Home Alone, A classic holiday treat?



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"A family comedy without the family" it's the movie tagline.

Its another yuletide season, it's been a while since the I haven't watched a movie themed for the holidays. It seems Christmas films nowadays tend to be less of what Christmas is about but rather dedicated in gross commercialism of the season. And as always, I'm sort into looking for classics again. For film critics they'd list "The Nightmare Before Christmas", 'A Miracle on 34th Street", "White Christmas", Elf  and etc. as their holiday classics, films I haven't watched. In holidays, for me its any movie as long as you share it with your love ones, laugh and cried with it and appreciate the film altogether.

So What I'm looking for is a heart warming movie recipe, the one that suits my mood, my refuge again as usual is my archives. By far I have few titles, Polar express, Jack Frost, Home Alone, Edward Scissorhands, Love Actually o well

"Die Hard" if you consider it one, hey the drama happened in Christmas Eve right?

Now to my choice, its "Home Alone", not that I'm watching it alone(no significance at all) I just don't really like the idea or feelings of grief and sorrow in such time of the year. Michael Keaton dies in tragic accident in Jack Frost,  definitely not Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" for its goth, dark quirky theme. I'm not sure though if "Home Alone" can be considered as classic, well for one the movie is not that old and the plot is not unique or distinct but when you were a kid, surely this one is in your holiday movie list.

 

So what I crave is some movie that I could cheer and laugh a lot, simply just to be entertained. So "Home Alone" is the fitting choice.

The movie is about little tyke, Kevin McCallister(Macaulay Culkin), who was accidentally left by his family for a Christmas trip to Paris. The movie, written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus.

The reel opens up in suburbs of Chicago house full of people on the eve of their Christmas trip, relatives and kids everywhere. Since this is a holiday treat you'd be seeing some scenes of reunion toasts, shopping spree, Christmas rush and etc. And with a family such as big as McCallister, its a riot. Naturally Kevin being the young is bullied by his older siblings. He's simply under appreciated and misunderstood, he then wished they'd be all gone and him to be alone, cute isn't it? The next day, when the family overslept they to rushed and raced to the airport left Kevin unnoticed in the shuffle. When he wakes up later that morning, the house is empty. The little tyke got his wish. Now we see all his exhilaration and terror as he comes to terms of being alone.

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In reality though, an 8-year old a kid left alone would be frightened and probably cry. He'll be asking for neighbors help or call a family friend(surely he knows someone) but the contrives in this reel is that they seem to only have one neighbor and worse, being rumored as the snow shovel murderer. Its also quite unusual that Kevin's parents was unable to get anyone through with their panic calls - well cause if anyone did, end of the story, movie's over.                          
                            

Of course a comedy film is not complete without funny idiotic characters, bandits Harry(played by Joe Pesci) and Marv(I don't know who the actor is). Its like three stooges reincarnated though minus one as its just the two of them. So with lone Kevin left to fend the house he sets presence illusions and booby traps that got the bandits captured. We've also seen Kevin's mother desperately attempts to reunite with him, and the neighbor whose dealing as well with his home alone woes.

As expected the movie ended up with Kevin reuniting with his family, the reunion it's not a moving scene but it's heartwarming and surely can keep the family in high spirits.  A simple movie that can thaw our chilly hearts and reminds us what really Christmas and family is all about.

And my favorite movie quote from Kevin, "When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone".