LOUIS BURKE | Culture | CONTACT
Now that we are in a time when even cynical people can agree it’s OK to do Christmasy stuff, TV owners are in the process of popping on their favourite Christmas movies and TV specials.
Christmas favourites include the Vicar of Dibley specials for the nation’s nanas and Die Hard for people who really need a new thing to joke about.
One Christmas movie that never wears thin is the 1990 classic Home Alone starring a young Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister who is forced to defend his house from a pair of robbers when he is accidentally left alone at home over Christmas.
Produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter 1 & 2, Mrs. Doubtfire), Home Alone also features performances by Catherine O’Hara, Joe Pesci, John Candy and a soundtrack by John Williams in what might be considered unfair to other movies.
Aside from being a time capsule into the best kind of ‘90s nostalgia, Home Alone seems to get better on a rewatch as repeat viewers notice details that would be lost on children.
“Fuck those cunts have a nice house,” stated viewer Katie Flannery, who was getting rather sauced on Baileys while playing the Home Alone drinking game.
“Take a drink every time Kevin screams, every time someone says Kevin and whenever the Wet Bandits get hurt.”
“I might actually die soon.”
Iconic screaming aside, Home Alone is noted for being perfectly paced all the way to the final act when Kevin gives out a series of CTE-inducing head traumas as the Wet Bandits try a little Christmas break and enter.
So nostalgic and charming is Home Alone, viewers like Flannery are often tempted to back up a viewing with Home Alone 2 (1992) which is basically the same movie but in New York.
“Shit, those guys should definitely just be dead by now. Buzz is lucky Kevin doesn’t just get fed up and try this shit with him one day. That’d be a very different movie. I’d watch the fuck out of it!”
