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"Home Alone" is a splendid movie title because it evokes all sorts of scary nostalgia. Being left home alone, when you were a kid, meant hearing strange noises and being afraid to look in the basement - but it also meant doing all the things that grownups would tell you to stop doing, if they were there. Things like staying up to watch Johnny Carson, eating all the ice cream, and sleeping in your parents' bed.

"Home Alone" is about an 8-year-old hero who does all of those things, but unfortunately he also single-handedly stymies two house burglars by booby-trapping the house. And they're the kinds of traps that any 8-year-old could devise, if he had a budget of tens of thousands of dollars and the assistance of a crew of movie special effects people.

The movie's screenplay is by John Hughes , who sometimes shows a genius for remembering what it was like to be young. His best movies, such as " Sixteen Candles ," " The Breakfast Club ," " Ferris Bueller's Day Off " and " Planes, Trains and Automobiles ," find a way to be funny while still staying somewhere within the boundaries of remote plausibility. This time, he strays so far from his premise that the movie suffers.

If "Home Alone" had limited itself to the things that might possibly happen to a forgotten 8-year-old, I think I would have liked it more. What I didn't enjoy was the subplot involving the burglars ( Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern ), who are immediately spotted by little Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), and made the targets of his cleverness.

The movie opens in the Chicago suburbs with a houseful of people on the eve of a big family Christmas vacation in Paris. There are relatives and kids everywhere, and when the family oversleeps and has to race to the airport, Kevin is somehow overlooked in the shuffle. When he wakes up later that morning, the house is empty. So he makes the best of it.

A real kid would probably be more frightened than this movie character, and would probably cry. He might also try calling someone, or asking a neighbor for help. But in the contrived world of this movie, the only neighbor is an old coot who is rumored to be the Snow Shovel Murderer, and the phone doesn't work. When Kevin's parents discover they've forgotten him, they find it impossible to get anyone to follow through on their panicked calls - if anyone did so, the movie would be over.

The plot is so implausible that it makes it hard for us to really care about the plight of the kid. What works in the other direction, however, and almost carries the day, is the gifted performance by young Macaulay Culkin, as Kevin. Culkin is the little boy who co-starred with John Candy in " Uncle Buck ," and here he has to carry almost the whole movie. He has lots of challenging acting scenes, and he's up to them. I'm sure he got lots of help from director Chris Columbus , but he's got the stuff to begin with. He's such a confident and gifted little actor that I'd like to see him in a story I could care more about.

"Home Alone" isn't that story. When the burglars invade Kevin's home, they find themselves running a gamut of booby traps so elaborate they could have been concocted by Rube Goldberg - or by the berserk father in " Last House on the Left ." Because all plausibility is gone, we sit back, detached, to watch stunt men and special effects guys take over a movie that promised to be the kind of story audiences could identify with.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Home Alone movie poster

Home Alone (1990)

103 minutes

Joe Pesci as Harry

Daniel Stern as Marv

Roberts Blossom as Marley

MacAulay Culkin as Kevin

John Heard as Peter

Catherine O'Hara as Kate

John Candy as Gus Polinski

  • John Williams

Photographed by

  • Julio Macat

Directed by

  • Chris Columbus
  • Raja Gosnell

Written and Produced by

  • John Hughes

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" A family comedy without the family. " ― Tagline

Home Alone is a 1990 American comedy blockbuster film directed by Chris Columbus written and produced by John Hughes and distributed by 20th Century Studios .

Kevin McCallister ( Macaulay Culkin ), an eight-year-old boy whose wish of his family to disappear comes true when they mistakenly left him at home when they go on a vacation to Paris for Christmas.

While initially relishing time by himself, he is later greeted by two thieves, Harry and Marv , who are played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern , respectively. Kevin eventually manages to outwit them with a series of booby traps .

It was followed by five sequels: two theatrical films, two made-for-television films, and a Disney Plus original film.

The first sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York , is the only film in the series to feature more than one cast member from the original film. Home Alone 4 features characters from the first two films, but played by different actors. Home Sweet Home Alone only features Devin Ratray reprising the role of Buzz McCallister .

  • 1.1 The McCallister House
  • 1.2 Family departure and Kevin left alone
  • 1.3 Kevin is missing, trouble in Paris
  • 1.4 The Wet Bandits introduced and Kevin's first personal encounter with Marley
  • 1.5 First encounter with the Wet Bandits
  • 1.6 Regretting his wish
  • 1.7 Christmas Eve
  • 1.8 Friendship with Marley and setting the traps
  • 1.9 Springing the traps
  • 1.10 The bandits defeated
  • 1.11 Christmas Day reconciliation
  • 2.1 Deleted scenes
  • 3 Edited for Television
  • 7 External links

The McCallister House [ ]

The McCallister family prepares to spend Christmas with Peter and Frank 's brother, Rob , in Paris , France . They gather at Peter and his wife Kate 's home in Chicago the night before their flight. 8-year-old Kevin , Peter and Kate's youngest son, finds himself the subject of ridicule by his cousins and siblings.

As the family rushes around the McCallister home, packing their things, a questionable police officer stands in the foyer, attempting to find an adult to speak with. Meanwhile, Kevin complains to his parents about his uncle Frank and he is instructed to pack his suitcase. However, his siblings refuse to help him, which causes Kevin to complain that he is fed up of living in a house full of people and rants that he wants to live alone when he grows up and gets married.

Home alone 3

Kevin, Rod, and Buzz watching Marley shoveling

Kevin goes to his older brother, Buzz , to ask him if he can sleep in his room for the night because he knows that his little cousin Fuller will wet the bed that they will be sharing. Disappointed for even asking, Buzz replies “ I wouldn't let you sleep in my room, if you were growing on my ass! ” Later Buzz tells him and their cousin Rod McCallister that their next-door neighbor, Old Man Marley is the "South Bend Shovel Slayer," who is rumored to have murdered his family and half of the people on the block in 1958. Rod asks why the police didn't arrest him, and Buzz tells them that the police have never found the bodies and that he salts the neighborhood sidewalks with the remains of his victims, adding that the salt turns the bodies into mummies; this frightens Kevin.

A Little Nero's Pizza man arrives at the home and waits alongside the questionable police officer. Frank comes and takes the pizza, but leaves the responsibility of paying for it to his brother and does not stay around to speak with the questionable officer. Peter briefly speaks with the officer, who inquires about the security of their home and he is taken by Buzz to go eat pizza and Kevin rushes to the kitchen to get his favorite pizza.

During dinner, Buzz shoves plain cheese pizza into his mouth. Kevin looks for cheese pizza – his favorite – and when he does not see any, he asks if anyone ordered some. Buzz responds that it was all eaten and he would have to throw it up to give Kevin any. This annoys Kevin and he sees Fuller smirking at him when he drinks a can of Pepsi. Knowing Fuller was deliberately doing this to pee on him while sleeping, Kevin is angered further. Buzz then begins to feign throwing up, asking for a plate from Kevin. Angry that Buzz ate his plain cheese pizza, Kevin snaps and pushes Buzz back, which causes Buzz to accidentally spill milk on the airline tickets and passports, Peter to knock over a full open bottle of Pepsi onto the pizza and Frank's pants, and Fuller's head to get pinned between a chair and the wall. An infuriated Kate breaks up the fight between Buzz and Kevin and demands Kevin to explain his behavior. He replies that it is Buzz's fault for eating the whole plain cheese pizza on purpose, then begins ranting on how he hates sausage, olives, onions, and similar toppings. Kevin is interrupted by Uncle Frank who shouts, " Look what ya did, you little jerk! " This causes Kevin to notice his family glaring at him for the mess. Kate sternly drags Kevin out of the kitchen (after Jeff calls him "such a disease"), pays the pizza boy, and briefly speaks with the questionable officer of their vacation before taking Kevin upstairs; before leaving, the officer tells her that he has already spoken to her husband and that the home is "in good hands".

Kate angrily informs Kevin that there are 15 people in the house, and he is the only one who has to make trouble, with Kevin replying that he is the only one who's getting dumped on. Kate tells him that he's the only one who's acting up as she leads Kevin to the third-floor bedroom, which in reality is the attic playroom of the house. Kevin apologizes and begs his mother not to send him up there, acknowledging that Fuller will wet his bed; while Kate agrees to move Fuller somewhere else to sleep, she rejects his apology and sends him upstairs regardless. Kevin angrily tells Kate that everybody in the family hates him, so Kate sarcastically suggests asking Santa Claus for a new one. When Kevin spurns that he doesn't want a family, a frustrated Kate wishes to not see him again for the rest of the night, but Kevin angrily wishes to not see her or anybody else again for the rest of his life. Hurt and stunned, Kate retorts that he'd feel sad and lonely without a family, but Kevin denies it. Kate firmly warns Kevin that it might happen if he says it again, only for him to yell that he never wants to see them again...wishing that they would all disappear while lying on the bed.

Family departure and Kevin left alone [ ]

During the night, high winds pick up, causing a tree branch to fall over and land on an electricity wire, resulting in a power failure. The next morning, when Kate taps the alarm clock, which is flashing 12:00, she picks up her watch to check the time, discovering that they've slept in. The family desperately rushes to pack their stuff to catch the vans that will take them to the airport. Mitch Murphy , a neighbor across the street, is mistakenly counted in a head count, and the family hastily depart to the airport.

Home alone 6

Kevin watching Angels with Filthy Souls

Kevin wakes up to find the house empty as the family's flight takes off. Upon realizing he is home alone, he is overjoyed to find that his wish came true and begins doing whatever he wants, such as jumping on his parents' bed and getting into Buzz's belongings, including his BB gun. He then eats junk food as he watches Angels with Filthy Souls , a film that he was prohibited from watching the night before by Uncle Frank; however, the film's shooting scene ultimately startles him, that he paused the movie and calls for his mother.

Kevin is missing, trouble in Paris [ ]

During the flight, a sleeping Kate wakes up, worried that the family has forgotten something. She asks Peter if they turned off the coffee machine, locked the doors, and closed the garage. Peter admits that he did forget to close the garage. Kate, however, thinks it's something else they forgot, then after Peter asks what they possibly could have forgotten. Kate finally realizes what they have left behind, screaming "Kevin!" out loud. Meanwhile, Kevin sleds down the stairs in his home and out the front door. After her realization, Kate is comforted by the family, who offer nothing that soothes her guilty conscience. Kate realizes what kind of terrible mother she is.

Once the family is in Paris, Kate calls the police in Chicago, has Peter book a return flight, and has Frank's wife and her sister-in-law, Leslie call everyone in Kate's address book. Kate reaches the Village Police Department on the phone and requests them to send someone to check on Kevin and tell him that the family will be returning home. However, the department misunderstands her inquiry at first and finally sends an officer, who knocks on the door, but Kevin is too afraid to answer the door. The officer judges that there is nobody home and the house is secure.

Kate and Peter attempt to book a return flight back to Chicago, but find that everything is booked. She decides to stay at the airport to be on standby in case a seat opens up as the rest of the family goes to Rob's house. As the McCallisters watch a French dub of It's a Wonderful Life , Peter tries calling someone on the phone to assist in reaching Kevin while Frank brings out shrimp, ignoring his sister-in-law and Rob's wife Georgette 's calls that the shrimp was going to be eaten later. Kevin's sister, Megan , expresses her worry about Kevin to Buzz, but he insists that their brother will be completely fine.

After much haggling, Kate convinces couple Ed and Irene to give her their seats on their flight to Dallas .

The Wet Bandits introduced and Kevin's first personal encounter with Marley [ ]

The " Wet Bandits " Marv and Harry — the latter happening to be the supposed police officer — observe the neighborhood, planning robberies around the security information Harry has gathered about each home. As Kevin takes a nap whilst How the Grinch Stole Christmas plays on the television, Harry and Marv attempt to break in, but Kevin hears them and turns on a light, causing them to flee as he hides under his parents’ bed.

Thinking that he is no longer afraid, Kevin comes out of hiding and goes outside, declaring that he is not afraid anymore. However, he encounters Old Man Marley and screams in fear before running back inside.

First encounter with the Wet Bandits [ ]

After showering, Kevin uses his father's grooming products, including his aftershave, causing Kevin to scream from the burning sensation in pain. He then goes to Buzz's room and attempts to climb the shelf to reach his "life savings" but causes all of the shelving to fall on top of him. While on his walk, Kevin notices the Wet Bandits' van in the Murphy driveway and notes that he thought the Murphy family had gone to Florida . As the burglars raid the Murphy home, they hear a message on their phone from Peter indicating that the McCallisters are not home.

Kevin goes to a drugstore to buy a toothbrush and asks if it is approved by the American Dental Association. As the store's staff attempts to confirm, Old Man Marley enters with a crudely bandaged hand and places it on the counter, causing a frightened Kevin to flee the store and unintentionally shoplift the toothbrush. A police officer pursues Kevin but loses sight of him at an ice-skating rink after being tripped over by a skater with a hockey club. Kevin walks home, dismayed that he has become a criminal.

After Marv leaves the water running in the Murphy home — much to Harry's disapproval — they argue and almost run over Kevin in their van. Kevin finally recognizes Harry and starts to run as the suspicious burglars follow him. He reaches a church and loses sight of the bandits by posing as part of the church's Nativity scene display. He then runs home, declaring that he will be ready when the burglars return.

Regretting his wish [ ]

Later that night, the burglars arrive outside the McCallister home, but Kevin has constructed an elaborate silhouette display, making Marv and Harry think that there are people there. Kevin then orders a cheese pizza for himself and directs the pizza boy to the back door as he plays and pauses parts of Angels with Filthy Souls , convincing that one of the characters in the film is speaking with him and, eventually, shooting at him, making the pizza boy flee the property. As he settles for the night, Kevin watches Johnny Carson on television and begins to regret his wish.

