For many years, I must admit, I never considered Home Alone a "Christmas movie." I’m not quite sure why. I remember Mom and Dad taking us to the theater to see it when it came out, and we owned the VHS that we’d watch a few times a year, but even though it took place during Christmas, it never occurred to me during my childhood that it was a Christmas film. I was more concerned with the mischief and booby traps toward the end of the film, so Christmas took second place for me.
As an adult, however, Home Alone has become a staple of my family’s Christmas viewings. I’m excited because this year will be the first time I feel my daughter is old enough to watch and understand the film, and I look forward to hearing her reaction to it.
Released on November 16, 1990, Home Alone, directed by Chris Columbus and written by the great John Hughes, turned a simple premise into a cultural juggernaut, grossing over $476 million worldwide on a modest $18 million budget. For retro enthusiasts, families, and those craving 90s nostalgia, the film is more than just a holiday comedy. It’s a time capsule full of slapstick humor, family dynamics, and the chaotic joy of a child at Christmas. It even includes a pair of bumbling burglars.
At its core, Home Alone is a story filled with mishaps and mischief, wrapped in a festive bow. Set in the affluent Chicago suburb of Winnetka (John Hughes’ favorite setting), the film begins in the chaotic McCallister household as they prepare for a Christmas trip to Paris. The home, led by Peter (John Heard) and Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara), is a whirlwind of relatives, food, and sibling rivalries. Eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), the youngest of five McCallister children, feels overlooked and picked on, especially by his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray).
After a pizza- and Pepsi-fueled argument that ruins dinner and accidentally gets his boarding pass for the next morning’s flight thrown away, Kevin is sent to sleep in the attic bedroom by his mother. On his way to the attic, Kevin wishes his family would disappear.
Overnight, a storm knocks out power to the neighborhood and resets the clocks throughout the household, particularly the alarm clocks. In the morning, the family awakens to the knock of the limo drivers, having overslept. In the chaos of getting dressed and ready, the family rushes to the airport and accidentally leaves Kevin behind.
Initially, Kevin revels in his freedom. He jumps on the bed, gorges himself on junk food, and watches movies his parents won’t let him watch, particularly the gangster flick Angels with Filthy Souls. His enjoyment of his newfound solitude eventually sours as he faces rumors of the neighborhood’s supposed boogeyman, "Old Man" Marley (Roberts Blossom), and learns that the "Wet Bandits," Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), are targeting vacant homes on his street during the holidays.
Meanwhile, in Paris, Kate begs for flights back to Chicago. Eventually, she finds herself in Scranton, Pennsylvania (by way of Dallas, Texas), where she hitches a ride toward Chicago with "The Polka King" Gus Polinski (John Candy) and his band in a rented truck.
At home, Kevin is forced to grow up fast. He shops for groceries, does laundry, and even decorates the house for Christmas. When he learns of the Wet Bandits’ plan to break in, he rigs the home with booby traps to fend off the invaders. He even befriends Old Man Marley at church on Christmas Eve.
The resolution brings holiday warmth and cheer. During the aforementioned church service, Kevin bonds with Marley over reconciling with family, and they each wish for the return of the other’s family. On Christmas morning, Kate arrives first, immediately followed by the rest of the family, who have just arrived on a direct flight after waiting just one more day. Kevin keeps his heroics secret as the family joyously reunites, although Harry’s missing gold tooth hints that something odd happened.
The ensemble is a who’s who of '90s talent, with each actor elevating the film’s chaotic charm.Macaulay Culkin, just 10 years old, became a Hollywood star as Kevin, thanks to his wide-eyed innocence and mischievous grin, which made him perfect for the role. His iconic aftershave scream and triumphant "YES!" after trapping the bandits anchor the film with quotable lines, as his young character blends vulnerability and ingenuity.
As a bit of fun trivia, when Kevin pulls out Buzz’s Playboy magazine, the pages are taped shut to protect the 10-year-old Culkin from seeing the images inside. Also, the image of Buzz’s girlfriend that makes Kevin say, "Buzz, your girlfriend... Woof!" is actually a boy. It was a photo of the son of John Muto, the film's art director. Chris Columbus thought hiring an actual girl to "just call ugly" was too mean and wanted a funny prank.
