Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Review

HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK

*** ½ Out of 5

Tagline- He’s Up Past His Bedtime in the City That Never Sleeps.

Release Date- November 20th, 1992

Running Time- 120-Minutes

Rating- PG

Screenplay- John Hughes

Director- Chris Columbus

Starring- Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, John Heard and Brenda Fricker

In 1990 when Home Alone was released it became a massive success pulling in 285-million dollars in the US and 476-million worldwide and was the highest grossing film of 1990 and was also by far the biggest success in the career of the legendary John Hughes. Not only was Home Alone a massive success in terms of the money it made, but it also became a huge part of pop culture. In 1992 Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was released and while the box office numbers dropped, but Home Alone 2 still was a major success making 173-million dollars in the US and 358-million dollars worldwide and was the 2nd highest grossing film of 1992 (Aladdin was the top grossing film). When it comes to sequels most aren’t nearly as good as the original with a few exceptions and while Home Alone 2 was an enjoyable film it wasn’t nearly as excellent as the original. As I’ve mentioned in other John Hughes productions he’s my film idol, but Home Alone 2 would in my opinion be one of his weaker films, but even a weaker John Hughes film is still better than the bulk of films by other writers. I think the biggest problem here is there really isn’t a reason for this film outside of existing simply because it could due to the success of the original film. In general even if really good most sequels really aren’t needed, but certain genres such as action and horror films due to their setup can generally work better with sequels since they both have a simple formula, but films such as Home Alone 2 in my opinion generally feel a little more forced.

On a trip to Florida for Christmas the McCallister family is again late getting to the airport only this time they don’t forget Kevin (Culkin) however when rushing to board their plane Kevin gets separated and ends up on a plane to New York. Meanwhile during a prison riot Harry (Pesci) and Marv ( Stern) escape from prison and also are in New York and have another showdown with Kevin.

John Hughes like any writer has a style, but each script by Hughes never felt like a rehash even though you know a John Hughes film when you see one. Hughes was extremely active in the 80s and even into the 90s before basically retiring. John Hughes could have 3 films produced a yearly, but quality never dropped, which is quite rare for someone as active as John Hughes and all his films follow the same structure even if as mentioned they never felt like a rehash and had their own identity. Home Alone 2 was released 2-years after the original, but the film itself is set a year after the original. The script by John Hughes while well written does however feel like a rehash of the first film and if anything its pretty much a rewrite and the John Hughes formula was perhaps wearing a bit thin. In the 90s, Hughes started to go in a different direction focusing more on family themed films and even though Hughes is my film idol I wasn’t really the target audience anymore. While John Hughes still had some quality films in the 90s perhaps the change of times and heavy workload caught up to him. Characters are solid, but don’t quite make the same impact as they did in past John Hughes films. There’s plenty of amusing bits as well as the typical heartfelt moments, but as states it feels too much like the original, which lessen their impact. With all that said though the script by Hughes is still quite entertaining and it is a solid script even if not on par with the typical John Hughes production.

Director Chris Columbus returns for the sequel and while he makes a fun film, but like how the script rehashes the original the direction by Columbus also very much follows the original. Running at 120-minutes Home Alone 2 is a bit on the long side and the middle sections is where the pace can get a bit sluggish. Chris Columbus made a terrific film with the original, but Home Alone 2 is bogged down by offering nothing new. There are plenty of funny moments, but as a whole Home Alone 2 isn’t quite as fun as the first film as scenes from the original are more or less re-staged. While my review might sound negative, Columbus does craft an enjoyable film and with a bit of editing to tighten the pace Home Alone 2 would have been better served.

The cast for Home Alone 2 is quite solid with appearances by Tim Curry, Rob Schneider, Eddie Bracken and a cameo by Ally Sheedy. Macaulay Culkin is fun to watch even if his scenes are basically the same as the original. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are again a blast to watch.

