essay about home alone

Favorite Movie: “Home Alone” by John Hughes Essay

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Recently, I have watched one of the most famous American movies produced by John Hughes’ Home Alone . It is indeed an excellent family comedy because it evokes all sorts of nostalgia. Mainly, it reminded me of the childhood times when my parents would leave me alone, and I could do anything I wanted. Yet, I had mixed emotions being on my own in the empty apartment – I could sense weird noises coming from the middle of nowhere, or it was simply my imagination getting on my nerves. As far as the audience is concerned, Home Alone is a traditional Christmas comedy; yet, I assume one can watch it any time of year just to make a day better and recall Christmas family evenings.

The main character is a young boy named Kevin who is featured by Macaulay Culkin. The guy is celebrating Christmas with his family, which enlarges since all the relatives gather for this winter holiday. Kevin dislikes being surrounded by numerous kids who constantly tease him and dreams that his family would disappear one day (Hughes). When his dream comes true, and he finds himself in the empty apartment, Kevin starts doing every little thing his parent would forbid: he eats ice cream for breakfast, plays video games, and watches violent films. While he is enjoying his loneliness, Kevin’s parents realize they accidentally left their child at home before flying to Paris for a Christmas trip (Hughes). Yet, Kevin demonstrates himself as a young but increasingly responsible housekeeper and even protects his home from burglars.

To my mind, the actors chosen to perform each character have done a perfect job since they have managed to transmit their feelings, intentions, and emotions to the audience. Despite the fact that the film is primarily associated with Macaulay Culkin, the rest of the actors have contributed significantly to the movie’s atmosphere. Joe Pecsi deserves special attention since his acting was stunning and witty. What makes the film unique is the character’s personal traits – they are all different, at times, contradictory, but they make up a real movie family. In general, the actors performed at a high level, which made the film increasingly believable and indeed brought it to life.

Not solely the plot and acting make the movie atmospheric, but the scriptwriters, camera operators, and composer just did a fantastic job to entertain the audience. I believe the scenario was well-elaborated because, despite numerous events, there was no confusion between the scenes and the heroes. Moreover, the dialogues are just witty and hilarious; it almost felt like a comedy show even in the appalling moments. The filmmakers ingeniously used camera angles to set the tone in the film. For instance, a spectator could observe adult characters from Kevin’s perspective and vice versa. Besides, there is a beautiful background music theme throughout the whole movie. It is almost like a second character who leads the audience through the story.

In conclusion, I would restate my viewpoint that this film can surely lift one’s mood. Everything seems perfectly balanced in the story: characters, acting, music, editing, dialogues, and other details. Actors played a major role in transmitting a true Christmas atmosphere to the audience. I would recommend watching this classic of the genre to those who have not done it yet because it evokes pleasant childhood memories.

Home Alone . Directed by John Hughes, performance by Macaulay Culkin, Hughes Entertaiment, 1990.

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Bibliography

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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 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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Home Alone (1990)