Christmas Eve [ ]

In the morning, as Kevin readies himself for the day, he lip syncs to the Drifters ' version of " White Christmas " and once again screams from his father's aftershave as Buzz's tarantula roams free after escaping as a result of Kevin accidentally breaking the shelving. Soon after, Kevin goes to the grocery store, where he encounters an inquisitive cashier . As he walks home, the grocery bags break. He then returns home and does laundry.

Harry sends Marv to check the house. Kevin, noticing Marv's presence, turns on Angels with Filthy Souls and enhances the film's sound of gunfire with firecrackers in a pot. This scares Marv away from the home; Marv then reports the events of Angels with Filthy Souls to Harry, thinking that they actually happened inside the home. The duo nap until they observe Kevin cutting down a tree and realize that he has been deceiving them. As Kevin decorates the tree, he sees Harry's reflection in an ornament and feigns calling for his father. He opens a window and overhears Marv and Harry planning their break-in to the McCallister home at 9:00, making Kevin want his family back.

Kate eventually reaches Scranton , but all flights to Chicago are unavailable because of an influx of travelers. Desperate to return home, she is overheard by Gus Polinski , the "Polka King of the Midwest" and his polka band, the Kenosha Kickers , who are driving to Milwaukee after their flight was canceled. He offers to allow her to ride with them in a Budget truck, dropping her off in Chicago along the way. Kate accepts the offer and rides with the polka band. As the band rehearses " Deck the Halls " in the truck, Gus offers to let her play his clarinet, which she refuses.

Friendship with Marley and setting the traps [ ]

After going to a Santa Claus impersonator and requesting he ask the real Santa to bring his family back instead of presents, Kevin goes to the church, where he sees a local children's choir perform and encounters Old Man Marley, coming to discover that he is actually a very friendly and kind man and that none of the rumors about him are true. Kevin learns the real reason the rumors were spread; Marley has been estranged from his son for quite some time, thus separating him from his granddaughter, who is singing with the choir. Kevin urges Marley to make amends with his son for Christmas and Marley agrees.

Kevin putting tar on the stairs

Kevin putting tar on the stairs

As the children's choir sings an unaccompanied version of "Carol of the Bells", the bell in the church tower strikes 8:00. His own spirits lifted by encouraging Marley, Kevin returns home to prepare a series of booby traps around the house before 9:00 p.m. First, he rolls up the doormat by the staircase, placing Micro Machine cars, trucks, and airplanes on the floor. He continues on by dousing the front steps as well as the outside basement stairs outside with water, which instantly freezes. After hooking a glowing hot BBQ starter onto the doorknob of the front door, Kevin coats the inside basement stairs with tar, leaving the last few steps untouched, placing a piece of sandpaper with a long nail into an upward shingle on one of them. Next, he creates an escape route by connecting a rope from the attic window to his tree house. In the kitchen, he squirts caulking glue onto a sheet of plastic wrap, then piles a cart high with pillow feathers and an electric fan. Then, he places glass Christmas ornaments down on the floor next to a window. Finally, he grabs two paint cans with ropes tied to them after preparing an iron and blowtorch.

Springing the traps [ ]

Harry and Marv arrive and decide to go through the back door. As Kevin blesses his macaroni and cheese dinner, the clock strikes nine, and he runs to the kitchen, pumps the BB gun and says, " This is it. Don't get scared now " before hiding by the door. Harry and Marv torment Kevin at the back door and Kevin shoots Harry in the crotch with Buzz's BB gun through the dog door. Marv sticks his head through the dog door and is shot in the forehead.

Harry goes around to the front door but unknowingly slips on the icy stairs with Marv doing the same at the basement steps, sliding down on them to the door and struggling to stand on the frozen ground. Harry again attempts going up the front steps but falls again. Marv finally manages to stand and enters the basement. When he attempts to turn on a light bulb, he instead pulls an iron down the laundry chute and is hit in the head.

Harry once again attempts to climb up the stairs and is successful this time. He grabs the doorknob, which burns his hand, which he cools in a pile of snow. Marv struggles up the tar-covered basement steps—losing his shoes and socks in the process—and falls down them after stepping on the nail protruding upward.

Harry then attempts to enter through the back door, but his head is burned by a blowtorch as he enters. He then cools his head in the snow. Meanwhile, Marv leaves the basement and slips again. Harry rushes through the back door, knocking down the blowtorch, and angrily asks, " Where are you, you little creep?! " Marv rushes to a window.

Kevin torments Harry, who then walks into the glue-covered plastic wrap and has the feathers blown onto him by the fan. A barefooted Marv enters through a window, stepping on the glass ornaments below him and angrily yelling, " I'm gonna kill that kid! " The burglars join back up again and slip on the Micro Machines. They then try chasing Kevin up the stairs, but are struck by the paint cans, one of which knocks out Harry's gold tooth. Kevin calls the police, reporting a burglary in the Murphy home. The burglars chase him, while Harry trips over a wire, knocking him unconscious, and Marv manages to grab Kevin's leg on the attic steps. Kevin grabs Buzz's tarantula Axl and puts it on Marv's face, allowing him to escape. Marv screams and throws the tarantula on an unconscious Harry's belly as Kevin ziplines to the treehouse using bike handlebars. Marv, trying to hit the tarantula, accidentally hits Harry in the chest with his crowbar.

After Harry hits Marv three times with the crowbar, the bandits pursue Kevin again as he reaches the treehouse. They try climbing over to the treehouse, but this is foiled by Kevin cutting the rope with a pair of hedge clippers, causing them to be swung into the side of the house.

The bandits defeated [ ]

Kevin then flees to the nearby Murphy home across the street and enters through the flooded basement thanks to Marv. However, the Wet Bandits ambush Kevin at the top of the basement steps. They discuss doing the same things to Kevin that he did to them, Harry threatening to first bite Kevin's fingers off; luckily for Kevin, at the last minute, Marley intervenes and hits Marv and Harry with his snow shovel, knocking them unconscious, thus saving Kevin, and returning him home.

Shortly after Kevin is returned home safely, Harry and Marv are arrested. Additionally, the police have now become aware of every house the Wet Bandits have targeted because of Marv's habit of leaving the household's water running as a "calling card". Marv tells the police about their crimes which causes Harry to kick him twice as they get in the police car. As the police car drives away, Kevin sarcastically waves at Harry, who hopes that he and Marv will return one day for revenge.

After Kevin cleans the remains of the traps, he then places some cookies and milk on a table for Santa (as well as some carrots for the reindeer), having set up Christmas all by himself. Kate speaks with Gus, guilty of leaving Kevin behind and thinking that she is a bad parent. Gus insists that she is not a bad parent compared to any of those in his band, and he recounts a story of leaving one of his own children at a funeral parlor.

Christmas Day reconciliation [ ]

Kevin wakes up the next morning and calls for his mother but is disappointed to find that he is still alone. Kate then arrives and the two reconcile before Peter and Kevin's siblings arrive, having caught the flight that Kate did not want to wait for (while Kevin's uncle, aunt and cousins are still in Paris). Buzz becomes glad that Kevin didn't burn the house down. When Kate asks Peter to find an open store to buy some milk, Kevin reveals to them that he had gotten groceries for Christmas (milk, eggs, and fabric softener), but more or less "just hung around" while his family was away. Kevin does not disclose his encounter with Harry and Marv, though Peter finds Harry's gold tooth on the floor and wonders what it is.

Kevin goes over to the window and smiles upon discovering that Marley took his advice, and watches as he and his son reunite and reconcile. While hugging his granddaughter and daughter-in-law, Marley looks up, sees Kevin and, smiling, waves to him as a sign of thanking him, and Kevin waves back. Buzz interrupts Kevin's musings by calling out, " Kevin! What did you do to my room!? " causing Kevin to run off.

  • Macaulay Culkin as Kevin
  • Joe Pesci as Harry
  • Daniel Stern as Marv
  • John Heard as Peter
  • Roberts Blossom as Old Man Marley
  • Catherine O'Hara as Kate
  • Angela Goethals as Linnie
  • Devin Ratray as Buzz
  • Gerry Bamman as Uncle Frank
  • Hillary Wolf as Megan
  • John Candy as Gus Polinski
  • Larry Hankin as Officer Balzak
  • Michael C. Maronna as Jeff
  • Kristin Minter as Heather
  • Daiana Campeanu as Sondra
  • Jedidiah Cohen as Rod
  • Kieran Culkin as Fuller
  • Senta Moses as Tracy
  • Anna Slotky as Brooke
  • Terrie Snell as Aunt Leslie
  • Jeffrey Wiseman as Mitch Murphy
  • Virginia Smith as Georgette
  • Matt Doherty as Steffan
  • Ralph Foody as Gangster Johnny
  • Michael Guido as Gangster Snakes
  • Ray Toler as Uncle Rob
  • Billie Bird as Woman in Airport
  • Bill Erwin as Man in Airport
  • Gerry Becker as Officer #1
  • Victor Cole as Officer #2
  • Porscha Radcliffe and Brittany Radcliffe as The Cousins
  • Clarke Devereux as Officer Devereux
  • Dan Charles Zulcoski as Pizza Boy
  • Lynn Mansbach as French Woman
  • Peter Siragusa as Lineman
  • Alan Wilder as Scranton Ticket Agent
  • Hope Davis as French Ticket Agent
  • Dianne B. Shaw as Airline Counter Person
  • Tracy Connor as Check Out Girl
  • Jim Ryan as Stock Boy
  • Ken Hudson Campbell as Santa Claus impersonator
  • Sandra Macat as Santa's Elf
  • Mark Beltzman as Stosh
  • Ann Whitney as Drugstore Clerk
  • Richard J. Firfer as Store Manager
  • Jim Ortlieb as Herb the Drugstore Clerk
  • Kate Johnson as Police Operator
  • Michael Hansen and Peter Pantaleo as Airport Drivers
  • Jean-Claude Sciore as French Gate Agent
  • Monica Devereux as Flight Attendant
  • Edward "Ed" Bruzan , Frank R. "Franko" Cernugel , John Hardy , Eddie Korosa Jr. , Robert "Bob" Okrzesik , Leo Perion , and Vince Waidzulis as the Kenosha Kickers

Deleted scenes [ ]

  • Paula Newsome as Shopper

Edited for Television [ ]

Whenever it has aired on Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, NBC, AMC, FOX, or ABC Family/Freeform, some scenes were edited like:

  • When Kevin asks Buzz if he could sleep in his room to avoid sleeping with Fuller (who wets the bed when given a lot to drink), Buzz usually says " I wouldn't let you sleep in my room...if you were growing on my ass! ", but in some instances, he will say " I wouldn't let you sleep in my room...if you were growing on my butt! ".
  • On ABC, the scene where the pizza car knocks over the lawn jockey is cut.
  • The line “Fuller! Go easy on the Pepsi!” was removed due to national television staff finding it offensive to diabetic people.
  • On ABC, the part where Peter talks about how he used to travel in the family station wagon is cut
  • On ABC, the part where Kevin says "Buzz, your girlfriend. Woof!" is cut
  • Kevin would then say, " Down here, you morons! " and " Down here, you idiots! " instead of " Down here, you big horse's ass !"
  • In the scene where Kevin watches Angels With Filthy Souls , it would delete " ya filthy animal ". He would then say, " Keep the change ". It would then cut to Kevin who was yelling " Mom !" However, in later airings on Freeform, " ya filthy animal " was reinstated.
  • On ABC, the part where Kate is transferred to different departments is cut
  • In the scene where the cop is sent to check on Kevin, the part where he says “ There’s no one home, the house looks secure, tell ‘em to count their kids again” is cut. Instead, when he gets on his walkie talkie, it cuts to a commercial break.
  • On ABC, the scene with Harry and Marv in the Murphy's house is cut.
  • At the end, Buzz said, " Kevin, what in the world did you do to my room!? " instead of " Kevin, what did you do to my room!? "
  • When Marv drops his shoe through the doggy door, he does not say, "Shit!".
  • The entire movie is in a lower pitch when aired on AMC or its affiliated channels.
  • However, in later airings, Freeform restored all of the original scenes unedited.
  • The title of Buzz's Playboy Magazine, Broadcast Nudes: TV Newscaster Bares All, as well as its cover is a play on James L. Brooks' 1987 movie Broadcast News , which was also distributed by Home Alone distributor 20th Century Fox.
  • This movie was flimed from 14th February to 14th May 1990.
  • Even though Frank is acting mean when he says to Peter, "you be positive, I'll be realistic", since their plane leaves in 45 minutes, he is actually right; it takes at least 30 minutes to get from Winnetka to O'Hare and they had fifteen people trying to make an international flight.
  • Harry and Marv's van is a grayish bluish van made by Dodge.
  • When Kevin zip lined across his yard, it was clearly a stunt double.
  • When Marv was walking through the snow, Daniel Stern was wearing rubber feet.
  • Also, when Marv stepped on the ornaments, the ornaments were made out of glass candy.
  • There is a cut scene were Rob and Georgette are welcoming the family with a poster, only for the clan to rush through the sign, ripping it.
  • When it shows Kevin on a sleigh about to ride out the front door, it is obvious that the angle Kevin is at should make him crash into the wall.
  • When Kevin speeds out the front door on the sleigh, there is no way he can get a lot of elevation since the stairs leading up to the front door are very small.
  • Catherine O'Hara revealed in 2014 that Macaulay Culkin still calls her "Mom."
  • The picture Kevin finds of Buzz's girlfriend was a picture of a boy made up to look like a girl because director Chris Columbus thought it would be too cruel to tease a girl in that manner. The boy that was used in the photo was the art director's son.
  • The movie that Kevin watches on video tape is not a real film, but footage specially created. It was called Angels with Filthy Souls . Along with other similar era references in the movie, this is a play upon the movie Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) starring James Cagney. Kevin uses it on the pizza boy and later Marv. Both times, Kevin was successful in scaring them away.
  • John Candy improvised all of his lines.
  • Marv's lines " Why the hell are you dressed like a chicken? " and " Maybe he committed suicide. " were improvised by Daniel Stern.
  • During rehearsal for the scene where Harry attempts to bite off Kevin's finger, Joe Pesci actually bit Macaulay Culkin, leaving a small scar.
  • Joe Pesci kept forgetting that he was filming a family movie during his character's on-screen outbursts, so director Chris Columbus advised him to say "fridge" instead of the f-word.
  • When Marv drops his shoe through the back door of Kevin's house while Kevin's washing dishes, he says a swear word, "shit." In the original script, Buzz McCallister, Harry, and Marv were supposed to swear a lot more frequently. For example, when Rod asks Buzz who will feed his tarantula, he says in the script: "He just ate a shitload of mice guts." When Kevin enters the room, he originally called him "dick rash" instead of "phlegm wad." In an alternate version of the deleted scene "Sleepless in Paris," Buzz claims that Kevin acted like an asshole instead of a jerk. It is not known if any of these instances were filmed and then re-shot.
  • The microwave macaroni and cheese that Kevin gets from the grocery store asking the cashier if it's any good and is almost about to eat, which he doesn't, is Kraft Dinner.
  • All of John Candy's scenes were filmed in 23 hours.
  • Director Chris Columbus auditioned over 200 kids to play the role of Kevin, because he didn't want to use the first kid in front of him, which was Macaulay Culkin who was requested by Writer John Hughes. However, he saw that no other kid has as much talent as Macaulay, so Columbus gave Culkin the role.
  • The nail Daniel Stern stepped on was actually made of rubber because he could actually crush it with his foot and feel no pain.
  • At the beginning of the film, the 1964 Rankin/Bass special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is playing on the TV.
  • During the police department scene, a piece of the donut fell on the phone receiver. Because of that, the producers had to film every take with the donut still on the receiver until it fell off because of continuity reasons.
  • This is the only Home Alone movie to use the short version of the 1981 20th Century Fox logo.
  • When Kevin crosses himself before his macaroni and cheese dinner, he goes from right shoulder to left shoulder. Orthodox go from right to left. Catholics go left to right.
  • John Heard and Catherine O'Hara both played supporting characters in the 1985 film After Hours , sharing a brief scene together.
  • Four actors in this film were born in 1977: Hillary Wolf (Megan), Angela Goethals (Linnie), Devin Ratray (Buzz) and Michael C. Maronna (Jeff).
  • American Airlines was not supposed to be the McCallisters' airline in the film. In the original script, they traveled to Paris on an Air France Boeing 747 instead. The reason for the change from Air France to American Airlines remains unknown.
  • When Aunt Leslie says " Fuller! Go easy on the Pepsi ", it is quite clearly a close-mic voiceover recorded off set (most likely in post-production), as the rest of the dialogue has a completely different natural reverb to this line.
  • When Kevin arrives home after speaking to Old Man Marley at the church, he runs right in the house without unlocking the front door - he left his house unlocked even though he knew that there were burglars in the area.
  • In the battle plan, on one side of the house, there are Christmas ornaments, while the other side has glue on plastic wrap, a fan, and feathers. Harry and Marv meet each other on one side, but when Kevin says "Come and get me," they come from both sides to the foot of the stairs.
  • Buzz tells Megan that they live in the most boring neighborhood in America where nothing dangerous will ever happen. However, earlier in the movie he seemed to really think that Old Man Marley was a real serial killer living there, although he could have just been trying to scare Kevin and Rod.
  • When Tracy asks Heather if she ordered the pizza, Tracy calls Heather "Tracy" by mistake.
  • When Kevin is shooting at the toys that fall down the laundry chute, he is closing the wrong eye for aiming a rifle.
  • In the church, Old Man Marley's granddaughter is seen with red straight hair. However, when Kevin looks out his window on Christmas Day and sees Old Man Marley hugging his granddaughter, she has brown curly hair instead of the appearance in the church.
  • The night Harry and Marv break in to the house Kevin sits down and blesses his macaroni and cheese dinner just before the stroke of nine. This draws obvious attention to his plate. Later just before Harry is covered with feathers you can see a completely different plate with three sections of food on it.
  • Kevin has a pizza delivered to the house even though the phones are supposed to be down. There is never any indication of if, or when, the phones were restored, but according to the technician working on the lines when the McCallisters leave, it was going to take a couple of days to patch them up. In the preceding scene, Kevin's father was trying to reach Kevin or someone who could help.
  • When Harry grabs the heated doorknob with the "M" engraved on it, he grabs it with his knuckles at 9:00, facing left. After he puts his hand in the snow to cool it, he looks at it and sees the "M" upright on his hand.
  • When Kevin goes across the street to his neighbor's house entering through the flooded basement his clothes are soaked as he rushes up the stairs. In the next scene where he goes through the door to run into Harry and Marv his clothes are dry.
  • Just before Marv and Harry step into the small pile of toy cars and slip up at the bottom of the stairs, Harry had been covered in feathers. In the next shot, there are no feathers on him at all, which mysteriously disappear.
  • Towards the end of the movie, Kevin calls the police from his parents' bedroom. This should be impossible, as the phones are out, which is why his parents could not reach him.
  • Harry is seen wearing a wedding ring in the shot where Marv tries to kill the spider that is on Harry's chest. Later in the movie Harry is no longer wearing the wedding ring.
  • The stained glass window in the church is different in the interior and exterior shots. Seen from outside, it has four panels, while inside it has seven.
  • When the characters are in the upstairs hallway, the walls change back and forth from being covered with a hunt club green wallpaper to being painted in a shade of green slightly different from the wallpaper. This is because some of the scenes were recreated on a sound stage at New Trier High School and they had to try and match the colors as best they could.
  • Immediately after landing in Paris, Peter McCallister leaves a message on the Murphys' answering machine while Marv and Harry are burglarizing it. The phones are still supposed to be down, and since the Murphys live across the street from the McCallisters, their phone service should be down as well.
  • Kevin purchases a large bottle of laundry detergent at the grocery store. While walking home, the two plastic grocery bags he is carrying burst spilling their contents. The bottle of detergent is not among the contents that spill.
  • While setting traps in preparation for the burglars, Kevin douses all the stairs outside his house with water. They freeze in a short time, indicating it to be quite cold. However, later when we see Kevin running across the Murphy's driveway, not only are there visible liquid puddles, but he runs at a full sprint without so much as a slip.
  • When Kevin is at the top of the stairs getting his sled ready, one shot shows him throw his scarf over his right shoulder and it slips down his arm. In the next shot, from behind, the scarf is clearly thrown behind his shoulder.
  • When Kevin and Buzz are first seen fighting over the pizza Kate rushes over to break it up, in the next shot when Peter is throwing away the napkins, Buzz is seen running his hands through his hair, and Kate is calmly speaking with Kevin, and in the next shot after Aunt Leslie asks Fuller if he's okay, Kate is seen attempting to break up the fight again and yells at Kevin.
  • When Peter calls the Murphy home while Harry and Marv are robbing it, Marv picks the entire phone off the table. At this point a receiver is visible on the phone. In the next shot of Marv, it is gone. If it was, in fact, supposed to fall off, the answering machine would have been cut off anyway.
  • The Christmas ornaments Kevin places by the tree under the window change positions repeatedly.
  • After the McCallisters realize they've overslept and are frantically running around the house, Heather goes up the same set of stairs twice.
  • When the McCallisters take off for Paris Orly from Chicago O'Hare, they are on board a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10, a tri-jet. When they land in Paris, they are on board a Boeing 757, a twin jet. Given that flight appears to be non-stop, the fact that they took off in a plane with three engines and landed in a plane with two engines is an error.
  • The blind spot mirrors on the burglars' van change positions and sometimes disappear between shots.
  • When Kevin walks up to the church at night, there is a door clearly in the very center of the building. When Kevin is shown inside the church, there is a baptistery in the center where the door was on the outside.
  • When Marv goes to look and see if anyone is home, Kevin is washing up and has his sleeves rolled up. He plays Angels with Filthy Souls and gets fire crackers out. He reaches into a drawer to get a lighter and we only see his arms where his sleeves are down. When you see a full view of him, his sleeves are rolled up again.
  • Kate tells the pizza boy that her brother-in-law drove in from Ohio earlier that day with his family, yet later in the film only Kate and Peter's cars are seen in the garage. There is no other vehicle parked anywhere near the house.
  • While Kevin is in the kitchen with the whole family. Buzz is clearly stuffing the last piece of Kevin's pizza in his mouth. In the next shot he is shown with half a piece of pizza in his hand and his mouth is not stuffed.
  • After Harry touches the heated doorknob and Kevin flees from the door at 1:20:48-1:20:51 on the DVD, the charcoal lighter cord runs out of the foyer into the next room from which the camera is shooting. Later, when Harry and Marv are hit with paint cans at 1:24:18, the door and the red-hot charcoal lighter can be seen in the background, but its cord does not leave the foyer.
  • When Kate is losing her temper with the desk agent in Scranton, her coat changes in how open or closed it is between shots.
  • When Marv is trying to enter the basement, there's snow on each side of the entryway. When the camera angle changes to show him from inside the basement, the snow is gone.
  • When Harry and Marv are in the van and Harry is listing the automatic light cues, when Harry lists #671, the McCallisters' house, we can see the lights turn on in their reflection on the van's windshield. However, in the next shot, which is of the house, we can see the lights turn on again.
  • When the cop starts to chase Kevin for stealing the toothbrush, they run past a woman in a red coat with a skate on her shoulder twice.
  • When Harry and Marv follow Kevin in their van, they initially stop when they are slanted on the road. After the stop for when Kevin turns around to look at them, they are fixed perfectly against the curb.
  • When Kevin first uses the BB gun to shoot the figurines down the laundry chute, he pumps the rifle forward and then back at 23:21 on the DVD. Later in the film when he prepares to shoot Harry and Marv through the dog door, he pumps the rifle back and then forward at 1:16:12.
  • During most of the film, the pictures hung on the wall going up the main staircase are consistently fifteen in number, with Peter and Kate being the lower-most bottom-row photos, and Kevin being the one at the very top end, by itself. However, in a couple of scenes there are only 14 pictures - no Kevin up top; completely different non-closeup photos where Peter and Kate should be; and several other pictures are different too. The scenes are: When Kevin is crazily running around celebrating his newfound freedom at 22:22, and later when he is running upstairs screaming after seeing Old Man Marley in front of the house at 32:07.
  • When the shopping bag bursts while Kevin is walking home from the store, the milk carton rolls a couple of times on the sidewalk. Realistically, a full carton of milk would just fall flat and not roll, due to the weight, making it appear that the carton was empty and not heavy, thus was able to roll a bit upon hitting the sidewalk.
  • When Harry slips down the stairs while trying to go in through the front door, he drops his crowbar and doesn't pick it up, but in the next long shot the crowbar is no longer on the ground right next to the steps.
  • When Kevin is watching TV in the kitchen, there is a gingerbread house next to the TV in shots directly facing the TV. But when the shots are from the side (on Kevin watching TV), the gingerbread house is not there.
  • When Kevin accidentally steals a toothbrush from a drug store, the cop who chases him falls on the ice after getting hit by a hockey player. He lands on his back and his hat starts to fall off his head and his arms are pushing the hat back on his head, but when the cop looks up and sees that Kevin got away, he is lying on his stomach and his hat is off his head.
  • When Kevin is rifling through Buzz's trunk, a box of Junior Mints moves around between shots.
  • We see Kevin purchase and use a big bottle of laundry detergent. Yet at the end of the film, he tells his family that he bought "fabric softener".
  • When Johnny in the "Angels with Filthy Souls" movie shoots Snakes with the Tommy gun , it makes just a few brief thin-sounding bursts of rapid-fire. Yet when Kevin is playing back his "clipped/rearranged" version of the movie to scare away the pizza-delivery guy, the gunfire is much deeper-toned and lasts a lot longer, and the individual ammo-round-discharge sounds are slower and more spaced out.
  • Right after Marv hits Harry with the crowbar, due to the tarantula being on his chest, the Michael Jordan poster can be seen in Buzz's room on the door all intact. However, Kevin had previously cut the poster out to make him look like a person at the party the previous night and had him going around on a train.
  • Harry protects his burnt hand with a handkerchief when he climbs along the rope towards the tree house, but alternating shots show the tail of the handkerchief either sticking out or not.
  • After Kevin steals the toothbrush, he slides between a hockey player's legs. The hockey stick was between the player's leg in the first shot, the next shot when Kevin slides through the player's legs the stick is off to the player's side.
  • When Marv grabs Kevin by the leg as Kevin attempts to run up the stairs and into the attic. Kevin puts Buzz's tarantula on Marv's face in order to force Marv to let go of his leg. Kevin was carrying Buzz's rifle on his back and it hadn't occurred to him to whack Marv with it which could have knocked out Marv or hit him in the arm, which the pain would have forced Marv to let go.
  • While Kevin is holding shears to cut the rope in the tree house, a few inches ahead of where he is to cut you can see something that looks like fishing line that is holding up the rope. This line is visible twice, as he appears with the cutters and again just as he is cutting the rope.
  • When Kevin walks into Buzz's room looking for his family after being left alone, on the bottom right of the frame, you can see a crew member's leg.
  • When the female police officer transfers Kate to Sgt. Balzak in the Crisis Center, a crew member's reflection is seen in the glass just above the stenciled word "center."
  • When the police officer is chasing Kevin, the shadow of the camera is briefly visible on Kevin's back.
  • When Kate phones the Chicago Police from France, she calls them on a payphone that is a BT model that would not be seen in France.
  • When the whole family arrives in Paris (which is really the underground walkway under the O'Hare Airport Hilton, that connects the terminals at O'Hare, and looks like it may include parts of the old Terminal 4), Kate uses a public phone to call home. But this device could not be French, because all phones available in France in the 90s required telephone cards and we clearly hear an operator instructing Kate to insert coins.
  • When the plane takes off from Chicago, it is morning. It takes about seven or eight hours to fly from Chicago to Paris, and Paris time is seven hours ahead of Chicago time. That would put them in Paris around one or two in the morning. Yet when the plane arrives in Paris, it is already broad daylight.
  • As the family bids farewell to Kate at the Paris airport, tail colors of an Eastern Airlines jet are visible outside the gate window. Eastern was a domestic U.S. airline and would not have serviced Paris.
  • When Kate calls the police from France, the woman answers the phone "Village Police Department," but when the officer goes to the McCallister home, he clearly has a City of Chicago flag on the right shoulder of his jacket.
  • American Airlines has never flown a morning flight between Chicago and Paris.
  • The plane shown landing at Scranton Airport is a McDonnell Douglas DC-10. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Airport has never had regular service from a DC-10 by any airline. The largest planes to land at Scranton are Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. DC-10s are far too large to be accommodated by the airport for non-emergency situations.
  • The plane in the movie is a McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10, which was flown by American Airlines, however it was only used for domestic flights due to its limited range of 3500 miles. There was a long-range version used for intercontinental flights, the DC-10-30, but that one had three sets of rear landing gear. It is clearly visible during the takeoff scene that this one only has two sets of rear landing gear, so it is definitely a DC-10-10 which could have never made the trip from Chicago to Paris.
  • When Marv picks up the answering machine while Peter is leaving a message the phone comes off the hook which would have affected the answering machine message being recorded.
  • The Daisy BB gun shown on Buzz's wall is used as a pump-action; however, the real model is lever-action.
  • Kevin manages to set up all of his traps in less than an hour. Several of those traps would take at least an hour to do by themselves. For example, the water on the porch and basement steps would not freeze into a thick layer of ice within an hour.
  • Kevin's Daisy Red Ryder air rifle (notable by the distinctive shape of its trigger-guard and lever), has an additional pump-action mechanism which The Daisy Red Ryder has never had, and which would be unnecessary besides, due to the lever.
  • When Kevin finally gets caught by the burglars at the neighbor's house, they pick him up and hang him from a door hook in the kitchen by his sweater. If this was a regular knitsweater, Kevin's body weight would cause the sweater to constrict into his neck and in effect strangle him. But it does not, revealing it to be that a brace is present or that it is a specially rigged sweater.
  • Aside from Megan (Kevin's elder sister) and to a lesser extent Kate, the rest of the family does not seem to be concerned about Kevin's welfare while abroad.
  • As Harry is driving down the driveway after a burglary, he is wearing his black knit cap. Just after he hits the brakes to avoid hitting Kevin he pokes his head out to tell Kevin to be more careful and his cap is missing. However, he can clearly be seen removing his hat as he is winding the window down to speak with Kevin, which is why he is not wearing it in subsequent shots.
  • On the phone with the French operator, Peter yells "I am looking for my son! Do you know where he is?" This seems a silly question since Peter should already know that Kevin is at the house, but in an earlier scene a police officer goes to the McCallister house and does not receive a response to repeated knocks and bell-ringings. It is likely that the police would have relayed this information back to the McCallisters and that this would explain Peter's frantic mood.
  • In a scene where a police officer arrives to pick up Kevin and bring him to his family, he kept knocking until he decided no one was home. In reality, a police officer would not assume anyone is home when Kevin was in the house as they would actually get him to come out of the house so that they could bring him to his family.
  • When Kevin is sliding down the steps the sled is lined-up with the stairway, when he goes out the door, the sled is now lined-up with the doorway. He should have just crashed into the wall and not gone out the door.
  • After Marv is hit with an iron, a wrinkle can be seen in the mark on his face revealing that the iron print was actually a plastic sticker. It can also be seen later when Kevin puts the tarantula on Marv's nose.
  • When the McCallisters are leaving in the morning and Mitch Murphy is speaking with the van driver, he is mouthing the driver's lines (the first time the driver speaks).
  • The iron Marv pulls down has round holes, but the imprint it leaves on his face has rectangular ridges rather than round. Since the ridges on his face are caused by the holes in the iron, the shapes should match.
  • When Marv slips at the bottom of the stairs near the basement door, the "ice" moves underneath, being a sheet of Plexiglas.
  • As Kevin flies through the air outside the front door after he sleds down the stairs, you can see the rollers on the bottom of the toboggan.
  • When Kevin cuts the rope in the treehouse, the rope clearly has far too much slack for even a single person, let alone Harry and Marv, to hang from it.
  • Harry's stunt double can be seen when he first slips off Kevin's front steps. It is also the same stunt double in the behind shots as he holds onto the side railing while trying to climb the steps.
  • Obvious stand-in for Harry as he walks towards the front door in the side-on shot. This person is much taller than Joe Pesci.
  • While Jeff is zipping up his bag as Kevin tells him he never packed a suitcase, you can clearly see a newspaper protruding out.
  • When Old Man Marley hits Marv with the shovel, it shows that Marv's body is a mannequin.
  • When Kevin is shooting the toys by the rifle into the laundry chute, you can see that the third bullet doesn't hit the mark (the toy) but clearly passes above it (can be seen as a small dot of somewhat metallic color) and yet the toy falls down the chute.
  • On the grocery store cashier's register monitor, no changes whatsoever occur during the transaction.
  • When Marv is hit in the face with the iron, if you look closely before he falls down you can see that the iron hits him on the forehead, but when he sits up, the iron has left an imprint that covers his entire face.
  • Obvious stunt double in the long shots of Kevin swinging across to the treehouse.
  • Each time that Kevin leaves his home and returns, he only turns the knob to enter the home. Clearly, he never uses a key. When he knew that the burglars would be coming back at 9:00 pm, he leaves the church, arrives home and runs directly into the house indicating it was already unlocked.
  • When Marv and Harry are arguing in the van, they realize they are about to hit Kevin and screech to a stop. But the distance they had to stop was not enough time to avoid hitting Kevin. Nor did the distance shown at first match the next scene.
  • When Harry and Marv are climbing across the rope and Harry tells Marv to go back, we see them from behind, then when it cuts to the shot facing them front-on, Kevin can be seen in the background about to cut the rope. If you look closely this is not Kevin, it is his stand-in.
  • When Marv is climbing the basement stairs, his bare foot comes down on a nail which then makes him fall off the stairs. However, the shadow of his foot appears next to the nail rather than over it.
  • Near the end of the film, as Kevin looks out of the window to see Marley reunited with his son, a hand holding a camera is clearly visible.
  • When Marley is shown hitting Harry and Marv with the shovel, it is a double swinging the shovel.
  • In the film that Kevin is watching, Angels with Filthy Souls, Johnny shoots Snakes with a Thompson machine gun. Snakes is standing in front of a door with a glass window. At the short range that Johnny shoots him, at least some of the bullets would have gone right through Snakes and broken the window.
  • When Kevin almost gets hit by the Wet Bandits’ van, Harry tells him he needs to watch out for traffic. However, Harry is in the wrong here because one of the rules about driving is "always yield to the pedestrian, they have the right-of-way."
  • When Harry and Marv look around for Kevin at the church, the camera is in Harry's view for 2 seconds, he can be seen wearing his beanie, but in the next shot, he is not wearing his hat.
  • When Kevin is running home to prepare for Harry and Marv's arrival, he runs from the church in green pants, but when it cuts to him making it home, his green pants turned into jeans, then when Kevin is setting up the micro-machines, he's wearing green pants again. That's because this scene was filmed in more than one day.
  • On AMC (TV Channel) airings, the closed captions misinterpret Chuck Berry as "Chuck Berring".
  • When the Kenosha Kickers play "Deck the Halls" in the Budget truck, the sounds the band members' instruments make do not match with the visuals.

