Home Alone came around in 1990 and was an enormous hit. It was a smash and became one of the most successful comedies of all time. It’s also a pretty decent Christmas movie, with plenty of Christmas music and colors in the movie. I didn’t take to it right away but these days it’s a much watch every holiday season. However, while I do enjoy the movie there is still some things in the film that leave me scratching my head. Here are five things I hate in Home Alone.
Obvious Stunt Doubles
The stunt doubles are a little to obvious in some scenes. Like when Kevin goes sledding out the door. Or when Kevin falls from the book shelf. Or when Kevin zip lines across the wire to the tree house. Or when he neighbor knocks out Marv and Harry with the shovel. But the most obvious is when Harry trips on the wire. The stunt double’s face is plain as day.
Uncle Frank
I realize that the guy was supposed to be a jerk, but man is he a jerk! I never understood why Kevin’s dad never stood up to him and asked him not to speak to his son that way. I mean, “Look what you did, you little jerk” is not something an adult should say to a kid. Ever. I also find it amusing that Buzz gets a redemption at the end but Frank disappears never to be seen again, until the sequel. From what I’ve read this character was supposed to be even worst. Then again the father is stupid enough to not question Harry playing a the nosiest cop ever in the start. I would have said it was none of his business and please leave my house.
That Toothbrush Scene
There were a lot of deleted scenes in this movie, and I wonder if this should have been one of then It serves no real purpose. Kevin is missing a toothbrush (took me forever see his brother take it in the opening) so he goes to buy one later. He is smart enough in a later scene to play it cool as if his parents are around, but in this scene he’s stupid. Then he asks if the toothbrush is ADA approved. Why? Then the creepy neighbor shows up and glares at Kevin, which of course causes him to turn and run away. I always figured the neighbor paid for that toothbrush after. Hi jinks ensue as Kevin runs away, evades a cop, and gets away..and that’s it. Pointless scene over. I realize it all leads him to running to Harry and Marv, but seriously what was the point of that scene but to remind us the neighbor is still in the movie?
How did he do these things?
I know these movies get more and more ridiculous with the traps, but even this one has some which strain credibility. Mot of his traps at the end are believable. Matchbox cars on the floor, ornaments at the window, icing the stairs..ok. But then you have some things which are harder to accept. Like the branding iron. Or the blow torch for Harry. The nail is OK but where did the kid get the tar? Or set the iron up so it would fall when Marv pulled on it? Even the paint cans coming from the ceiling are a little hard to believe, he hung those how? And yes these is worst in the sequel, but that’s another subject. But the worst is the pulley system he uses during the party scene when he’s trying to convince the robbers the house is full of people. How in the world did he set that up? Who had a life size cutout of Michael Jordon? Or the other dummies being used? But my biggest question of all is, how did he clean all that stuff up so there wasn’t a trace the next day?
That Huge Contrivance
I give the movie credit for trying to explain why the family forgets Kevin and then can’t just call him later. They didn’t realize Kevin’s ticket hadn’t been used because it was tossed during the pizza scene. They miscounted when a neighbor’s kid strolled over and was mistaken for Kevin. The storm screwed up the phone lines so they can’t just call the house (even though phones work later in the film). This all sounds good, if farfetched, except there is one huge plot hole which drives me crazy! OK so in the opening we see that the house is filed with people since two families are there. The family that lives there plus Uncle Frank’s family. So we get two sets of parents and almost a dozen kids. After we see Kevin get in trouble and sent to his room, a storm hits which knocks out the power. This causes everyone to oversleep and almost miss the ride to the flight. Ok, here’s my question..in a house filled with that many people, NO ONE woke up and realized what time it was? None of the kids? Anyone??? Even in a Seinfeld episode with the same setup Jerry woke and looked at his watch, was no one anxious or anything? They literally didn’t wake up the people began knocking on the door! I realize there were no cell hones like today to wake them but no one set a watch or anything? It just seems to me someone would have woken up before the transportation to the airport finally woke everyone up in the morning. Heck even Kevin, the way he wanders down from the attic with no urgency at all. Did he forget they were supposed to up and out early? Yeah he eventually realizes it, maybe he’s a bad morning person? Anyway the sequel is even dumber, but I’ll get to that another time.
Speaking of the sequel, I guess I should do a “Five Things I Love” article for that one. Since while it is a cookie cutter sequel, there are things in it I enjoy.
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