103 minutes

MacAulay Culkin as Kevin

Joe Pesci as Harry

Daniel Stern as Marv

John Heard as Peter

Roberts Blossom as Marley

Catherine O'Hara as Kate

John Candy as Gus Polinski

Directed by

Chris Columbus

Written and Produced by

John Hughes

Photographed by

Julio Macat
Raja Gosnell
John Williams

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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. But the youngest in the family, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), got into a scuffle with his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) and was sent to his room, which is on the third floor of his house. Then, the next morning, while the rest of the family was in a rush to make it to the airport on time, they completely forgot about Kevin, who now has the house all to himself. Being home alone was fun for Kevin, having a pizza all to himself, jumping on his parents' bed, and making a mess. Then, Kevin discovers about two burglars, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), about to rob his house on Christmas Eve. Kevin acts quickly by wiring his own house with makeshift booby traps to stop the burglars and to bring them to justice. — John Wiggins
It's Christmas time and the McCallister family is preparing to head to Paris for vacation. Eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is the black sheep of the house, who is regularly picked on by his siblings and cousins, and his parents are annoyed by his antics. Kevin finds himself forced to sleep on the third floor of the house. The next day, the McCallisters accidentally sleep in and barely make it to their flight, but when airborne they realize they forgot Kevin. As his family desperately tries to book a flight back to Chicago, Kevin is thrilled to have the house to himself. However, a pair of burglars named Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) have robbed several houses in the neighborhood and now have their sights on the McCallister house. It's up to Kevin to thwart them. — Sam
At fever pitch for the long-awaited Christmas vacation in picturesque Paris, the McCallister family inadvertently leave behind their eight-year-old son, Kevin, while rushing off to catch their plane. With his parents already in France, much to his delight, young Kevin can finally indulge himself in all the guilty pleasures he was denied, unbeknownst to him that a criminal duo of not-so-capable burglars is preying on the neighbourhood's vacant houses. Of course, the McCallisters' residence is no exception, and before long, the dauntless robbers will visit Kevin, keen on cleaning out his seemingly uninhabited home. Is Kevin, the man of the house, prepared to defend his castle? — Nick Riganas
Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is an arrogant eight-year-old boy who hates the fact that he lives in a family who constantly bullies him. While his family leaves for their Paris Christmas vacation, they leave him behind by accident. Despite this, Kevin makes the best of this situation, as he finally earns the freedom he's always wished for by jumping on beds, eating ice cream, watching gangster movies, and doing whatever he pleases. However, two robbers, the ever so stupid Marv (Daniel Stern) and his right-hand man, the highly intelligent Harry (Joe Pesci) invade his neighborhood by stealing precious valuables of his neighbors. Now, it's up to Kevin to save the day. He must save his house from being robbed before it's too late with a series of traps. Will he win? Will he get his family back? — Carl Cornell
The McCallister family is preparing to spend Christmas in Paris, gathering at Peter (John Heard) and Kate's home (Catherine O'Hara) in a Chicago suburb on the night before their departure. Peter and Kate's youngest son, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), is the subject of ridicule by his older siblings. Later, Kevin accidentally ruins the family dinner (when he attacks Buzz for eating his plain cheese pizza) and their flight tickets to Paris (the scuffle pours Pepsi all over the tickets and the passport) after a scuffle with his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray), resulting in him getting sent to the attic of the house as a punishment, where he berates Kate and wishes that his family would disappear. Family includes Kevin's older sister Linnie (Angela Goethals), Jeff (Michael C. Maronna), Kevin's older brother and oldest sister Megan (Hillary Wolf). Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman), Peter's rude older brother and Aunt Leslie (Terrie Snell). Heather (Kristin Minter), Kevin's oldest cousin. Sondra (Daiana Campeanu), Kevin's older cousin. Rod (Jedidiah Cohen), Kevin's older cousin. Fuller (Kieran Culkin), Kevin's youngest cousin. Tracy (Senta Moses), Kevin's older cousin. Brook (Anna Slotky), Kevin's younger cousin. Steffan (Matt Doherty), Kevin's older cousin. Uncle Rob (Ray Toler), Kevin's uncle, younger brother of Peter and Uncle Frank, and father of Heather and Steffan. Georgette (Virginia Smith), Kevin's aunt. During the night, heavy winds damage the power lines, which causes a power outage and resets the alarm clocks, causing the family to oversleep. In the confusion and rush to get to the airport, Kevin is accidentally left behind (Mitch Murphy (Jeffrey Wiseman), an eight-year-old neighbor of the McCallisters whom Heather mistakes for Kevin during the headcount). Kevin wakes to find the house empty and, thinking that his wish has come true, is overjoyed with his newfound freedom (Jumping on parent's bed, buzz's playboys, watching R rated movies, destroys Buzz's shelf and releases his tarantula). However, he soon becomes frightened by his next door neighbor, Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), who is rumored to be a serial killer who murdered his own family in 1958, as well as the "Wet Bandits", Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), a pair of burglars who have been breaking into other vacant houses in the neighborhood and have targeted the McCallisters' house (They cased it the night before they left (posing as cops) and figured the entire family is gone for the holidays to France). Kevin tricks them into thinking that his family is still home, forcing them to put their plans on hold (the first night Kevin turns the basement light on). Kate realizes mid-flight that Kevin was left behind, and upon arrival in Paris, the family discovers that all flights for the next two days are booked. Kate tries to call home, but the phone lines are down. She calls the police, who send an officer home, but Kevin thinks it's the robbers again and hides under the bed. The police think no-one is home. Peter and the rest of the family stay in his brother's apartment in Paris, while Kate manages to get a flight back to the United States (Dallas), but only gets as far as Scranton, Pennsylvania. She attempts to book a flight to Chicago, but again, everything is booked. Unable to accept this, Kate is overheard by Gus Polinski (John Candy), the lead member of a traveling polka band, who offers to let her travel with them to Chicago on their way to Milwaukee in a moving van, which she gratefully accepts. Meanwhile, Harry and Marv finally realize that Kevin is home alone (Harry and Marv hear Peter's message on the answering machine in the house next door they are robbing and are again convinced that Kevin's house is empty. That day Harry and Marv run into Kevin while he is shopping and follow him. Kevin hides in a church and that night preps cardboard cutouts in his house that give the impression (from the window) that there is a big party on inside), and on Christmas Eve, Kevin overhears them discussing plans to break into his house that night (harry and Marv had stayed outside the house all night and founds no one came or went, except Kevin in the morning). Kevin starts to miss his family and asks the local Santa Claus impersonator if he could bring his family back for Christmas. He goes to church and watches a choir perform, then meets Old Man Marley, who dispels the rumors about him. He points out his granddaughter in the choir, whom he never gets to meet, as he and his son are estranged; Kevin suggests that he should reconcile with his son. Kevin returns home and rigs the house with booby traps to take on the burglars. Harry and Marv break in at 9 pm, spring the traps, and suffer various injuries. Harry and Marv try the back door, where Kevin shoots them through the kitty door in the Nards and angers them off. Harry attacks the front door and Marv the basement. Kevin had iced the front porch and hung a heater around the doorknob, blow torch that ignites when the door is opened, glue and feathers rigged to a fan, with Buzz's toy cars at the entrance. Kevin has also iced the basement entrance, hot iron rigged to a light bulb switch, big nails on tar on the basement steps. Marv tries to enter via a window and steps on Christmas ornaments. Full paint cans a lead pipe on the staircase. The tarantula plays its part, by scaring Marv and getting him to hit Harry with a pipe (while he was trying get the spider). While the duo pursues Kevin around the house, he calls the police and flees, then lures Harry and Marv into a neighboring home which they previously broke into. They ambush him and prepare to get their revenge, but Marley intervenes and knocks them unconscious with his snow shovel. The police arrive and arrest Harry and Marv, having identified all the houses that they broke into due to Marv's destructive characteristic of flooding them. On Christmas Day, Kevin is disappointed to find that his family is still gone. He then hears Kate enter the house and call for him; they reconcile and are soon joined by Peter, Buzz, Jeff, Megan, and Linnie, who waited in Paris until they could obtain a direct flight to Chicago. Kevin keeps silent about his encounter with Harry and Marv, although Peter finds Harry's knocked-out gold tooth. Kevin then observes Marley reuniting with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Marley notices Kevin, and the pair wave to each other.