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Family Fun Edition DVD cover

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Family comedy has slapstick violence and language.

Home Alone Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Family is important, though relationships can be c

Kevin is brave and resourceful, demonstrating cour

Frequent slapstick violence, especially toward the

Adult characters kiss on the lips. Kevin finds an

Language includes "s--t," "crap," "horse's ass," "

Brands shown and mentioned include Pepsi, American

Brief shots of minor characters (adults) drinking

Parents need to know that Home Alone is a hit 1990 John Hughes-directed holiday comedy in which a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is left to fend for himself when his harried parents mistakenly leave him behind during a family trip. Expect disrespect between kids and adults and sibling name-calling…

Positive Messages

Family is important, though relationships can be complicated. Love and forgiveness outweigh petty arguments. Initial judgments of others can be misleading. Believing in yourself can help conquer fears and meet challenges. Crime doesn't pay. But the movie also suggests that violence toward others is acceptable in certain circumstances.

Positive Role Models

Kevin is brave and resourceful, demonstrating courage and perseverance. He also learns to be more thoughtful and kind toward others. But he's pretty vicious in his attacks on the burglars and puts himself in dangerous situations. He also talks back to his parents and family members. Adult characters are questionable role models: Kevin's mother speaks quite harshly to him at one point, though later she shows genuine worry and remorse, going to great lengths to get to him as quickly as possible. The two burglars are greedy, threatening, show no concern for others; they're portrayed as arrogant and easily fooled. A neighbor shows unexpected kindness and insight, even though he is harshly judged by the film's kids. Overwhelmed adults and bratty kids are painted in a harsh light -- the name-calling and arguing is nonstop. Gender stereotypes are reinforced via children's toys and language from teens, such as "babes."

Violence & Scariness

Frequent slapstick violence, especially toward the end. Bullying among siblings, particularly from Kevin's older brother, Buzz. Adults fall down stairs, get hit with blunt objects, step on nails and glass, get burned, have a tarantula placed on their face, and are knocked unconscious with a snow shovel. Injury detail is shown, including burns to hand and head. The lead character, a young boy, shoots a thief in the groin area with a BB gun, which he carries around for a prolonged period and shoots at other objects. He watches a mafia-themed movie in which a character kills another with a machine gun while laughing maniacally, with the body seen convulsing on the floor riddled with bullets. An imaginary scene shows a furnace growling and talking in a threatening way. Passing mentions of murder, corpses, death by suicide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Adult characters kiss on the lips. Kevin finds an old Playboy magazine but isn't very interested in it. Teens make reference to "nude beaches" and whether French "babes" shave their armpits.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "s--t," "crap," "horse's ass," "keister," "butt," "shoot," "bitch," "damn," and "hell." Siblings pick on their little brother, calling him a "disease" and "puke." Other name-calling includes "idiot," "jerk," "dope," "brat," "creep," "moron," and "phlegm wad."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Brands shown and mentioned include Pepsi, American Airlines, Micro Machines, Junior Mints, Twinkies, Tic Tac mints, Toyota, Crunch Tators, Hershey's Syrup, Tropicana, Tide, and Dodge.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Brief shots of minor characters (adults) drinking and smoking, including a man dressed as Santa smoking a cigarette. Champagne drinking on a plane.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Home Alone is a hit 1990 John Hughes -directed holiday comedy in which a young boy named Kevin ( Macaulay Culkin ) is left to fend for himself when his harried parents mistakenly leave him behind during a family trip. Expect disrespect between kids and adults and sibling name-calling early in the movie: Kevin is called a "disease" and "puke" by his older siblings and even a "little jerk" by his uncle, while Kevin talks back to his mother. There's no diversity (all characters are White and mostly male), and there's a ton of slapstick violence: Kevin trips would-be burglars down a flight of stairs, burns them, hits them with heavy objects, places sharp items on the ground for them to step on, and shoots them with a BB gun. Dangerous behavior with no real consequences includes Kevin sledding down the stairs and out the front door or going out shopping and walking alone after dark. Kevin also is shown watching a violent gangster movie that involves a character being repeatedly shot with a machine gun. He finds an issue of Playboy in a secret stash in his older brother's room but doesn't express much interest in it. Profanity includes "ass," "bitch," "damn," "hell," and "s--t." Overall, the movie is fun for kids and adults, but the violence and language make it inappropriate for younger children. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community Reviews

  • Parents say (76)
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Based on 76 parent reviews

Adult subject matter disguised a kids' flick

Intense but funny christmas movie, what's the story.

HOME ALONE is the story of 8-year-old Kevin ( Macaulay Culkin ), a mischievous kid who feels largely ignored by his large extended family. While everyone is preparing for a Christmas vacation in Paris, Kevin gets in trouble, is banished to the attic overnight, and wishes his family would just disappear. He gets his wish the next morning when they mistakenly leave him behind. At first Kevin is elated -- but pretty soon he realizes that being home alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. He misses his mom (who tries any and every means of getting home to her son) and even his brother, who bullies him. With all of the block's other families also away, Kevin has no one to turn to. Meanwhile, a pair of bumbling burglars played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern take advantage of the situation by pillaging the neighborhood. It's up to Kevin to defend his home, using every prank in his well-stocked arsenal. A bevy of violent, slapstick, wince-inducing episodes ensues as Kevin fights to foil the burglars' plans.

Is It Any Good?

