My Movie Review/Extreme Rant on Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House · 3:49pm Jul 2nd, 2020
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for the second installment of this year's "Christmas in July" saga, and following my previous analysis...
Well, I'm not going to sugarcoat it. This review is on one of the worst Christmas films and sequels of all-time:
"Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House"
Considering how much of a travesty this movie is, I hardly think I need to explain what this movie's about. The only things I will tell you are that it features Kevin McCallister staying at the house of his future stepmother, Natalie Kalban, who is the fiancé of his father after he and Kevin's mother split up. There, he must face off against Marv, who isn't pulling a heist with Harry this time, but with his wife Vera.
In all honesty, this movie is something that I not only found for myself why it has such a negative reputation, but it's one that I wish I hadn't bothered seeing either.
For instance, the direction by Rod Daniel, and the story by Debra Frank and Steve L. Hayes, were awful!
Not only was the whole thing unnecessary, but it carried little in the ways of fun and sense of professionalism. None of the comedy throughout the movie made me laugh because the gags didn't feel inspired, and they were executed in ways that were either bland or mean-spirited. The cinematography, intro, and camera shots likewise looked like stuff done by a kindergartener, and it doesn't help that the camera shook at times like the cameraman was losing his hold. Plus, while I do see that the filmmakers were trying their best to give the film heart and emotion, the results only seemed to make it more hollow than alive, as well as less bearable.
The performances of the cast, casting, characters, and character development didn't do the film any favors, that's for sure.
The film's replacing of the cast members from films 1 & 2 with entirely new people for Kevin, his family, and Marv was a crushing blow among other things, and it looked like the cast members themselves were thinking the same thing and would rather be elsewhere. Even the people playing the new characters looked like they had no clue why they were a part of this project to begin with. I will admit that Joanna Going and her character of Natalie certainly knew how to make an impression, but in the end...they seemed rather wasted by the whole film.
In conclusion, "Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House" is a film that should be wiped from existence! It not only wasted my time, but it gave me a headache in the long run too.
So, I rate "Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House" zero out of five stars.
Want my advice?
Steer clear of this hunk of junk.
I got to agree, Like, 3 was a perfect cap to the series, and if they wanted to continue it (replacing Mckully Culken makes sense, guy was a bit too old to play Kevin anymore, and some blonde people go brown haired later on), the direction of the movie was....oooof