Home Alone Revisited

"Home Alone" reminds me of Thanksgiving. Back in the 90's, NBC used to broadcast the flick on Thanksgiving night. My family would return from Grandma's house, bloated with food. My younger siblings were promptly put to bed. I, on the other hand, was allowed to stay up well past my usual bedtime to watch "Home Alone" with my parents. Sandwiched between them on the couch, I felt a nuanced sense of happiness. For one, those two hours marked a time in which I experienced what only children receive every day of the year: undivided attention. Nobody elbowed me underneath the blanket, wandered in front of the TV or tried to steal my seat when I got up to pee. Similar Macaulay Culkin, by some miracle I had on this night made (most of ) my family disappear. The film also sparked excitement for the sheer fact that it signaled the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas - a time marked by a continuous stream of presents, blinking lights, dresses with doily collars and further eating. "Home Alone" was either the instigator of pre-Christmas joy or the background noise that accompanied it. Irregardless, years later I began to question the awesome-ness of the film. Like many things related to kid-dom, quality is often on par with perception. So, I did what was best: I watched it again. Gotta say, I was still enormously entertained. The slap-stick humor didn't hold up as much in terms of instigating massive bouts of laughter (a guy getting conked in the head multiple times is gold when you are under the age of 1o) but everything else kept my interest. Beyond remaining engaged, there was an outcropping of new questions and details that I had not noticed previously such as:

1. When Kevin first meets the Snow Shovel Man, his hand is wrapped in a piece of bloody cloth. The second time SSM meets/scares Kevin is at a Drug Store. We see SSM bloody cloth hand yet again when he grips the counter. The third time Kevin encounters SSM is at church. SSM's appearance is more docile and his hand now sports a Band Aid, probably one from the box he picked up while at the Drug Store. The continuity between all three scenes is funny.

2. The main reason given for Kevin's isolation is broken power lines. YET Kevin's parents are still able to call neighbors and leave messages. Also, Kevin later uses the phone to report that his house is being robbed. Fishy.

3. Kevin's older brother is the older brother from "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"

4. What happens to the mess Kevin makes after booby-trapping his house? Does he clean up before everyone gets home? What about the really messy stuff, like the tar on the steps or fire-scorched toilet? When his family arrives, Kevin looks well rested and his cuticles are pristine. Fishy x2.

5. John Hughes is listed in the credits as the author of the original story concept. John Hughes wrote "Uncle Buck" which starred Macaulay Culkin and John Candy. Their appearance in "Home Alone" is probably related to the Hughes connection.

6. Humphrey Bogart, the grittiest of celestial celebrities, is in "Angels with Dirty Faces."

...On that note, keep the change ya filthy animal.