This is a good-natured, albeit unrealistic, family film that both kids and adults will enjoy if they're OK with the violence, profanity, and disrespectful behavior. Its endearing story and a charming performance by Culkin make Home Alone a standout among the usual holiday movie fare. Without resorting to the all-too-adult double entendres that dominate many family films, this one focuses more on slapstick humor and innocence to convey its story. That said, that very reliance on slapstick does mean it's chock-full of wince-inducing violence. It's not for the weak-stomached and definitely requires some major suspension of disbelief.

Home Alone 's runaway success upon release was due largely to its players, most notably Culkin. Previously cast in supporting roles in movies such as Rocket Gibraltar and Uncle Buck , Culkin is Home Alone 's main attraction. Appearing in nearly every scene, he maintains a level of consistency that's a testament to both his talent and that of director Chris Columbus ( Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , Mrs. Doubtfire ). Catherine O'Hara ( Best in Show , SCTV) does a fine job as Kevin's overwrought, guilt-ridden mom, and Pesci and Stern have great chemistry and handle the physical comedy with aplomb. Another performance of note is John Candy 's cameo as Polka Band Shuttle Chief Gus Polanski. Although his role is brief, he nearly steals the show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about whether they think the slapstick violence in Home Alone is funny. How do you feel about laughing when someone gets hurt? Is it ever appropriate?

With younger kids, parents may want to discuss the steps they should take in the event they ever do get left alone, especially if they sense they're in danger.

In the film, Kevin decides to take on the burglars and wins. Instead of attempting to stop them on his own, how could he have sought help?

How does Kevin demonstrate perseverance and courage in Home Alone ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

  • In theaters : November 10, 1990
  • On DVD or streaming : October 5, 1999
  • Cast : Daniel Stern , Joe Pesci , Macaulay Culkin
  • Director : Chris Columbus
  • Studio : Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
  • Genre : Family and Kids
  • Topics : Holidays
  • Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance
  • Run time : 103 minutes
  • MPAA rating : PG
  • MPAA explanation : Se insta a los padres a dar "orientación paterna". Puede contener algún material que no guste a los padres para sus hijos pequeños.
  • Last updated : February 20, 2024

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1990, Kids & family/Holiday, 1h 42m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Home Alone 's uneven but frequently funny premise, stretched unreasonably thin, is buoyed by Macaulay Culkin's cute performance and strong supporting stars. Read critic reviews

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Home alone videos, home alone   photos.

When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without Kevin, he awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. But his excitement sours when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.

Genre: Kids & family, Holiday, Comedy

Original Language: English

Director: Chris Columbus

Producer: John Hughes

Writer: John Hughes

Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 1990  wide

Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013

Box Office (Gross USA): $281.5M

Runtime: 1h 42m

Distributor: 20th Century Fox

Production Co: 20th Century Fox, Hughes Entertainment

Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround

Cast & Crew

Macaulay Culkin

Kevin McCallister

Daniel Stern

Marv Merchants

Catherine O'Hara

Kate McCallister

Peter McCallister

Roberts Blossom

Old Man Marley

Gus Polinski

Angela Goethals

Devin Ratray

Buzz McCallister

Gerry Bamman

Uncle Frank

Chris Columbus

John Hughes

Screenwriter

Tarquin Gotch

Executive Producer

Mark Levinson

Scott M. Rosenfelt

John Williams

Original Music

Julio Macat

Cinematographer

Raja Gosnell

Film Editing

Janet Hirshenson

Jane Jenkins

Mark Radcliffe

First Assistant Director

News & Interviews for Home Alone

Jenny Slate’s Five Favorite Films

12 Film Critics Remember Their Favorite Holiday Movies

Critical Consensus: "Apocalypto" Is Bloody Good; "Blood Diamond" Needs Polish; "Unaccompanied" Is Minor; "Holiday" Is So-So

Critic Reviews for Home Alone

Audience reviews for home alone.

Some of the best holiday/Christmas movies are those movies that, really, have very little to do with Christmas. And I really think that that's the problem with a lot of these films. Christmas is, really, such a limiting concept. You can only go a couple of ways with these films and, usually, filmmakers go for the sweet, sappy and corny. There's films like Bad Santa and Uncle Nick that try to subvert this genre with darker stories, but, even then, the end goal of the film isn't really about Christmas. They just happen to take place during the Christmas season and they certainly have some themes associated with the season, but they're not completely centered around Christmas with a, sort-of, tunnel vision where nothing else can come in. And, really, this movie is one of those holiday movies that takes place during the holidays, but isn't really completely centered on the holiday itself. Like I said, there's certain some elements associated with the 'genre', like when Kevin, after an incident where he gets grounded after a fight with his brother and ruins the family dinner, wishes for his family to disappear. I don't know who Kevin was asking for when he asked for this, but let's say it was Santa Claus. Actually now that I think about it, it was Santa Claus since, later in the film after his family has left for Paris, he goes to one of Santa's 'representative' for him to tell Santa that all he wants for Christmas is his family back. But I digress, maybe this movie wasn't even good in the 90s, but I don't think time has been super kind to this. Though, if we're being honest, this movie was never meant to be more than a crowd-pleaser. It was never made to please critics or people like me, who appreciate well-written movies with strong character development. That's not to say that I can't enjoy a film like this, as in something lighter in tone, I obviously have, but I don't think this movie has enough material to justify its own existence. John Hughes wrote some truly great movies in the 80s, but this is obviously not one of his best. Or at least it's a middle-of-the-road for him, considering that this is the same guy that wrote The Breakfast Club. Those two have nothing in comparison with the minor exception that Hughes wrote both of them. I think the main problem with the film is that it's fairly repetitive. Kevin wakes up, finds out that his family is gone. He does everything he couldn't do when he didn't have a family, rinse and repeat. There's not much variety in the movie. Oh and he also has to deal with these thieves that want to go in his house to steal his family's shit since, naturally, they feel that they can handle him. I haven't seen this movie in a long-ass time, seriously, and I remembered it being much more geared towards Kevin fucking over the thieves with various traps. Yet, it turns out that those segments of the film only, really, comprise like 15% of the entire movie. The thieves do follow Kevin around and they scout out his house, but the actual traps that Kevin sets and their effects on the thieves is actually very minimal. So, for the most part, I felt that the movie was really killing time before they got to that point. And, realistically speaking, I get why they left it all for the third act. You can't build an entire movie out of a kid foiling the thieves' plans with his traps, eventually the jokes would be repeated and the law of diminishing returns would end up applying here. So I get that, but there's no actual narrative to speak of here. Maybe Kevin realizing that he loves and misses his family in spite of how they treat him. But that's another thing that you can't build an entire movie out of. You also have Catherine O'Hara, who plays the mom, doing whatever it is she can do to get back to Chicago to Kevin. There's also this subplot with this old man that the kids around town believe to be a serial killer. And this is actually the best part of the entire film, once you get to see who this man is and his backstory. It's the only part of the film that has any actual emotional resonance. Which is strange seeing how much slapstick this film employs. And I'm not saying that this movie is ever bad, not even close, it's average at best. But I'm still surprised at that part of the story considering everything the movie ends up being about. And I guess the inclusion of this more emotional subplot does make sense what with it relating to Kevin's own issues with his family, but it still feels somewhat out of place. I will say that the segment with Kevin and the traps are surprisingly inspired and effective. And I don't even know why I'm surprised, really, but it's pretty good all things considered. So I can't complain about that aspect of the film. What I can complain is the lack of focus and direction for the rest of the movie. Macaulay Culkin was cute and good here, he didn't have great delivery but I liked him here, so I think it certainly got by for most people just because of him and him alone. But if you inspected the movie closer, you would obviously notice the flaws. It's a fairly decent movie and nothing more than that, I'm sure others will enjoy this much more than I did.

summary of home alone

This is the movie as a kid that proved to me that laughter is great medicine. I was pretty sick the day my dad took me to see this in the theaters and walked out of the theater feeling much better. Great script by John Hughes and full of slapstick greatness by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern.

I'll get right to the chase. This movie was funny.... I understand that... but basically watching it a bunch of times doesn't make it funny anymore. For the 25th anniversary of the movie, we mostly saw the movie again. It became exactly an overrated Christmas comedy as we most likely saw it again. I respect this movie in one way, but for the other way... not so much.

Home Alone is a very popular family film for the holidays. And rightfully so. The film is all about family and has themes that makes the adult think and plenty of humor for the kids. The humor really is solid for a family film. John Hughes does his thing with the screenplay and has plenty of moments for the adults to enjoy with the kids and for the adults to enjoy without the kids. It's another script to add to John Hughes's wonderful career and helps in his contention as one of the greatest screenwriters ever. Few could find the balance of dramatic themes and flat out humor the way he could. The actors are also good. Culkin is impressive at such a young age and Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci have always been able to make me chuckle in this movie. It isn't without its flaws, though. The slapstick gets a little too much during the climax, ranging from stupid to flat out ridiculous with the traps Kevin sets up for the burglars. I'm fine with the ice on the steps or even the tar on the steps, but things like the zipline and blowtorch to the head make me shake my head a bit. It's great for the kids though. Complaints aside, this is a solid holiday film that I've enjoyed since I first saw it in theaters as a young kid over 20 years ago.

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Home Alone Summary

Lights, camera, action.

As the McCallister family packs for the trip to visit a relative in France, the youngest family member, eight-year-old Kevin, whines about not being able to pack his own suitcase. His siblings pick on him, and things get testy when his brother Buzz devours a pizza set aside for Kevin. Kevin attacks Buzz, causing his mother, Kate, to banish him to the attic bedroom. Kevin grumpily wishes that he didn't have a family and that they would all disappear.

Classic kid drama.

In the morning, the McCallisters leave in a huge hurry (how else would a family vacation start?), and a miscount at the van taking them to the airport causes them to forget about Kevin. Yup, he's still hanging out at home.

The entire family (sans one) is on a plane to France by the time Kevin's mother finally realizes the terrible mistake they've made.

And we thought forgetting our toothbrush was bad.

Meanwhile, Kevin lives it up at home—eating ice cream, watching violent movies, and riding a toboggan down the stairs. It's a kid's fantasy.

He also has to contend with his fear of the basement furnace, and two robbers named Harry and Marv who keep attempting to break-in (Harry posed as a policeman checking in on the family during the movie's first scene, before they left for France). Kevin successfully scares them off, multiple times.

But they're like Wiley E. Coyote—they don't know when to quit. They'll be back.

Building on his newfound self-reliance, Kevin transforms himself into a regular man of the house, even as his mother journeys back from France to make sure he's okay. He even befriends an elderly neighbor who he formerly thought was a serial killer, encouraging the old man (named Marley) to make up with his estranged son.

Kevin's become like Oprah—helping people heal and spreading the love.

Finally, after realizing that he wants his family back, Kevin fends off the burglars as they wander through an intricately violent series of booby traps Kevin's constructed inside the house.

Thanks to the final intervention of Marley—who smashes the burglars over the head with his snow shovel—Kevin survives unscathed, and Harry and Marv are arrested. All is well...except that Kevin's still home alone.

The next day, Kevin's mom makes it home by receiving a lift from a friendly polka bandleader. The rest of the family suddenly shows up, having taken a flight Kevin's mother didn't want to wait for. They're all impressed by Kevin's newfound competence, though he doesn't mention the whole beating-the-pulp-out-of-burglars thing.

The McCallisters get to spend Christmas together, after all. In the end, we also see Marley making up with his estranged son and hugging his granddaughter. Families are getting together all over the place. It's enough to give you a holiday-themed case of the warm fuzzies.

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W hy's T his F unny?

by Chris Columbus

Home alone analysis.

These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own.

Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

The film begins with a busy home of Peter and Kate, and their children and extended family, as they prepare for their trip to Europe. What we see is the reality of life in suburban middle class America, parents stressed about getting their kids to do what they say, Kevin being picked on my his siblings who don't show him kindness and the reality that pretty much everyone in his family shuffles him off or ignores him. So, when the family forgets Kevin when they leave for Paris he wakes up and is excited to be home alone. Kevin indulges in the things his parents won't let him do normally, eating huge bowls of ice cream, watching violent movies and shooting his bb-gun in the house.

Soon after, Marv and Harry, a couple of local thieves, have set their eyes on robbing Kevin's home as they think the family is gone. Kevin learns of their plans and thwarts it by making it appear the house is full of people by using cardboard cutouts to trick them. But Harry and Marv soon learn the house is occupied only by Kevin and they plan to come Christmas Eve to rob it. In the meantime, Kate has figured out that they left Kevin and she's making her way back home by any means possible. Kevin misses his family after having been away from them even though they are hard on him. He is able to stop the burglars by setting traps for them and eventually the police arrest them.

The film emotional note is that regardless of how hard our family is on us we always wish to be with the people we love rather than be alone, and that a mother will do anything to get back to her son. The film ends with Kevin's brother Buzz screaming at Kevin about his room being torn apart. And in this moment all of the sentimental reconciliation and love is thrown out the window as Buzz is ready to kick Kevin's butt...and we're back to life as usual in a home full of kids.

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Home Alone Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Home Alone is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Names of the characters.

The names of the characters who "go" on the trip include Peter McAllister (father), Kate McAllister (mother), Linnie, Buzz, and Megan.

