Home Alone
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Macauley Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Devin Rattray, Angela Goethals, Gerry Bamman, Hillary Wolf, John Candy, Kieran Culkin,
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother, Kate (Catherine O'Hara), banishes Kevin to the attic for the night. After the McCallister’s mistakenly leave for the airport, leaving a forgotten Kevin home alone, Kevin awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. With his parents already in France, much to his delight, young Kevin can finally indulge himself in all the guilty pleasures he was denied. Kevin’s exuberance soon turns to fear, and then determination, when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) known as the “Wet Bandits” plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.
Fear is a powerful theme in this film and nowhere is fear – or rather, the overcoming of one’s fear…illustrated more beautifully, than in the characters of Kevin McCallister and Mr. Marley and the journey that both of these characters must take to overcoming their respective fears.
Kevin’s fear of Mr. Marley is planted when his older brother, Buzz, tells his brothers a scary story…one that paints Marley as a murderer. When Kevin is proudly telling the world of his conquered fears, this second encounter with Marley causes Kevin to run away screaming, his fear instantly mastering him. When these two meets for a second time, in the drugstore, we see Marley has a bleeding wound on his right hand, and again, Kevin runs away from him in terror. This wounded hand symbolizes the brokenness of both families. Kevin wished that his family would disappear after an argument went too far, and when he wakes up to a silent house, he believes he got his wish and the family who tormented him are really gone. Kevin overcomes his fear of Marley, and even connects with this man when they share a conversation in the church where they each give the other a piece of good advice on family. It is in this moment, when the two go their separate ways, that Marley shakes Kevin’s hand and they part as friends, and we see a smaller bandage on Marley’s hand…signifying that his wounded heart is on its way to healing, but not quite there yet. When Kevin sees Marley out in the snow, greeting his family, the two share a wave and we see that Marley’s hand, much like Kevin’s family, is completely healed.
Kevin finds solace from his fears in his parents’ bedroom. When he is hiding from the Wet Bandits after their first visit to the house, Kevin finds himself hiding under the bed, hoping they will go away. When Kevin encounters Mr. Marley, his fear compels him to flee into his parents’ bed again, this time, hiding himself under the covers to feel safe. When Kevin snuggles into his parents’ bed, holding the framed photograph of his lost family, he apologizes to them and truly seems to miss them and appreciate them in this moment. One can hear the ring of sincerity in his voice as he is talking to his absent family. He kisses them goodnight and sleeps with the family photo in bed beside him. When Kevin talks to Santa, he acknowledges that this Santa is not the real one, but his child-like faith compels Kevin to ask the real Santa to restore his family…even his Uncle Frank…so Kevin could undo his wish and have his family back. When Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning, he calls out for his mother again…but at first, she is not there. He is sitting alone on his parents’ bed, gazing at the photo again, when he hears his mother’s voice calling for him. It is in this moment that Kevin and his mother are finally reunited, and the family circle is made whole again.
When Kevin encounters the Wet Bandits on his way home, he overcomes his fear and shows that he is clever when he chooses to lead the dangerous pair away from his home and hide in a church Nativity Scene until he loses them, rather than fleeing to the solace of his parents’ bed immediately and having the two strange men know where his house is. Knowing the pair will be back, Kevin creates an elaborate scene in his house to trick the two burglars into believing that the family is home and thwarting their mission to rob Kevin’s house. Kevin rewards himself by ordering a lovely cheese pizza, just for him, and he shows his cleverness again by ordering a pizza and then manipulating the situation so that the pizza is delivered to the back door where Kevin could use the cat door and television to trick the pizza guy into delivering the pizza, without Kevin, himself, being seen. When Marv comes snooping around Kevin’s house for a third time, Kevin tricks him with the same video clip…only this time, Kevin is no longer afraid of the tape or the burglar…instead, he has now become the gun-wielding assassin character that he, himself, was initially afraid of. Much like Batman, Kevin uses the thing which once made him feel fear to incite fear in the Wet Bandits; even going as far as to mimic the shooting gun and mouthing the gunman’s final taunts to his victim. When Kevin hears the Bandit’s plan to rob his house that night at 9:00, he bravely prepares to defend his home, but still, he yearns for his mother to protect him from the monsters. He creates an elaborate, but well-laid series of traps throughout his home to thwart the pair and even leaves them branded with literal scars, both physical and emotional. He burned Harry's hand on the doorknob (ironically, his right hand… the same hand that Marley had injured) and knocked out his precious gold tooth and he burned Marv with an iron and traumatized him with a spider. Lol
The bond between mother and child is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere does this bond show more, than in the character of Kevin, himself, and the bond Kevin shares with his mother, Kate.
