Let's see:
1.) Cute, if snarky lead kid who is the underdog that we can all root for. He's also highly intelligent and creative for his age, and has an interesting POV on certain subjects.
2.) The hilariously funny scenes where the burglars get their asses kicked, multiple times.
3.) Kevin reconciling with his family at the end, as well as showing that family is the most important thing to value at Christmas time.
4.) A very original story that had memorable moments.
5.) Well-developed characters.
6.) Memorable quotes and events in the story.
7.) Running gags, like knocking over the statue in front of the house, or the Noir film being used to trick people at least 2-3 times.
8.) The mom going on a crusade to get home to her son as fast as possible.
9.) John Candy providing some kindness to the mom as well as some useful advice.
10.) Kevin learning not to be afraid of things like the furnace in the basement, or the old man across the street.
11.) Fascinatingly silly personalities for Harry and Marv, how they seem almost cartoony as bad guys, in that they do reveal that they are dangerous after a fashion, but they still lose in the end.
12.) Story takes place in a snowy, perfectly cold climate for the setting, and in a place that resembles many areas of the US east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
13.) Gorgeous house with beautiful Christmas decorations (that still somehow manages to look pretty after the pranks pulled on the bad guys).
14.) Kevin being a kid that's doing all sorts of adult stuff you'd never expect a child his age to do, sometimes with hilarious results, such as the aftershave scene.
There's more, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head right now.
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Tam87 (147)
3 days ago
That's a good summation.
i think John Hughes deserves a lot of credit since he wrote a great script with a lot of heart. So many memorable characters and scenes as well, from Old Man Marley & Gus Polinski, to the Little Nero's pizza dude who keeps on knocking over the statue. Chris Columbus also worked very well with the actors and got great performances from all of them.
It was a film where a lot of things came together at once, made in Hollywoods golden age which lasted from the mid 70s to the early 90s (or rather, the pre-CGI age).
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AmeriGirl26 (12626)
3 days ago
Even today, John Hughes' movies are greatly beloved, despite looking dated now. He really knew what would appeal to a large swath of movie-going Americans, particularly families. You don't see movies like that anymore :(
Fun fact: Chris Columbus also directed the first two Harry Potter movies :)
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Tam87 (147)
2 days ago
I agree, you no longer see films like the ones Hughes made, they're unique. Hughes was always a writer first, it's what he did best, and his Home Alone script is a perfect balance of heart, comedy and action. I wonder if Hughes was considered to direct Home Alone?
Yes, and Columbus also wrote Gremlins and The Goonies (He came up with the idea of Gremlins when he used to live in a studio apartment above an old theater, and at night when lying in bed he'd hear all these mice start scurrying about behind the walls which made him think they might be little monsters like Gremlins). Columbus also directed Adventures In babysitting, which is a fun film.
A lot of talent worked on Home Alone. I forgot to mention John Williams score as well, which added so much atmosphere to the film, especially 'Star of Bethlehem': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay2jxok7LHA
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AmeriGirl26 (12626)
2 days ago
Did you watch the "Home Alone" episode of "The Movies That Made Us?" :) I had fun watching that. It was fascinating some of the information they had about making the first film. I'm still cracking up over them having to use mashed potatoes to help simulate snow in the last scenes, hehehe.
It's strange, because normally when they simulate snow in most movies, they use teeny tiny pieces of paper that have been slightly moistened so they will stick to stuff, and it's blown out of a machine (at least for blizzards) or it's dropped carefully from above the set to simulate snowfall. you'd think that kind of "snow" would have been easier to acquire, even in the late 80s/early 90s.
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Tam87 (147)
2 days ago
I haven't seen the movies that made us, but I have the Blu Ray of Home Alone and I remember they talked about simulating the snow for the end scenes. Mashed potatoes? That's pretty funny haha. Yeah, you'd think it'd be easier to use crushed ice for all the snow.
The Home Alone Blu Ray has some great special features including audio commentaries with Macauley and Chris Columbus. I recommend it if you don't have it. The HD print is fantastic as well.
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