Names of Kevin’s siblings

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Study Guide for Home Alone

Home Alone study guide contains a biography of Chris Columbus, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About Home Alone
  • Home Alone Summary
  • Character List
  • Director's Influence

Wikipedia Entries for Home Alone

  • Introduction

summary of home alone

Home Alone is a series of five films. The first two were based on the adventures of a boy named Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) who during the course of the film gets burglars Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) arrested by using booby traps. However in Home Alone 4, the antagonists for Kevin are Marv (now played by French Stewart), his wife Vera (Missi Pyle), and later his mother Molly (Barbara Babcock), revealed later in the film. The third film has a similar plot but with a new protagonist, Alex Pruitt (Alex D. Linz), and more of a spy theme. The first two films were directed by Chris Columbus, the third film was directed by Raja Gosnell (who was the editor of the first two films), the fourth film was directed by Rod Daniel. The first two films had Kevin getting separated from his family and trying to get two robbers, Harry and Marv, arrested, whom he bumps into at the climax of the films. The first film became the highest grossing film of 1990, grossing $476,684,675 worldwide. The film made a major star of Macaulay Culkin. In Home Alone, Kevin is 8 years old and in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, although Kevin claims to be 10 he might actually be 9 as the two films are set only a year apart. Home Alone 3 was released on December 12, 1997. It originally was about to have Kevin return as a teenager, but Macaulay Culkin dropped out of child acting in 1994, so it was changed to a whole different family and robbers. The film was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award. Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House, a television film, brought back Kevin but the cast was changed. Much of the cast bear no resemblances to the originals, and the plot does not maintain continuity with Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. A fifth installment, Home Alone 5, is currently in post-production and will exclusively be set to premiere sometime during ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas (December 2012).

How Home Alone Transformed John Hughes’ Career (For the Worse)

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Home Alone 3: Kevin's Revenge Fan Trailer Sparks Longing For a Macaulay Culkin Legacy Sequel

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Best Christmas Movies of the 1990s, In Chronological Order

The 1990s was a magical time for holidays in Hollywood, and brought moviegoers beloved Christmas classics like Home Alone and The Santa Clause.

Macaulay Culkin Talks Showing His Son Home Alone: 'I Convinced My Oldest That He’s the Kid in the Movie'

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What Happened to the Home Alone Franchise After the Second Christmas Movie?

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Home Alone: 10 Reasons the Original Movie Is the Best in the Series

Home Alone's first installment is also the best in the Christmas-themed movie series. But what makes it better than the rest?

Home Alone's Beloved Mother and Son Reunite for Macaulay Culkin's Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony

Years after she left him Home Alone, Catherine O'Hara reunites with Macaulay Culkin for his Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Every time Marv and Harry Should Have Died from Kevin's Pranks in the Home Alone Franchise

The fact that Marv and Harry lived through the Home Alone movies is a miracle. Let's look at all the times the duo should have kicked the bucket.

Macaulay Culkin to Receive Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Fargo Season 5 Trailer Pays Tribute to Home Alone as Juno Temple Thwarts Intruders

The full trailer for Fargo season five teases another unforgettable entry for the FX Networks series.

Saw Theory: How Kevin from Home Alone Became Jigsaw

The similarities between Kevin from Home Alone and the Jigsaw killer are so striking, many fans wonder if this dark theory could really be true.

Home Alone 2: How The Beloved Sequel Shows a Dark Side to Christmas

Not all Christmas movies are rainbows and sunshine at their core. Let's take a look at Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.

Why Home Alone Sequels No Longer Work in an Age of Cynicism

Three decades later, our culture is very different than the world of the Home Alone movies, and here's why the premise simply wouldn't work anymore.

Home Alone Takes The Top Spot on Disney+ Streaming Chart

The ever-popular Home Alone has become a hit again by dominating Disney+ in the run up to Christmas.

Joe Pesci Says 'Never Say Never' About Returning for a Home Alone Sequel

Joe Pesci is open to returning for another Home Alone sequel, but he has some doubts.

Joe Pesci Recalls Getting Seriously Burned Filming Home Alone Stunts

While reminiscing on the 30th anniversary of Home Alone 2, Joe Pesci recalled the painful experience of filming some stunts.

Home Alone 2, 30 Years Later: The Godfather Part II of Children's Movies

Home Alone 2 recently turned 30 years old, and though it didn't do well with critics, the movie is much better than its original reviews indicated.

Home Alone Actor Devin Ratray is Under Investigation for Alleged Sexual Assault

The alleged victim filed a police report shortly after the 2017 assault, but says that authorities didn't pursue the case until recently.

Home Alone: Should Kevin's Parents Have Been Reported to the Police or DCF?

Home Alone is a beloved Christmas classic, but kind of disturbing for a family film. Should Kevin's parents be charged for putting him in danger?

Here Are 5 Beautiful Movie Homes We'd Love to Live in

Here's a list of beautiful movie homes that we wish were real and could live in.

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Hollywood Insider - News Entertainment & Culture

Substance & Meaningful Entertainment

Against gossip & scandal, independent media network, global stories from local perspective, factual culture news, ho ho home alone: an in-depth analysis of facts behind the christmas classic ‘home alone’.

Raquel Kokkoros

Raquel Kokkoros is currently a writer for Hollywood Insider. Enchanted by the illustriousness of cinema, Raquel is proud to contribute to a team that prioritizes quality journalism and respect for the entertainment business being utilized as a tool to better the world.  Raquel  believes in emphasizing elements of film and television that deserve an unbiased platform.  Proud to provide an optimistic stage for the diverse offerings of Hollywood,  Raquel enjoys writing from a fair, understanding, and truthful perspective –  a philosophy that embodies the ethos of Hollywood Insider. 

Dec 24, 2019

Table of Contents

summary of home alone

Video: Behind The Scenes of ‘Google Assistant: Home Alone Again’/ Hollywood Insider YouTube Channel

The Great Pizza Debate

In the opening scene, the McCallister family receives a delivery of ten pizzas. Little Nero’s, the fictional restaurant that brings the dinner, has priced the ten pie delivery at $122.50. On top of this, the driver coyly reminds them he needs a tip. At present, the average price for a large pizza in the Chicago area is $11.65. The price is roughly the same as it was in 1990. Feeding the McCallister brood would cost approximately the same amount today. An oddly placed police impersonator cross examines the residents who walk passed him, all while perched next to the pizza boy. Did someone say warrant? 2019 did, and it would like to point out that a police officer wouldn’t likely enter someone’s home and start questioning those in it like Harry – trying to play both sides of the law. While it may seem like an unnecessary scene, the pizza marks a pivotal change in the movie’s pace. The storyline for the Wet Bandits is planted, and the epic pizza battle between Kevin and his callous older brother Buzz lights the fuse that leads to Kevin’s ostracization to the attic. In essence, the pizza galvanizes the predicament that frames the whole narrative. While the boys bicker over the last slice of cheese pizza, milk is spilled across the kitchen counter. The argument ensues with Buzz calling Kevin a “such a disease.” News flash, Buzz… diseases don’t typically get left behind when you go on vacation, they follow you everywhere. While the McCallisters are crying over spilled milk, their youngest son is wishing them away. The perfect storm is brewing, and it has nothing to do with the frostbite-inducing weather outside. As the wind howls outside the McCallister residence, Kevin is snuggled in bed while visions of being home alone danced in his head.

“I Made My Family Disappear”

The plot of Home Alone is based on Kevin being left alone while his family travels to Paris. Unbeknownst to Kevin, a power outage knocks out power to his house, rendering his parent’s alarm clock useless. Melee ensues and his family eventually arrives at the airport and boards their flight in a mad dash. When Kevin wakes up and finds himself alone, he thinks a Christmas miracle has occurred and believes he made his family disappear. Rather than fearing for himself, he roams his home freely and over-indulges in sweets. The only thing standing in Kevin’s way from being completely liberated is his terrifying furnace in the basement. It is important to note, Kevin is only eight years old, so his irrational fear makes sense. Unlike Kevin’s nonchalant approach to new found freedom, his mother realizes mid-flight that he is missing. Contacting authorities the moment the plane touches ground, Kate McCallister is met with apathy from the local police department. Being transferred back and forth, the unconcerned officer mentions he will send someone to the house to check on Kevin. In no hurry, officers meander over to the McCallister residence to find a quiet, seemingly empty home. No further action is taken. As the viewer, we know Kevin is hiding, presumably out of fear. Rightfully so, as the Wet Bandits are hot on his trail. As expected, this scenario would play out very differently in present day. Child Protective Services would be all over the situation like white on rice. They would likely investigate the circumstances. The parents who left the child home alone may be subject to criminal penalties for child abandonment or child endangerment.  If the child welfare agency concludes that the parent was subjecting the child to endangerment by leaving the child home alone, the agency may have the child removed from the home. Alternatively, they may file a petition with a family court to have the child removed from the parent’s care. Home Alone’s approach to the child abandonment predicament saw no legal consequences for the McCallisters. The only people in hot water with the police are the breaking and entering, notoriously stupid Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv. Harry chastises Marv for blowing their cover by leaving the sinks running in every house they hit. After all this predatory destruction, it’s likely the Wet Bandits would still be serving time. However, a less popular theory suggests the Wet Bandits would be within their right to sue the homeowners responsible for such unsafe conditions. Is this theory plausible? The world may never know. Rumor has it that Disney is seeking to develop a remake, but will the questions ever be answered? It is widely accepted that you can’t strike gold twice, but if you’re Kevin McCallister, you can strike robbers in the head twice. 

Wishing our readers a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

By Raquel Kokkoros

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Raquel Kokkoros

Raquel Kokkoros is currently a writer for Hollywood Insider. Enchanted by the illustriousness of cinema, Raquel is proud to contribute to a team that prioritizes quality journalism and respect for the entertainment business being utilized as a tool to better the world.  Raquel  believes in emphasizing elements of film and television that deserve an unbiased platform.  Proud to provide an optimistic stage for the diverse offerings of Hollywood,  Raquel enjoys writing from a fair, understanding, and truthful perspective -  a philosophy that embodies the ethos of Hollywood Insider. 

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20 facts you might not know about Home Alone

Posted: November 28, 2023 | Last updated: November 29, 2023

<p>If you were a kid in 1990, there’s a good chance you dreamed of being left home alone so that you could booby trap your house against burglars. Why would a child have such a bizarre wish? Because of the movie “Home Alone.” Now considered a Christmas classic, “Home Alone” certainly has an odd plot for a family-pleasing film. It also has an incredible cast. Here are 20 facts about the movie, you filthy animal.</p>

If you were a kid in 1990, there’s a good chance you dreamed of being left home alone so that you could booby trap your house against burglars. Why would a child have such a bizarre wish? Because of the movie “Home Alone.” Now considered a Christmas classic, “Home Alone” certainly has an odd plot for a family-pleasing film. It also has an incredible cast. Here are 20 facts about the movie, you filthy animal.

<p>John Hughes was one of the premier filmmakers and screenwriters of the ‘80s. He had his hand in films like “Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club,” and more. Hughes was headed on vacation and doing a checklist when he was struck by the idea, “What if I accidentally left my son at home?” This sparked the idea for the movie.</p>

It was written by an ‘80s legend

John Hughes was one of the premier filmmakers and screenwriters of the ‘80s. He had his hand in films like “Pretty in Pink,” “The Breakfast Club,” and more. Hughes was headed on vacation and doing a checklist when he was struck by the idea, “What if I accidentally left my son at home?” This sparked the idea for the movie.

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<p>Originally, Warner Bros. was producing “Home Alone.” However, Hughes had concerns. Warner Bros. was being strict about a limited budget, and Hughes wasn’t sure he could make it work. As such, he secretly had the script sent to 20th Century Fox basically saying that if things fell through at Warner Bros. they could have it. Indeed, Warner would shut down production because of the rising cost projections, and the movie quickly moved to Fox.</p>

There was some studio subterfuge involved

Originally, Warner Bros. was producing “Home Alone.” However, Hughes had concerns. Warner Bros. was being strict about a limited budget, and Hughes wasn’t sure he could make it work. As such, he secretly had the script sent to 20th Century Fox basically saying that if things fell through at Warner Bros. they could have it. Indeed, Warner would shut down production because of the rising cost projections, and the movie quickly moved to Fox.

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<p>Chris Columbus first made a splash in Hollywood with the script for “Gremlins.” He was working on another Christmas project when Hughes started looking for a director for “Home Alone.” That was “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” However, Columbus left that movie before he even began shooting because he found Chevy Chase impossible to deal with (what a shocker). Hughes offered Columbus a choice of scripts, and he went with “Home Alone.”</p>

The director left one Christmas movie for another

Chris Columbus first made a splash in Hollywood with the script for “Gremlins.” He was working on another Christmas project when Hughes started looking for a director for “Home Alone.” That was “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” However, Columbus left that movie before he even began shooting because he found Chevy Chase impossible to deal with (what a shocker). Hughes offered Columbus a choice of scripts, and he went with “Home Alone.”

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<p>Hughes had worked with Culkin on “Uncle Buck,” and suggested him for the role of Kevin McCallister right away. Columbus, though, wanted to do his due diligence. He met with 200 child actors for the role, and then eventually did meet with Culkin. Quickly he realized that Culkin was indeed right for the movie, and he probably could have saved himself quite a bit of work.</p>

Macaulay Culkin was there from the beginning, but still had to work for it

Hughes had worked with Culkin on “Uncle Buck,” and suggested him for the role of Kevin McCallister right away. Columbus, though, wanted to do his due diligence. He met with 200 child actors for the role, and then eventually did meet with Culkin. Quickly he realized that Culkin was indeed right for the movie, and he probably could have saved himself quite a bit of work.

<p>John Mulaney is a standup superstar now, but he had to wait for adulthood to attain fame. Things could have been different, though. Mulaney has said that he was asked to audition for the role of Kevin as a kid, but his parents would not allow him to do it.</p>

A future star had a chance to audition

John Mulaney is a standup superstar now, but he had to wait for adulthood to attain fame. Things could have been different, though. Mulaney has said that he was asked to audition for the role of Kevin as a kid, but his parents would not allow him to do it.

