As of this week, Home Alone 2 has lived 25 years in the entertainment universe.
Granted, most moviegoers who invested their anticipation and money in the sequel prefer to forget they did. The 1992 sequel to 1990’s Home Alone fetched a leading $32 million over its premiere weekend.
Fast-forward a quarter-century, and its Rotten Tomatoes scores sit in the original’s wake. Today, the original holds up with 62 percent critical approval, while the sequel sits at 27 percent. The audience score for Home Alone tops that of its follow-up, 79 to 61 percent.
Even Home Alone 2’s defenders must concede that it heavily recycled its predecessor’s playbook. Furthermore, one could understand if John Hughes devotees from Chicagoland were irked at the sudden shift to Manhattan as the main setting. For them, the departure from Hughes’ native Midwest after so many films may reek of caving to East Coast elitism.
But whether you prefer one, the other or neither of Kevin McCallister’s (Macaulay Culkin) adventures, it is only fair to dissect every difference. Those differences exist beyond the obvious, and some simply cast the original more favorably, others the sequel.
With that in mind, here are 10 distinctions (one for every year of Kevin’s life in the film) that give Home Alone 2 the advantage.
1. “Who wants to spend Christmas in a tropical climate?”
Talk about saying what everyone is thinking. Even if no one else objects to visiting Florida, their destination preferences become clear later on.
And naturally, while Kevin puts his parents through undue worry, he alone does not “wreck” Uncle Frank’s trip. The juxtaposition of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” with the torrential downpour confirms the top cause of the McCallisters’ misery.
2. We go from a sleepy suburb to the city that never sleeps. Accordingly, the storyline potential is opened that much wider. The upgrade would have still applied if the McCallisters lived in Southampton and Kevin mistakenly boarded a Chicago-bound flight.
The movie meets its potential on that front when Kevin befriends two strangers and does favors for both. (Previously, it was only Old Man Marley.) Those gestures even interconnect when he offers one of Mr. Duncan’s turtledoves to the pigeon guardian.
3. Buzz’s role in angering Kevin is more blatant, yet the target is the only one called out. Kate sees what Buzz does, but only scolds “Kevin!” when the latter’s retaliatory shove creates a domino effect.
It is thus much easier to root for Kevin as he makes another heat-of-the-moment wish that will soon come true.
4. Uncle Frank’s insults are more intense. He even sides with Buzz during the family meeting following the pageant debacle, and no one chides him.
In the original, Kevin was simply, “you little jerk!” In Home Alone 2, he is both a “nosy little pervert” and a “sourpuss.” While dishing the latter line, Frank amplifies his lack of likability by flatly admitting his brother is paying for the vacation while claiming it as “my trip.”
Forget about Mr. Potter. Mr. Cheapskate is the real family Christmas movie villain we love to hate.
5. With everything said about Buzz and Frank, Kevin has his own faults that he lacks in the original. Unlike when he was left at the house, his separation from his family stems from his own impatience. Because he could not wait to restock his batteries, he has a steeper redemption curve to meet.
6. Kevin’s crime is more serious than in the original, and his escape from disciplinary action more exhilarating.
7. The cunning concierge turns out to be just as scatterbrained as Marv and the Little Nero’s delivery boy.
Scaring off a gullible burglar with the audio of an old gangster movie is a somewhat credible scenario. Frightening a hotel employee with a life-size clown silhouette and audio of your uncle packs extra truth-stretching comedy for younger viewers.
For that matter, we later get quintet of hotel personnel just as gullible as Marv. Kevin deterring the burglars with his makeshift party at his house is credible enough.
But no one at the hotel peers into the next room before they have reason to believe there is a gun? They all just listen to the unrecognizable voice’s “Hold it right there!” command?
8. On the subject of the concierge, what is Mr. Hector’s (Tim Curry) backstory? Just watch his colleagues’ expressions as they hear the list of men Hector has “been smoothing with.”
For that matter, wouldn’t Cliff have a less startled reaction to his name if he had nothing to tell? Would the others really stare at him if they were inclined to dismiss the faux allegation?
As they would say on Seinfeld, not that there’s anything wrong with that. Nonetheless, older and more cultured viewers cannot help thinking a little of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Even if you roll your eyes at the repetitions of the original, you can distract yourself with the deep thoughts this scene instills.
9. If Mr. Hector is, in fact, smooching around with fellow men, that’s his prerogative. But at the outset of the chase scene, he raises another question.
What possesses him to take such glee in busting a 10-year-old, even if it is for credit-card fraud? No one at the neighborhood shop in the original was smiling about the chase for the toothbrush thief.
Just like new friends, you cannot have too many antagonists in a big-city adventure like this.
10. “You can mess with a lot of things. But you can’t mess with kids on Christmas.”
Kevin counts more than himself and his house among his stakeholders against Harry and Marv. His determined statement upon looking up into a children’s hospital patient’s window lends Home Alone 2 a greater Christmassy sentimentality.
Leave a Reply