Culkin’s real-life brother, Kieran, debuted as Kevin’s cousin Fuller, adding authentic sibling bickering.
Joe Pesci, fresh off Goodfellas, played Harry, the short-tempered burglar, toning down his intensity for the family-friendly comedy. To avoid cursing, Pesci invented a gibberish language like "fraggle" to fill in for bad words. His frustration with Kevin’s traps provides endless laughs.
Daniel Stern’s Marv, the dim-witted sidekick, steals scenes with screams and pratfalls, ad-libbing lines and enduring stunts himself, like stepping on dulled nails.
Catherine O’Hara shines as Kate. Her guilt and determination add emotional weight to the film, especially in scenes with John Candy’s Gus Polinski that bring heartfelt humor.
In one of his many legendary performances, Candy, who improvised his entire appearance as polka band leader Gus, filmed his scenes in a 23-hour marathon as a favor to John Hughes and Chris Columbus. If you watch closely during the van ride, when Candy improvises the morbidly humorous story about leaving his child at a funeral parlor, Catherine O’Hara struggles not to break character. Candy received $414 for his role in the film and, for the remainder of his life, regretted not asking for more.
John Heard, Devin Ratray, and Roberts Blossom round out the cast with memorable roles, making the McCallisters (and their neighbor) seem like a real family. Even the actors in the fictional Angels with Filthy Souls provide quotable moments ("Keep the change, ya filthy animal"), which have become a pop culture staple. The dynamic among the cast elevates Home Alone from a mere kid-friendly comedy into something more authentic.
The cast’s perfection hides a fascinating array of near-misses. The casting what-ifs highlight the chemistry of the film’s iconic lineup, proving each chosen actor to be irreplaceable.
Over 200 kids auditioned for Kevin, but Culkin won the role after impressing John Hughes in Uncle Buck, also starring John Candy. Comedian John Mulaney, then only 8, nearly landed the role, while Jake Gyllenhaal has also been rumored to have been in contention.
Robert De Niro declined to portray Harry, citing his refusal to "do comedy" after Goodfellas (how long did that last?), and Jon Lovitz reportedly passed due to scheduling conflicts. Christopher Lloyd, Bob Hoskins, Dudley Moore, Phil Collins, and Danny DeVito were all rumored to have been in top contention for the spot that eventually went to Joe Pesci.
Daniel Stern initially declined to play Marv over financial reasons, with Daniel Roebuck briefly stepping in before Stern reconsidered. Both Stern and Pesci thought the movie was a "throwaway" film, so they hammed up their performances, unintentionally making the film better. Stern’s 1995 film, Bushwhacked, was initially intended to be a spinoff of Home Alone, with Stern reprising the Marv character, but the idea was eventually dropped, and the scripts were not connected, despite sharing several similar character traits and practical stunts.
After clashing with Chevy Chase on National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Chris Columbus left that production before filming started. After becoming available, he was approached by John Hughes and landed the director’s job on Home Alone, claiming to be inspired by the story’s Christmas theme.
Reportedly, John Hughes wrote the script for the film in just nine days, inspired by his own childhood fears about being left behind during holiday travel. Initially budgeted at $10 million for Warner Bros., costs rose to $14.7 million, prompting a switch to 20th Century Fox, which granted up to $18 million.
Filming took place from February to May 1990 in Illinois, utilizing the real house at 671 Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka for exterior shots. The home, chosen for its grandeur to reflect an upper-middle-class suburban home, is now frequently visited by tourists. If you do visit, please remember that it is a private residence whose owners don’t really enjoy the fanfare, although it has sometimes been available on Airbnb.
The same house was also used in Uncle Buck. Interior shots of the home were built inside a high school gym to accommodate the booby traps and camera equipment.
Those booby trap stunts were a highlight of the film for many, myself included. Pesci and Stern performed many of the pratfalls themselves, including the barefoot nail step (using rubber feet for the close-up). Pesci, who was grumpy and avoided Culkin on set to create real tension between the two, actually bit Culkin’s finger in one of the closing scenes, leaving a scar on the actor’s finger to this day.