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<p>The McCallister boys apparently liked to have kids. Peter and Uncle Frank and their respective wives have several kids between them. That meant a lot of child actors were needed. As such, it only made sense for Columbus to through Kieran Culkin a role in “Home Alone.” Kieran plays Fuller, Kevin’s cousin.</p>

It was a family affair

The McCallister boys apparently liked to have kids. Peter and Uncle Frank and their respective wives have several kids between them. That meant a lot of child actors were needed. As such, it only made sense for Columbus to through Kieran Culkin a role in “Home Alone.” Kieran plays Fuller, Kevin’s cousin.

<p>Apparently, Columbus was on a bit of a Martin Scorsese kick or something. He offered the role of Harry, one of the two robbers, to Robert De Niro, who turned it down. Pesci would end up taking the role. Also, turning the role of Harry down? That would be Jon Lovitz, a very different type for that part.</p>

Joe Pesci was not the first choice

Apparently, Columbus was on a bit of a Martin Scorsese kick or something. He offered the role of Harry, one of the two robbers, to Robert De Niro, who turned it down. Pesci would end up taking the role. Also, turning the role of Harry down? That would be Jon Lovitz, a very different type for that part.

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<p>Pesci didn’t just make a memorable turn in a future Christmas favorite in 1990. It was also the year he played Tommy in “Goodfellas.” He would go on to win Best Supporting Actor for his work in that movie.</p>

1990 was a big year for Pesci

Pesci didn’t just make a memorable turn in a future Christmas favorite in 1990. It was also the year he played Tommy in “Goodfellas.” He would go on to win Best Supporting Actor for his work in that movie.

<p>Stern, who had more traditional comedic chops than Pesci, was cast as the more talkative, goofier Marv. However, that almost didn’t happen. Stern was indeed signed on, but then the schedule was extended by two weeks. The actor was not happy with that and decided to leave the film. Actor Daniel Roebuck was even cast in his place. Columbus didn’t think that Roebuck and Pesci had chemistry, though, so he did what he had to do to get Stern back.</p>

Daniel Stern was in the movie…and then he wasn’t…and then he was

Stern, who had more traditional comedic chops than Pesci, was cast as the more talkative, goofier Marv. However, that almost didn’t happen. Stern was indeed signed on, but then the schedule was extended by two weeks. The actor was not happy with that and decided to leave the film. Actor Daniel Roebuck was even cast in his place. Columbus didn’t think that Roebuck and Pesci had chemistry, though, so he did what he had to do to get Stern back.

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<p>The role of the Santa Claus impersonator in the movie is not a big one, and in the end, it went to an actor named Kenneth Hudson Campbell. Another actor tried to get that role, but Columbus was not impressed with his audition. That actor? None other than Chris Farley.</p>

A future star couldn’t make the cut

The role of the Santa Claus impersonator in the movie is not a big one, and in the end, it went to an actor named Kenneth Hudson Campbell. Another actor tried to get that role, but Columbus was not impressed with his audition. That actor? None other than Chris Farley.

<p>We mentioned “Uncle Buck” earlier, a movie that starred Candy as the titular character. He had a history with Hughes and agreed to do his brief role as polka musician Gus Polinski as a solid for him. Candy only worked one day, and he took a minimum salary of $414 for the part. As further compensation, Candy was the only one who was allowed to divert from the script. Columbus has said that Candy improvised basically all his dialogue.</p><p>You may also like: <a href='https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/20_awesome_albums_that_critics_initially_hated_112823/s1__28172303'>20 awesome albums that critics initially hated</a></p>

John Candy got to let loose

We mentioned “Uncle Buck” earlier, a movie that starred Candy as the titular character. He had a history with Hughes and agreed to do his brief role as polka musician Gus Polinski as a solid for him. Candy only worked one day, and he took a minimum salary of $414 for the part. As further compensation, Candy was the only one who was allowed to divert from the script. Columbus has said that Candy improvised basically all his dialogue.

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<p>Uncle Frank’s part was written specifically for Kelsey Grammer. This was pre-“Frasier,” but he was already going strong on “Cheers” at the time. Perhaps that’s why Grammer ended up being unavailable for the role that was designed for him. Instead, actor Gerry Bamman got his defining role as Uncle Frank.</p>

A sitcom star could have had a role

Uncle Frank’s part was written specifically for Kelsey Grammer. This was pre-“Frasier,” but he was already going strong on “Cheers” at the time. Perhaps that’s why Grammer ended up being unavailable for the role that was designed for him. Instead, actor Gerry Bamman got his defining role as Uncle Frank.

<p>You know the line: “Buzz’s girlfriend. Woof.” This is what Kevin says when he looks at the photo Buzz has of his paramour. Columbus thought that would be mean to do to an actual girl, so he decided to dress a boy up in drag thinking that would be more palatable. Art director Dan Webster’s son stepped into the role.</p>

No girls were harmed in the making of Buzz’s girlfriend

You know the line: “Buzz’s girlfriend. Woof.” This is what Kevin says when he looks at the photo Buzz has of his paramour. Columbus thought that would be mean to do to an actual girl, so he decided to dress a boy up in drag thinking that would be more palatable. Art director Dan Webster’s son stepped into the role.

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<p>Hughes loved Winnetka, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It’s where “Home Alone” was shot, and the house from the film was a real house there (though some of the interiors were shot on a sound stage). On top of that, Hughes shot “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Uncle Buck,” and even more of his films in Winnetka as well.</p>

The movie is shot in Hughes’ usual haunt

Hughes loved Winnetka, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. It’s where “Home Alone” was shot, and the house from the film was a real house there (though some of the interiors were shot on a sound stage). On top of that, Hughes shot “The Breakfast Club,” “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” “Uncle Buck,” and even more of his films in Winnetka as well.

<p>“Angels with Filthy Souls” is not a real movie, though its title is a riff on the real “Angels with Dirty Faces.” As such, they had to shoot the footage of that film for the movie. Using real props from the era and using black-and-white negative film, “Angels with Filthy Souls” was shot in a day.</p>

The film-within-the-film was shot quickly

“Angels with Filthy Souls” is not a real movie, though its title is a riff on the real “Angels with Dirty Faces.” As such, they had to shoot the footage of that film for the movie. Using real props from the era and using black-and-white negative film, “Angels with Filthy Souls” was shot in a day.

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<p>Both Pesci and Stern had trouble not swearing while filming the movie. Obviously, a PG family film could not have too much vulgarity, especially with a kid like Culkin on set. Pesci developed his gibberish mumbling that feels like swearing but isn’t as a result. Stern, meanwhile, accidentally dropped a “sh*t” during one scene that quietly made the final cut.</p>

The Wet Bandits had trouble not swearing

Both Pesci and Stern had trouble not swearing while filming the movie. Obviously, a PG family film could not have too much vulgarity, especially with a kid like Culkin on set. Pesci developed his gibberish mumbling that feels like swearing but isn’t as a result. Stern, meanwhile, accidentally dropped a “sh*t” during one scene that quietly made the final cut.

<p>Kevin is pretty brutal to the burglars, even if they are criminals. The damage he deals out would have killed Harry and Marv many times over in real life. It seemed to feel that way on set as well. Columbus has said that watching the stunt guys do their stunts wasn’t funny at all, and mostly they just hoped the stunt people weren’t hurt too badly. Stern did do one stunt himself, though, when a real tarantula was put on his face. He was worried about doing the scream at first until he was informed that tarantulas don’t have ears.</p>

The stunts did not generate chuckles on set

Kevin is pretty brutal to the burglars, even if they are criminals. The damage he deals out would have killed Harry and Marv many times over in real life. It seemed to feel that way on set as well. Columbus has said that watching the stunt guys do their stunts wasn’t funny at all, and mostly they just hoped the stunt people weren’t hurt too badly. Stern did do one stunt himself, though, when a real tarantula was put on his face. He was worried about doing the scream at first until he was informed that tarantulas don’t have ears.

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<p>“Home Alone” cost $18 million, a prize that Warner Bros. wouldn’t shell out, mind you. That investment paid off big time for Fox. The movie made a staggering $476.7 million worldwide. To put that into perspective for the era, that made it the third-highest-grossing movie <em>ever</em> at that time. It was the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever all the way until 2011 as well, when “The Hangover II” took over that spot.</p><p><a href='https://www.msn.com/en-us/community/channel/vid-cj9pqbr0vn9in2b6ddcd8sfgpfq6x6utp44fssrv6mc2gtybw0us'>Follow us on MSN to see more of our exclusive entertainment content.</a></p>

It was a huge hit

“Home Alone” cost $18 million, a prize that Warner Bros. wouldn’t shell out, mind you. That investment paid off big time for Fox. The movie made a staggering $476.7 million worldwide. To put that into perspective for the era, that made it the third-highest-grossing movie ever at that time. It was the highest-grossing live-action comedy ever all the way until 2011 as well, when “The Hangover II” took over that spot.

<p>“Home Alone” was a blockbuster, but it didn’t necessarily seem like it had Oscar potential. Golden Globes? Sure. Kids’ Choice Awards? You bet. However, it did get two Academy Award nominations. One was for John Williams’ score, and one was for the original song “Somewhere in My Memory” by Williams and Leslie Bricusse.</p>

It actually got two Oscar nominations

“Home Alone” was a blockbuster, but it didn’t necessarily seem like it had Oscar potential. Golden Globes? Sure. Kids’ Choice Awards? You bet. However, it did get two Academy Award nominations. One was for John Williams’ score, and one was for the original song “Somewhere in My Memory” by Williams and Leslie Bricusse.

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<p>Naturally, a movie as big as “Home Alone” was going to spawn sequels. Culkin returned for “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where Kevin is left by his parents again, this time ending up in the Big Apple. This led to “Home Alone 3,” although this time Culkin was too old for the film so a new kid was brought on. Since then, there have been three more “Home Alone” movies, each starring a new kid. The most recent is “Home Sweet Home Alone,” which came out on Disney+ and features Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper as the bumbling burglars.</p>

It spawned a franchise

Naturally, a movie as big as “Home Alone” was going to spawn sequels. Culkin returned for “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” where Kevin is left by his parents again, this time ending up in the Big Apple. This led to “Home Alone 3,” although this time Culkin was too old for the film so a new kid was brought on. Since then, there have been three more “Home Alone” movies, each starring a new kid. The most recent is “Home Sweet Home Alone,” which came out on Disney+ and features Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper as the bumbling burglars.

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Screen Rant

Where was home alone filmed.

Home Alone is set in the suburbs of Chicago, with some additional scenes taking place in Paris, but where was the holiday classic really filmed?

  • Filming for Home Alone took place in various locations in Illinois, including Winnetka, where the McCallister house and neighbor's house were located.
  • Some interior scenes were also filmed at New Trier High School in Winnetka, including the airplane cabin and Kevin's neighbor's flooded basement scenes.
  • The airport scenes were filmed at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, while the exteriors of the church scenes were shot at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette.

Home Alone jumps back and forth from Kevin McCallister fighting for his life at his home near Chicago to his whole family stranded in Paris, but neither of these cities really provided any filming locations for the holiday classic. In the movie, the very large extended McCallister family is getting ready to spend Christmas together in Paris. After sleeping in on the morning of their flight, they depart in a panic, leaving poor Kevin behind. It's not until they've all boarded the plane that Kevin's mother realizes they forgot him at home, while Kevin believes his wish for his family to disappear has come true.

Kevin's family lives in a big, beautiful home located in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois, and most of Home Alone 's filming took place in a town outside the city. While Kevin stays in the Chicago area for the duration of the film, since he's left home alone, the rest of the McCallisters make it all the way to Paris. Archival footage of Paris was used for establishing shots, but none of the movie was actually filmed there. Home Alone 's principal photography took place over the course of 83 days, beginning on February 14, 1990, and ending on May 8, 1990, using only filming locations in Illinois.

Winnetka, Illinois

Lincoln avenue, new trier high school, hubbard woods pharmacy, hubbard woods park, & grand food center.

The exterior shots of the McCallister house in Home Alone , as well as their neighbor Mitch Murphy's house, were filmed on location on Lincoln Avenue in the North Shore village of Winnetka, Illinois. Though Kevin lists his address in the film as 671 Lincoln Boulevard, the McCallister house exterior was shot at 671 Lincoln Avenue . The Murphy house exterior was shot just across the street at 656 Lincoln Avenue. Some of the interiors of the McCallister home that made it into the finished product were inside the same house as the exteriors, including the main staircase, basement, attic, and the first floor.

E very room in the house was also duplicated on a soundstage to make more room for the crew and equipment. The rest of the interior scenes were filmed on this set, which was built in the gym on New Trier High School's west campus in Winnetka, where John Hughes had shot his previous films Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Uncle Buck . Some additional scenes were also shot in different locations at New Trier High School. The interiors of the airplane cabin were built and shot on basketball courts on campus, and the scenes in Kevin's neighbor's flooded basement were actually shot in an empty swimming pool on campus.

Several other scenes were filmed around Winnetka. The Santa's Village set, where Kevin goes to visit the fake Santa Claus, was built in front of Winnetka's City Hall. The scene where Kevin heads to the grocery store was filmed at Grand Food Center in Winnetka. Some scenes were filmed in the Hubbard Woods neighborhood of Winnetka. The pharmacy scene, in which Kevin accidentally steals a toothbrush after getting spooked by Old Man Marley, was shot at Hubbard Woods Pharmacy in Winnetka. Kevin later runs away from Marley when he sees him in the park, a scene which was filmed at Hubbard Woods Park in Winnetka.

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Chicago, Illinois

O'hare international airport, meig's field.

The only parts of Home Alone that were actually shot in Chicago were the airport scenes. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport served as the filming location for both the Chicago airport scenes and the Paris airport scenes , posing as France's Orly Airport. Filming at O'Hare took place over the course of four 16-hour days. John Candy, who made a special cameo as Kate McCallister's polka-singing hero in Home Alone, filmed his scenes in one day on the airstrip of the former single-runway airport Meig’s Field, also in Chicago.