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Pioneering the Future of AI-Enhanced Storytelling

Revisiting a Christmas classic.

So, it's that time again.

Inspired by a text from Dramatica Story Expert Mike Wollaeger and the work I'm doing writing a family holiday feature, I recently revisited the storyform for Home Alone .

We analyzed the film as a collective group two years ago. Throughout several hundred posts, we eventually came to classify conflict in the Objective Story Throughline in the Mind Domain. In other words, we defined Home Alone as a story about prejudice—not a kid left by himself to defend his home over the holidays.

Story experts? Not quite.

The Growth of a Theory

So much is different with the Dramatica theory of story than where it was only a year ago. The Genre/Subgenre concept featured in Subtxt earlier this Spring identified close to one-hundred separate "Personalities" of story. The Relationship Story Throughline is now about a relationship —any relationship—regardless of whether or not it includes both Main and Obstacle Character.

Both advancements impact the initial analysis of this film .

The Personality of Story Structure

Home Alone's personality is Holiday Comedy. Put that into Subtxt, and you find the The Simpson's Christmas Special and The Santa Clause alongside Home Alone.

Neither finds the Objective Story Throughline in Mind. Neither features a Main Character Approach of Be-er.

In fact, if you asked me off the top of my head the storyform for an idea like Home Alone , I would quickly respond with the Objective Story in Universe and the Main Character in Physics —from a Genre context. This is where one finds the personality of the story structure. "Home alone" screams Universe, and Kevin slapping his face and learning to shop for himself begs for a Main Character Concern of Learning (itself found under the Domain of Physics).

This approach of looking to the personality first when defining structure is essential. Genre is not talked about much when it comes to analysis and Dramatica, and it should—the Domains literally set the stage for everything else that follows.

Using the Right Lens

So much of what we identify as problematic is at the base level of character. Motivational elements like Pursuit and Avoid, Faith, and Disbelief—these forces drive a narrative from the ground up.

But if you look closer at that bottom level, you will find fixed attitude-like elements in every domain: even the external ones like Universe.

And this was the source of our first misattribution error.

Scope and resolution are of the utmost importance when looking to identify the source of imbalance in a narrative. Knowledge, Thought, Ability, and Desire exist at every level. The question is: what exactly are you looking for when you look to what is problematic? Are you looking at the overall personality of the piece? Or are you seeing something much more granular?

Nasty fixed attitudes like those found in Home Alone could be classified under the Mind Domain— if you're looking at Genre. Doubt or 12 Angry Men possess that kind of structural identity. Likewise, an issue of Appraisal could easily be indicative of a problematic point-of-view—as could an issue of Analysis, which exists under the Physics Domain.

Read the definition of Analysis , Appraisal , or even Evaluation , and you would be hard-pressed to find a difference—unless you knew what you were looking for.

I've seen this come up numerous times in my work with hundreds of writers over the past four years. They ratchet it on one particular element or understanding, without taking into account the entire storyform and all its Storypoints.

More importantly, they don't take into account what all those Storypoints mean when placed together within the singular context of the story.

And I've seen it in myself as well.

That initial analysis led many astray when it came to understanding Dramatica—and getting it right is my sole purpose with both Narrative First and Subtxt.

All is not lost.

We were just focused on the particulars, rather than the Storymind as a whole.

Seeing the Right Source of Conflict

All the examples stated in the original analysis for why we thought the story was in the Mind Domain could just be as quickly defined as an Objective Story Problem of Evaluation —

—as seen within the Domain of Universe under an Issue of Attempt.

Calling Kevin out, mean and hurtful judgments, underestimating a child—those work better as instances of character motivation, not overall personality. Holiday Comedies are almost always about someone out of place with the seasonal spirit. Home Alone is no exception.

Our initial analysis found the Objective Story in Mind and the Main Character in Psychology. That's Hamlet territory. That's Amadeus and A Separation and When Marnie Was There . Not Home Alone.

Genre and Subgenre and Personality needs to be a part of the conversation during any analysis because sometimes we can get caught up seeing the forest for the trees. Yes, fixed attitudes could be driving conflict in a story—but is that really a Genre-level concern? Or is it something more fundamental to the drive of the story?

When the Pieces Fall into Place

Balancing Genre with this distinct narrative Element of Evaluation, we find Obstacle Character "Old Man" Marley in Conceiving . With Deficiency as an Issue. And Reduction as his Source of Drive .

What better way to describe an enigma now defined as a scary story—rather than a father estranged from his son? What better way to influence a child who focuses on the lack of what is there than an example of someone who suffers from the same?

The most important revelation of this new take, however, is the relationship between mother and the son—the real heart of Home Alone.

Getting to the Heart of a Story

With the previous assumption that the Relationship Story Throughline was always the "emotional battleground" between Main and Obstacle Character, we were forced to find some way to shoehorn a "neighbors" relationship between Kevin and Marley into the narrative structure.