One of the more famous stunts, the tarantula on Marv’s chest, used a real tarantula (with its stinger removed). When it crawled on Stern’s face, his "scream" was pantomimed to prevent scaring the spider. His hysterical, high-pitched yell was added later.
The stunt double for Culkin, a short 30-year-old man named Larry Nicholas, handled the dangerous scenes covered under child labor laws. According to a recent interview with Culkin, Larry completed the painful "shelf collapse" scene numerous times before Columbus got the take he wanted.
Practical effects, such as blowtorches and swinging irons, were carefully timed, and Columbus tested several of the traps on himself to ensure they were humorous and not too gruesome for kids to watch.
Legendary film composer John Williams’ whimsical score, blending Christmas carols with suspenseful tunes, added a different kind of magic to the film. Like much of Williams’s work, it was recorded with a full orchestra.
Watching Home Alone today gives those who didn’t live through the early '90s a glimpse into that era. For those of us lucky enough to have lived through it, the movie evokes nostalgia for a simpler time. For most of us, it’s tied to childhood Christmases curled up on the couch, laughing at Kevin’s traps and quoting "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal" to our siblings until our parents yelled at us to stop.
Or maybe that last part was just me!
Seriously, though, when viewed through today’s eyes, Home Alone captures the childhood wonder of the holidays. From the glowing Christmas lights to the soft, fresh-fallen snow and the reconciliation of family, the posh Winnetka setting, with its grand house and snow-covered streets, is Hollywood magic at its best. It can truly transport you back to a time and place that feels so far away.
Home Alone exploded in movie theaters, holding the box office top spot for 12 straight weeks. Earning $17 million on its opening weekend, the film eventually grossed $285 million domestically and $476 million globally, defying expectations for the "throwaway film."
Critics were initially mixed, with Roger Ebert praising Culkin’s charm but critiquing the cartoonishness of the film’s villains and Kevin’s pranks. Variety magazine applauded the film’s "heart and warmth," noting that it was suitable for both children and adults.
Home Alone earned Oscar nominations for John Williams’ score and the song "Somewhere in My Memory," as well as Golden Globe nominations for Best Comedy and Culkin’s performance (in the Best Actor Comedy/Musical category).
The Home Alone VHS release sold over 10 million copies, making it the highest-selling video of all time, alongside E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, by 1991. According to one report, roughly 10.2 million copies were shipped by November 1991. The film’s home video success was bolstered by joint marketing, which combined the film’s appeal with on-screen commercials from sponsors like Pepsi and American Airlines, both of which were prominently featured in the movie.
Later DVD and Blu-ray releases reportedly sold well, with bonus features like deleted scenes and cast commentaries included, which boosted sales.
In 2023, the Library of Congress added Home Alone to the National Film Registry for its cultural significance, recognizing its status as a holiday tradition.
The impact of Home Alone spans generations. It popularized the "kid vs. adults" trope, influencing later films and spawning countless memes of Kevin’s scream or the Wet Bandits’ mishaps. The McCallister house continues to draw tourists. Globally, the movie is a Christmas icon, even in non-Christian cultures, as it embodies the universal themes of family and forgiveness with pratfall laughs that are funny in any language.
The franchise continued in 1992 with Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, reuniting the entire cast for more antics set in a faraway city. Home Alone 2 grossed $359 million. Later entries like Home Alone 3 (1997) shifted to new cast members. While considered part of the franchise canon, it felt like a "cousin" to the original rather than a direct sequel.
There were a few direct-to-video films, and a 2021 reboot, Home Sweet Home Alone, attempted to recapture the magic but fell far short of the mark.
As Home Alone turns 35, it remains a retro treasure. It uses slapstick traps, heartfelt reconciliation, and Christmas holiday magic to capture the innocence of the 90s while still resonating today. For retro enthusiasts, it’s a must-watch every year. The film reminds us of the simple joys of Christmas, such as family, forgiveness, and fun. As we gather this holiday season, Home Alone invites us to cherish the chaos that makes family memories unforgettable.
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