Wilmette, Illinois

Trinity united methodist church.

Church Exterior in Home Alone

During one sequence in Home Alone , Kevin is on the run from burglars Harry and Marv and hides in a Nativity Scene outside a church. Kevin later returns to that church at night. The exteriors of the church were shot at Trinity United Methodist Church in Wilmette, Illinois. The exact street address of this location is 1024 W. Lake Avenue.

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Oak Park, Illinois

Grace episcopal church.

Church Interior in Home Alone

Kevin decides to enter the church and watch a choir perform, during which he has a long chat with Old Man Marley near the end of Home Alone . However, a different location was used for the inside of the church than the exterior . The interiors of the church were filmed at Grace Episcopal Church in the neighboring town of Oak Park, Illinois. Coincidentally, this church is located on a street with a similar name with its address being 924 Lake Street.

Sources: AFI Catalog , Chicago Magazine , News.com.au

Home Alone Movie Poster

Kate Hudson Still Gets Residuals for a Hit 1990s Movie Most Don't Even Know She Was Cast In

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Kate Hudson / Getty and Home Alone 2 / Disney+

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She revealed this lesser-known fact on Monday's episode of "Sibling Revelry," the podcast she cohosts with her brother, Oliver Hudson.

The duo were chatting to brothers Joey, Matthew and Andy Lawrence about getting started in showbiz at a young age.

Joey shared about how he had to memorize a very long monologue for an audition at just five years old. But the story ended well, as he booked the commercial and got another 50 national commercials that year.

Kate then asked him if he still gets residuals for any of his old ads, and revealed that she still receives checks for her childhood jobs, one of which was, yep, Home Alone 2 .

The "Home Alone 2" choir scene, which you can watch on DIsney+

"I still get residuals from  Home Alone 2  because I sang in the chorus," she said. "I'm in that chorus, and then I get 10 cents every once in a while."

Joey could relate to receiving such small amounts, telling Kate "Sometimes I'll get, like, 2 cents and I'm like, 'Wait. Doesn't the envelope and paper cost more?'"

"At least they're being fair and honest," Kate said.

The Lawrence brothers were also unaware of her cameo in Home Alone 2 , and now we'll all be re-watching it to catch a glimpse of her.

Oliver Hudson and Kate Hudson on "Jimmy Kimmel Live"

Obviously, Oliver did know about his sister's moment of glory, but has previously explained that they don't watch each other's work.

He said on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that "We don't watch each other's stuff. I haven't seen—I've seen maybe a third of her movies."

That third better include How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days . Otherwise, Oliver had better cancel all plans for the weekend and make that happen for himself.

Since the siblings come from a family of actors, including their mom Goldie Hawn, stepdad Kurt Russell, and half-brother Wyatt Russell, I presume it would be hard to keep up with everything each family member stars in each year.

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Fleurine Tideman is a freelance writer who is always ready to discuss celebrities, entertainment, mental health, relationships and anything else her busy brain comes up with. She comes from the small, rainy land of the Netherlands, but she uses the flexibility of her work to travel around Europe and explore new places. She spent several years working in the travel industry, which taught her how to fit insane amounts in her hand luggage. She has a degree in Psychology and Anthropology, which she uses to psychoanalyse herself and others. She’s a regular contributor for Betches, and you can also find her work on Pop Sugar, Insider, Time Out or her own blog, Symptoms of Living. At Marie Claire, she’ll be covering celebrity news, usually written to the sounds of Taylor Swift.

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summary of home alone

  • Cast & crew

Home Alone

  • The day-in-a-life of unemployed Emmy as she waits at home preparing to celebrate her third wedding anniversary. Yet her day quickly turns to boredom and Emmy's life soon proves dangerous.
  • Emmy, young and unemployed, prepares to celebrate her third anniversary with her boyfriend, Joseph. As usual, she's stuck alone at home and dying of boredom, so every hour she checks in on her at-work partner, whose cell seems to be turned off. Emmy soon dives wildly into her imagination without limits.

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People who live alone are more likely to feel depressed, study finds

The difference was seen across gender, age and income groups – but your relationships are probably a more important factor

Adults who live alone are more likely to feel depressed than adults who live with others, according to a new report released by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

The study found that 6.4% of adults who lived alone reported feelings of depression, compared with only 4.1% of those who lived with others. These differences were observable across gender, age, income and most racial groups.

The NCHS collected the data during the 2021 National Health Interview Survey, speaking to more than 29,400 people. At the time, 16% of adults in the United States lived alone, a percentage that has risen considerably over the past five decades. According to the report, 37.9 million people lived alone in 2022, up 4.8 million from 2012. The percentage of single-person households more than doubled between 1962 and 2022, growing from 13.6% to 28.9%.

Although the gap was observable across most groups, economic factors in particular seem to exacerbate feelings of depression, particularly among those living alone. Adults with incomes below the federal poverty line were far more likely to report feeling depressed whether they lived alone or with others (14% and 8.7%, respectively) compared with adults with incomes of 400% or more of the federal poverty limit (in this group, 3.2% of adults who lived alone reported feeling depressed, as opposed to 2.4% of those who were living with others).

But the report is not all doom and gloom for those who live alone. More than 90% of people who lived alone didn’t report feeling depressed. When it came to people’s mental health, their living situations weren’t as important as how much social and emotional support they felt they had.

In addition to asking respondents about the frequency and intensity of their feelings of depression, researchers asked: “How often do you get the social and emotional support you need?” Adults who lived alone and reported never or rarely receiving social and emotional support were nearly twice as likely to feel depressed as those who reported the same and lived with others (19.6% and 11.6%, respectively). But the report also found that there was no significant difference in feelings of depression among those who said they always, sometimes, or usually received social and emotional support, regardless of whether they lived alone or with others.

The paper notes that while living alone may increase one’s risk of social isolation, “people living alone may be actively engaged in their work or communities and may have access to social networks and social and emotional support that may be protective of mental health.”

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There are significant limitations to the study, as the author notes. There are many reasons people could live alone – because they choose to, because of a breakup, or because of the death of a spouse or partner. And living with people isn’t a guarantee of mental health. The paper notes that previous research found that older adults who live with other relatives or non-relatives are more likely to experience adverse mental health effects than those who live with a partner or spouse.

The study comes in the midst of what the US surgeon general, Dr Vivek Murthy , has described as an “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” in the US. And in 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared loneliness “a global public health concern”.

Depression is not the only health risk posed by loneliness and social isolation. In addition to being associated with higher risks of depression and anxiety, the CDC also points to studies that find that social isolation is associated with a roughly 50% increased risk of dementia, a 29% increased risk of heart disease and a 32% increased risk of stroke.

By contrast, close friendships have been found to bolster mental health and wellbeing , and can even help us live longer .

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  5. Home Alone (1990) Film Summary & Movie Synopsis

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COMMENTS

  1. Home Alone (1990)

    Summaries An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve. It is Christmas time and the McCallister family is preparing for a vacation in Paris, France.

  2. Home Alone Summary

    Bratty eight year old Kevin McCallister (Macauley Culkin) gets into an argument with his older brother, Buzz, and is sent to bed early, wishing that his family would just disappear. Well, that's the thing about Christmas wishes - they have a magical tendency to come true.

  3. Home Alone

    Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara.

  4. Home Alone movie review & film summary (1990)

    "Home Alone" is about an 8-year-old hero who does all of those things, but unfortunately he also single-handedly stymies two house burglars by booby-trapping the house. And they're the kinds of traps that any 8-year-old could devise, if he had a budget of tens of thousands of dollars and the assistance of a crew of movie special effects people.

  5. Home Alone (1990)

    61 Play trailer 0:39 13 Videos 99+ Photos Comedy Family An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas Eve. Director Chris Columbus Writer John Hughes Stars Macaulay Culkin Joe Pesci Daniel Stern See production info at IMDbPro STREAMING +2 Add to Watchlist Added by 351K users

  6. Home Alone

    Home Alone, Christmas family comedy film released in 1990 about the adventures of Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, played by Macaulay Culkin, who has to fend for himself and thwart the attempts of a pair of bungling burglars trying to break into his family's house after he is inadvertently left behind when his family departs for a holid...

  7. Home Alone

    Starring: Macaulay Culkin Joe Pesci Daniel Stern John Heard Catherine O'Hara Main crew Music: John Williams Director (s): Chris Columbus Editor (s): Raja Gosnell Producer (s): John Hughes Other details Release date: November 16, 1990 Distributed: 20th Century Studios Running time: 103 minutes Trailer

  8. Home Alone Movie Review

    Parents need to know that Home Alone is a hit 1990 John Hughes-directed holiday comedy in which a young boy named Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is left to fend for himself when his harried parents mistakenly leave him behind during a family trip. Expect disrespect between kids and adults and sibling name-calling… Videos and Photos Home Alone

  9. Home Alone Background

    Written and produced by the world-famous John Hughes, Home Alone tells the story of Macaulay Culkin's Kevin McCallister, a young boy is left to fend for himself when his family accidentally forgets him at home as they head to the airport to get to their family Christmas vacation.

  10. Home Alone

    1 h 43 m Summary Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister has become the man of the house, overnight! Accidentally left behind when his family rushes off on a Christmas vacation, Kevin gets busy decorating the house for the holidays. But he's not decking the halls with tinsel and holly.

  11. Home Alone Introduction Introduction

    (Alone, obviously.) And who among us didn't have that fantasy as a kiddo? None of us, obviously: people shelled out the cash, making it (adjusted for inflation) the most successful holiday movie… of all time. Tough break, It's A Wonderful Life. ( Source)

  12. Home Alone

    When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother (Catherine O'Hara) makes him sleep in the attic. After the McCallisters ...

  13. Home Alone Summary

    The entire family (sans one) is on a plane to France by the time Kevin's mother finally realizes the terrible mistake they've made. And we thought forgetting our toothbrush was bad. Meanwhile, Kevin lives it up at home—eating ice cream, watching violent movies, and riding a toboggan down the stairs. It's a kid's fantasy.

  14. Home Alone (1990) Movie Summary and Film Synopsis

    October 6, 2018 3,889 3 minutes read Film and Plot Synopsis As the McCallister family is prepares for a vacation in Paris, France during the Christmas Season, their youngest, Kevin gets into a spat with his older brother Buzz. As punishment, his parents send him to his room on the third floor.

  15. Home Alone Plot Summary

    Home Alone Summary Back More Lights, camera, action! As the McCallister family packs for the trip to visit a relative in France, the youngest family member, eight-year-old Kevin, whines about not being able to pack his own suitcase. His siblings pick on him, and things get testy when his brother Buzz devours a pizza set aside for Kevin.

  16. Home Alone Study Guide: Analysis

    Home Alone Summary Character List Cast List Director's Influence Glossary Themes Quotes Symbols, Allegory and Motifs Irony Imagery Home Alone Questions and Answers

  17. home alone

    Summary. Home Alone is a series of five films. The first two were based on the adventures of a boy named Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) who during the course of the film gets burglars Harry ...

  18. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

    Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) and his family are set to spend their Christmas vacation in Miami, Florida. However, Kevin accidentally finds himself in New York City. With his father's bag and credit card, Kevin is able to book a suite and enjoy the city. However, Kevin's enemies Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) have recently ...

  19. Home Alone Movie Review; An Enduring Family Favourite Filled ...

    Plot Summary; "Home Alone" follows the misadventures of eight year old Kevin McCallister, inadvertently left behind when his family embarks on a Christmas vacation.

  20. HO HO HOme Alone: An In-Depth Analysis Of Facts Behind the Christmas

    In the film, the McCallister family travels to Paris to celebrate the holiday. Despite leaving one ticketed passenger behind, Mr. McCallister's brother, Rob McCallister, covered the expenses for his entire family. It is stated during the opening scene that he footed the bill for the entire family to be together for Christmas.

  21. 20 facts you might not know about Home Alone

    Originally, Warner Bros. was producing "Home Alone." However, Hughes had concerns. Warner Bros. was being strict about a limited budget, and Hughes wasn't sure he could make it work.

  22. Home Alone Detail Finally Explains The Biggest McCallister Family Mystery

    Home Alone. Summary: An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation. Release Date: 1990-11-16. Budget: 18 million. Cast: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, John Heard, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara.

  23. Where Was Home Alone Filmed?

    Summary. Filming for Home Alone took place in various locations in Illinois, including Winnetka, where the McCallister house and neighbor's house were located. Some interior scenes were also filmed at New Trier High School in Winnetka, including the airplane cabin and Kevin's neighbor's flooded basement scenes.

  24. Kate Hudson Still Gets Residuals for a Hit 1990s Movie Most Don't Even

    The "Home Alone 2" choir scene, which you can watch on DIsney+ (Image credit: Home Alone 2 / Disney+) "I still get residuals from Home Alone 2 because I sang in the chorus," she said.

  25. Home Alone

    The day-in-a-life of unemployed Emmy as she waits at home preparing to celebrate her third wedding anniversary. Yet her day quickly turns to boredom and Emmy's life soon proves dangerous. Emmy, young and unemployed, prepares to celebrate her third anniversary with her boyfriend, Joseph.

  26. People who live alone are more likely to feel depressed, study finds

    Adults who live alone are more likely to feel depressed than adults who live with others, according to a new report released by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).. The study ...

  27. Sophia on Instagram: "Almond By Sohn Won-Pyung Genre: YA Fiction Ages

    0 likes, 0 comments - soph_reads_books_sometimes on October 10, 2023: "Almond By Sohn Won-Pyung Genre: YA Fiction Ages: 14+ Review: ⭐⭐ Rating: I liked this book ...