Now, with the Relationship focused more accurately on the development and growth of an intimate bond between two, we quickly see the exploration of an inequitable bond in the mother/son relationship.

We see stubbornness in Mind . We see inconsiderate words in terms of Conscious. And we see Doubt in light of their bond ever heading in the right direction.

More importantly, we see Problem and Solution in the actual dialogue of the film:

I hope that you don't mean that. You'd feel pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow morning and you didn't have a family." "No I wouldn't" answers Kevin. "Then say it again. Maybe it will happen."

That's a Relationship Story Problem of Probability . Mother and son don't see eye-to-eye on what is most likely to happen.

Kevin is in his parent's bed under the red covers with his green robe lying across the bed. He awakes and sees that it is snowing. It's Christmas morning. "Mom!" shouts Kevin. Kevin runs down stairs calling for his mother, but she's not there. He is alone in the big empty house, and he is disappointed. He opens the front door and looks outside at the snow. He closes the door and goes back inside of the house.

That's a Relationship Story Solution of Possibility in the relationship.

And it's solidified when Mom impossibly shows up a few minutes later.

Major Plot Points and Context

Another thing not quite in sync with this new understanding is the Story Driver of Home Alone. Commonly referred to as the major Plot Points of a story, the Story Drivers signal a shift in concern to the Audience. Whether Actions driving decisions, or Decisions leading actions, these dynamic events mark new territory within a narrative.

Story Drivers and the Objective Story Throughline are tied together. When you switch the context from an internal fixed Domain (Mind) to an external fixed Domain (Universe), the context for why the Transits move from one concern to another switches as well. What worked in one context, no longer holds up under the new.

In addition, the Story Drivers drive the order of concerns within a narrative. A story driven by Actions will naturally follow a different path than that same story driven by Decisions.

With the Objective Story Throughline now in Universe, the Act order for the Relationship Story Throughline plays out like this when driven by Decisions:

Act One: Memory
Act Two: Preconscious
Act Three: Subconscious
Act Four: Conscious

Doesn’t quite feel right for the growth of the maternal relationship in Home Alone.

That same story now driven by Actions instead of Decisions:

1: Conscious
3: Preconscious
4: Subconscious

From we can’t stand each other (Conscious) to we love each other dearly (Subconscious), the Story Driver of Action simply makes more sense for Home Alone .

Emotional sense.

An Accurate Understanding of Narrative

As mentioned in my recent post about the living and breathing nature of what we do here is our own ability to Re-evaluate as story experts. Like Kevin, when we see things in a different light and are willing to re-appraise, we Learn differently.

That's why I suggest shifting to this new storyform , and recommend that both Genre and Subgenre become an essential part of any future analysis.

There is a precedent for this kind of thing. The official storyform for Terminator changed. As did The Sixth Sense . And Reservoir Dogs ). And Toy Story ).

The new official storyform for Home Alone corrects these original mistakes:

::premise Abandon listening to criticism and you can put someone's house in order. ::

Special Note: In the post above, I acted as if the Relationship Story Problem of Probability and the Relationship Story Solution of Possibility were absolute confirmation that this new Storyform was the real Storyform.

Making the changes into Subtxt , I discovered that the old storyform contained the same exact Problem and Solution for the Relationship Story Throughline.

Interesting that, intuitively, we felt those were the correct Elements in the initial analysis—we just assigned them to the wrong relationship. And even more strange that altering the classification of the Domains kept the same Elements.

Regardless, the more we understand what is going on, the more accurately we can assign these storyforms and apply the Dramatica theory of story.

This isn't dogma—we're not stuck in some dramatic Mind fixed attitude. We're on a fun adventure of discovery and enlightenment. We're learning how to approach narrative in a way that has never been done before throughout all of human history.

And that's pretty damn exciting.

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Family comedy has slapstick violence and language.

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

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.

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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."

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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.

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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 .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (79)
Kids say (267)

Based on 79 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.
Award : Kids' Choice Award
Last updated : June 22, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

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