Overall Home Alone 2 is a fun film, but it just follows the original film far too closely and it just lessens the impact. However its still an enjoyable and funny movie, but plays it far too safe. This wouldn’t be the end of the series as John Hughes would write a 3rd film, which was a box office flop and it still wouldn’t end there as there would be two more films only this time without John Hughes and were made for TV movies.

Home Alone (1990) Review

HOME ALONE

**** Out of 5

Tagline- A Family Comedy Without the Family.

Release Date- November 16th, 1990

Running Time- 103-Minutes

Rating- PG

Screenplay- John Hughes

Director- Chris Columbus

Starring- Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Robert Blossom with John Candy and Catherine O’Hara

Released in 1990 Home Alone would become one of the most popular comedies of the 90s and spawn sequels and even video games. I remember seeing Home Alone when it was released theatrically and I was 11-years old at the time and while a couple of years older than the main character it was still something I could connect with and I also even remember having the video games as well. As a kid Home Alone was easily one of my favorite comedies and I think every child kind of had that fantasy of being alone and battling monsters or this case burglars. Home Alone may not be as epic as it was in 1990, but its a film that actually stands the test of time and still makes for a really fun time no matter how old you are.

The McCallister family are heading to France over Chrustmas vacation and with a late start in the morning they rush to the airport and everything goes smoothly that is until they realize they forgot one minor detail. 8-year old Kevin (Culkin). Now home alone Kevin must defend his house from two bungling thieves.

The screenplay was written by John Hughes and at this stage of his career he kept all the trademarks that helped make him such a great writer, but he was also going in a different direction as well. While he’s best known for his teen driven films such as Sixteen Candles, the Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off all, which he also directed, but starting with Plains, Trains & Automobiles he began to move away from teen films and by the 90s he was writing more family themed films. Uncle Buck in 1989 can also be seen as the transition to family themed comedies, but Home Alone is the one that really kicked it off. The script by Hughes is terrific and heartfelt and nobody can write characters like John Hughes. What makes the characters in a John Hughes film so great is they feel like real people. They aren’t perfect and are flawed, which makes them so believable. A lot of films where a child is the main character might be great for children, but can be torture for adults, but no matter how old you are Home Alone can still be enjoyable as you’re bound to find one character to relate to. Sure the script can be silly at times, but Hughes knew how to balance silly from absurd where its too far over the top. In my opinion while Hughes would still write some solid films in the 90s such as Dutch and Career Opportunities, but times were changing and with the emergence of writer/directors like Kevin Smith the new era was upon us and Hughes would stick with family friendly films for the most part with Dennis the Menace and 101 Dalmatians and by the late 90s would basically retire with only a couple of credits here and there. While certain themes may have changed Home Alone has everything that made John Hughes such an iconic writer. Characters are great and there’s always that lesson learned by the characters in the end. Another thing Hughes was masterful at was mixing comedy and drama so well and that’s very much on display here as Home Alone is both funny and touching.

Home Alone was directed by Chris Columbus who started out writing such films as Gremlins and the Goonies and made his directorial debut in 1987 with Adventures in Babysitting. Columbus also directed the Robin Williams classic Mrs. Doubtfire and would later go into direct two Harry Potter films (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). As director Chris Columbus delivers a well paced and fun film that very much captures the spirit of the screenplay by John Hughes. Columbus gives the film a
natural flow and even the more over the top scenes fit in perfectly and work well where it doesn’t seem silly. The final act is quite hysterical and even all these years later I probably laughed just as much as when I was a child.

The cast is excellent and in general children in films tend to get on my nerves even when I was a child. But Macaulay Culkin is actually quite terrific and even though he was very young at the time he does a great job in carrying the film. Joe Pesci as Harry and Daniel Stern as Marv the bonehead thieves are a laugh riot and for me at least Home Alone works best when they’re onscreen as these are two truly great actors that aren’t afraid to be silly and really sell the final act. And the scene when Kevin puts the tarantula on Marv’s face and that scream he lets out puts me in tears laughing so hard. John Candy one of the truly great actors of his time has a bit, but highly memorable role and since Candy’s passing in 1994 comedy hasn’t been the same.

