and the Pizza Man give, are absolutely priceless.
Before I conclude this post, however, I'm not gonna lie that there are a couple of nitpicks that I unfortunately have to call out.
One of them would be that there are a couple of cuss words that actually shouldn't have been said in a PG film. One that Buzz, Kevin's older brother, says to Kevin while saying he doesn't want him to sleep in his room. The other being one that Marv says after dropping his shoe through the doggie-door of Kevin's house.
The other nitpick that the film has comes in the form of Kevin's Uncle Frank. Gerry Bamman, I will say, definitely did a great job portraying the character. However, Frank himself was too much of a heartless jerk and mooch. He was barely tolerable, and the only thing he ever seemed to really care about was himself, and getting anything that he could get his hands on. The thing that makes him especially unlikable is that while everyone else is worried about Kevin, he doesn't care at all.
In conclusion, however, despite the nitpicks I mentioned just now, "Home Alone" is a Christmas present worthy of being opened, thanks to its awesome characters and character development (minus Frank), hilarious comedy, everything!
So, I rate "Home Alone" 4½ out of 5 stars.
As much as I would like to keep giving you guys more reviews, I've decided that, after this one, I'll be taking a break from posting reviews. I'll still be working on some that I've currently got in development, but other than that, I'm gonna be taking a break from it all. I want to focus on doing some reading and writing stories, and unfortunately, for some time I've been finding making reviews to be among the things that have been keeping me from the things I want to do, including focusing on completing the next chapter of “From Repair to Despair”.
I hope you guys understand.
Best male scream ever, IMHO:
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Oh yeah.
Did you like my review?
I haven’t seen this yet, but I’ve heard a lot about it, it sounds really good! I look forward to watching it eventually!
About taking a break from reviews, that’s perfectly fine. I understand completely.
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How have you not watched this movie!? It's a cult classic for Christmas! But yeah you'll like it, I watch it every. Single. Christmas.
This clip is from number 2, but it’s my favorite scene.
5096704
Same here, every Christmas.... and maybe whenever else I want to
5096712
I like your style. Because who's to same I'm not watching it right now?
I really like this movie when I was younger because I was praising the booby traps scene.
However, in real life, not all traps give you injuries.
5096704
I guess because there are too many movies on my list to watch?
I guess I’m just too busy all the time. 
5096732
Lulz nah don't worry my. Man it all good.
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<3
You know, my favorite moments with this timeless classic are where Marv and Harry get hurt from all the traps Kevin sets up for them. You should hear me laughing loudly each time I watch them. They're some of the best examples of modern film slapstick!
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What did you think of my review, by any chance?
Unfortunately, I have not been able to see this movie from start to finish, but just from the second half, it looks really fun.
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It was great, and I agree with your nitpicking on swear words in a PG film. I know some kids movies have swear words, but you know they are kids watching them, right?