Home Alone (1990)

Succeeded by: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

	Directed by: Chris Columbus	COUNTRY USA GENRE Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE Alene hjemme RUNNING TIME 102 minutes
	Produced by: John Hughes
	Written by: John Hughes

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Kevin	Macaulay Culkin
Harry	Joe Pesci
Marv	Daniel Stern	½
Peter	John Heard	½
Marley	Roberts Blossom
Kate	Catherine O’Hara
Gus Polinski	John Candy	½

Review

Hollywood had been yearning for a new child star since at least Ron Howard, when prodigy Macaulay Culkin was launched into superstardom through this bubbling and vivacious film by director Chris Columbus and writer/producer John Hughes. In retrospect, it's difficult not to attribute the film's mega-success to several factors clicking into place at once. One is the clever concept of a child being abandoned, which is every child's combined fear and dream, as well as every parent's nightmare. The basic concept was easily identifiable for all members of the family. Another is the film's not insignificant mean streak; there's a sweet guilty pleasure in watching our little hero stick it to the bad guys. The mind-over-muscle showdown reciprocates Hughes' earlier works, only here it is executed by a kid rather than a nerd or outcast. The satisfaction is largely the same. And the third (and perhaps most important) point is young Culkin's charm and star power. He didn't have the naturalness of Ricky Schroder or the depth of Elijah Wood, but he had the confidence and force to carry the film seemingly indefatigably on his shoulders. No wonder everyone – both young and old – fell in love with him.

Home Alone still retains its effect today because its best qualities are largely timeless. That goes for John Williams' score, the well-balanced level of sentimentality, and the Christmas theme. In addition, the film had the perfect combination of warmth and spite (which unfortunately went askew in the follow-up, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York). If ever there was a modern-day It's a Wonderful Life, this is it.