Kevin overcoming his fear by way of that movie he watches. The first time he watches the movie, it scares him, and he cries out for his mother. This is the exact moment when Kate realizes that something is terribly wrong…and after a moment, she realizes that she has forgotten her son. When Kevin hears the Bandit’s plan to rob his house that night at 9:00, he bravely prepares to defend his home, but he still yearns for his mother to protect him from the monsters. It is at this moment that his mother gains the help that she so desperately needs to get home to her son. After struggling for two days to find a way home, having no sleep, and being overcome with guilt and worry over her missing son, and trying to find a way home to her son after bribing a stranger and imploring her, as a mother, to have mercy and give up her seat on an airplane to help this mother get home to her lost child, a group of friendly polka musicians offers Kate a ride home in their van. When Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning, he calls out for his mother again…but at first, she is not there. He is sitting alone on his parents’ bed, gazing at the photo of his family again, when he hears his mother’s voice calling for him. It is in this moment that Kevin and his mother are finally reunited, and the family circle is made whole again.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Macauley Culkin, Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci, John Heard, Roberts Blossom, Devin Rattray, Angela Goethals, Gerry Bamman, Hillary Wolf, John Candy, Kieran Culkin,
When bratty 8-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) acts out the night before a family trip to Paris, his mother, Kate (Catherine O'Hara), banishes Kevin to the attic for the night. After the McCallister’s mistakenly leave for the airport, leaving a forgotten Kevin home alone, Kevin awakens to an empty house and assumes his wish to have no family has come true. With his parents already in France, much to his delight, young Kevin can finally indulge himself in all the guilty pleasures he was denied. Kevin’s exuberance soon turns to fear, and then determination, when he realizes that two con men (Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern) known as the “Wet Bandits” plan to rob the McCallister residence, and that he alone must protect the family home.
Fear is a powerful theme in this film and nowhere is fear – or rather, the overcoming of one’s fear…illustrated more beautifully, than in the characters of Kevin McCallister and Mr. Marley and the journey that both of these characters must take to overcoming their respective fears.
Kevin’s fear of Mr. Marley is planted when his older brother, Buzz, tells his brothers a scary story…one that paints Marley as a murderer. When Kevin is proudly telling the world of his conquered fears, this second encounter with Marley causes Kevin to run away screaming, his fear instantly mastering him. When these two meets for a second time, in the drugstore, we see Marley has a bleeding wound on his right hand, and again, Kevin runs away from him in terror. This wounded hand symbolizes the brokenness of both families. Kevin wished that his family would disappear after an argument went too far, and when he wakes up to a silent house, he believes he got his wish and the family who tormented him are really gone. Kevin overcomes his fear of Marley, and even connects with this man when they share a conversation in the church where they each give the other a piece of good advice on family. It is in this moment, when the two go their separate ways, that Marley shakes Kevin’s hand and they part as friends, and we see a smaller bandage on Marley’s hand…signifying that his wounded heart is on its way to healing, but not quite there yet. When Kevin sees Marley out in the snow, greeting his family, the two share a wave and we see that Marley’s hand, much like Kevin’s family, is completely healed.