Overall Home Alone is a wonderfully funny and heartfelt film that only John Hughes could write. In my opinion Home Alone is essential christmas viewing or should I say simply essential viewing anytime of the year.

Christmas Vacation (1989) Review

CHRISTMAS VACATION

*** ½ Out of 5

Tagline- Yule Crack Up!

Release Date- December 1st, 1989

Running Time- 97-Minutes

Rating- PG-13

Screenplay- John Hughes

Director- Jeremiah S. Chechik

Starring- Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Juliette Lewis, Johnny Galecki, Doris Roberts and Randy Quaid

Released in 1989 Christmas Vacation is the 3rd part of the popular National Lampoon’s Vacation series. By many fans of the Vacation franchise this one is considered the best and the IMDb rating comes in at a solid 7.5 just edging out the original’s 7.4. As much as I enjoyed Christmas Vacation I can’t really agree with the majority on this being the best of the series, but regardless it is still a solid and very entertaining film and is very much classic John Hughes. In some ways with the 80s ending the classic era of John Hughes ended as even at this time he was starting to move away from teen films and started to focus more on adults or adult issues and by the 90s Hughes would begin to write much more family themed comedies.

After taking a trip to Wally World than Europe the Griswold family stays home for Christmas, but are joined by their families including Cousin Eddie (Quaid). And just like how the Griswold’s vacations turn into chaos so does their Christmas gathering as whatever can go wrong often does.

The screenplay by John Hughes is well written with some truly memorable characters. In the good portion of the films Hughes wrote they all have a certain theme and you know a John Hughes film when you are one, but yet despite certain themes these films never seemed like a rehash and have their own identity, which just goes to show how great of a writer John Hughes was since other filmmakers that use a lot of the same themes it becomes tiresome and feels like the same exact script being written over and over again, but Hughes 99% of the time always made his trademarks feel fresh each time out. The screenplay for Christmas Vacation is excellent, but than again its John Hughes so its expected. The script is quite funny with some of John’s best dialogue as mentioned the characters are strong and while like many of the scripts by John Hughes it can be a little over the top, but yet it works well.

Christmas Vacation marked the directorial debut for Jeremiah S. Chechik who would go onto direct such films as Benny and Joon and Diabolique and Chechik has also directed various TV shows including the Bronx Is Burning, Gossip Girl, Chuck and Burn Notice. Sometimes filmmakers make their best film with their debut since they might take chances they normally wouldn’t with more experience. However there are also times where while the film can be well made and even a good film there might be that little something missing and for me that describes Christmas Vacation. Jeremiah S. Chechik delivers a well made and generally well paced film, but it just lacks that extra something that keeps it a good film. There are some really hysterical moments, but the production just feels a little restrained and perhaps that could be due to the PG-13 rating, but for me this one really doesn’t differ from the previous two and while the original was R-rated, European Vacation was also PG-13. While Chechik makes a fun film that’s high on the re-watch factor, but I think a director with a little more experience may have gotten a little more like even perhaps John Hughes. Regardless, Chechik delivers an entertaining film that’s essential christmas time viewing.

Overall Christmas Vacation is a highly entertaining film with a terrific cast and top notch writing from Hughes with no shortage of quotable dialogue. While I cannot rate this as highly as many seem to, but I still found the film a lot of fun. As mentioned perhaps a more seasoned director could have gotten a bit more, but what we do get is good enough.

Top 10 Teen Comedies

Ok well here are my top 10 teen comedies. The top 8 are mainstays whereas 9 or 10 could drop off.

I really wanted to do something different and while the primary posts on this page will always be horror and cult cinema I do love film in general. I’m working on some new reviews as well as some cool new features for the page, but with only an iPad it isn’t easy to get a lot done writing wise since it can be a little difficult to write in depth stuff.