Kevin finds solace from his fears in his parents’ bedroom. When he is hiding from the Wet Bandits after their first visit to the house, Kevin finds himself hiding under the bed, hoping they will go away. When Kevin encounters Mr. Marley, his fear compels him to flee into his parents’ bed again, this time, hiding himself under the covers to feel safe. When Kevin snuggles into his parents’ bed, holding the framed photograph of his lost family, he apologizes to them and truly seems to miss them and appreciate them in this moment. One can hear the ring of sincerity in his voice as he is talking to his absent family. He kisses them goodnight and sleeps with the family photo in bed beside him. When Kevin talks to Santa, he acknowledges that this Santa is not the real one, but his child-like faith compels Kevin to ask the real Santa to restore his family…even his Uncle Frank…so Kevin could undo his wish and have his family back. When Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning, he calls out for his mother again…but at first, she is not there. He is sitting alone on his parents’ bed, gazing at the photo again, when he hears his mother’s voice calling for him. It is in this moment that Kevin and his mother are finally reunited, and the family circle is made whole again.
When Kevin encounters the Wet Bandits on his way home, he overcomes his fear and shows that he is clever when he chooses to lead the dangerous pair away from his home and hide in a church Nativity Scene until he loses them, rather than fleeing to the solace of his parents’ bed immediately and having the two strange men know where his house is. Knowing the pair will be back, Kevin creates an elaborate scene in his house to trick the two burglars into believing that the family is home and thwarting their mission to rob Kevin’s house. Kevin rewards himself by ordering a lovely cheese pizza, just for him, and he shows his cleverness again by ordering a pizza and then manipulating the situation so that the pizza is delivered to the back door where Kevin could use the cat door and television to trick the pizza guy into delivering the pizza, without Kevin, himself, being seen. When Marv comes snooping around Kevin’s house for a third time, Kevin tricks him with the same video clip…only this time, Kevin is no longer afraid of the tape or the burglar…instead, he has now become the gun-wielding assassin character that he, himself, was initially afraid of. Much like Batman, Kevin uses the thing which once made him feel fear to incite fear in the Wet Bandits; even going as far as to mimic the shooting gun and mouthing the gunman’s final taunts to his victim. When Kevin hears the Bandit’s plan to rob his house that night at 9:00, he bravely prepares to defend his home, but still, he yearns for his mother to protect him from the monsters. He creates an elaborate, but well-laid series of traps throughout his home to thwart the pair and even leaves them branded with literal scars, both physical and emotional. He burned Harry's hand on the doorknob (ironically, his right hand… the same hand that Marley had injured) and knocked out his precious gold tooth and he burned Marv with an iron and traumatized him with a spider. Lol
The bond between mother and child is a powerful theme in this film, and nowhere does this bond show more, than in the character of Kevin, himself, and the bond Kevin shares with his mother, Kate.
Kevin overcoming his fear by way of that movie he watches. The first time he watches the movie, it scares him, and he cries out for his mother. This is the exact moment when Kate realizes that something is terribly wrong…and after a moment, she realizes that she has forgotten her son. When Kevin hears the Bandit’s plan to rob his house that night at 9:00, he bravely prepares to defend his home, but he still yearns for his mother to protect him from the monsters. It is at this moment that his mother gains the help that she so desperately needs to get home to her son. After struggling for two days to find a way home, having no sleep, and being overcome with guilt and worry over her missing son, and trying to find a way home to her son after bribing a stranger and imploring her, as a mother, to have mercy and give up her seat on an airplane to help this mother get home to her lost child, a group of friendly polka musicians offers Kate a ride home in their van. When Kevin wakes up on Christmas morning, he calls out for his mother again…but at first, she is not there. He is sitting alone on his parents’ bed, gazing at the photo of his family again, when he hears his mother’s voice calling for him. It is in this moment that Kevin and his mother are finally reunited, and the family circle is made whole again.
© 2024 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.