Line #9 YMMV/HomeAlone


1	!!Subpages by movie:
2	[[index]]
3	* ''YMMV/HomeAlone1''
4	* ''YMMV/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork''
5	* ''YMMV/HomeAlone3''
6	* ''YMMV/HomeAlone4TakingBackTheHouse''
7	* ''YMMV/HomeAloneTheHolidayHeist''
8	* ''YMMV/HomeSweetHomeAlone''
9	[[/index]]
10
11
12	!!YMMV tropes that apply to the series as a whole:
13	* AccidentalAesop: Wanting to defend your home and property from invaders is not in and of itself a bad thing, but if you decide to do it all on your own, be aware that the moment things stop going according to your plan, there's a very real chance that you'll be staring down ''much angrier'' invaders who are liable to want revenge for whatever you've done or attempted to do to them. For all they accomplish with their traps, in the first two movies, Kevin ultimately fails to completely incapacitate the Wet Bandits, and makes simple mistakes that end up with him at the mercy of two grown men who are ready to kick his ass (first movie) or outright ''kill him'' (second movie), fates he ONLY avoids due to the lucky presence of friends in the area that rescue him - and in the third movie, one of the spies anticipates Alex making a move to rescue Mrs. Hess and holds him at gunpoint, again, a potentially deadly fate ONLY avoided by a lucky bit of earlier carelessness on the spy's part and a just-as-lucky bluff from Alex.
14	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
15	** Is Marv somehow actually dumber in the 2nd film (possibly due to the head injuries he sustained in the first film and/or additional head injuries he sustained in prison), or is he ''drunk''?
16	** Is Kevin a good kid simply trying to defend his home, or are [[HomeAloneAntics his actions]] a sign that due to [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer severe neglect]] from his family, coupled with the trauma of being [[ParentalAbandonment left behind]] ''twice'', he's on the verge of becoming a [[SociopathicHero violent sociopath]]? Especially in the second film, when he has ample time to alert the police to what Harry and Marv are up to, Kevin instead leads them through the house full of traps, delighting in their pain, and ''then'' calls the police once it's over. He's also pretty mean to the poor pizza delivery guy, who is just doing a job that he was asked by Kevin to do. WordOfGod has it this is ''exactly'' what Creator/JohnHughes originally wanted to do with the third movie (had Creator/TwentiethCenturyFox allowed 3 to be filmed immediately after 2).
17	*** As of this video, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh7-wAy_8ss he's already there]],[[note]]Hilariously, they actually got Creator/MacaulayCulkin to effectively reprise his role.[[/note]] and then [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSmGxRGut6w he apparently tracks down Marv]].[[note]]Whatever happened, in-character text replies from Daniel Stern later confirm Marv fortunately survived.[[/note]]
18	*** Kevin's family in both movies treat him like an idiot and something they stepped in, only developing consciences after realizing they've left him behind. One can chalk Buzz's abuse up to that of an older brother, but all his cousins and uncle either treat him like an idiot or as a ''persona non grata'', despite them being the visiting parties. Jeremy from WebVideo/CinemaSins posits that they might have been actively trying to leave him behind.
19	*** On one other side, consider the amount of abuse Harry and Marv go through. They're repeatedly bruised, beaten, stabbed, burned, electrocuted, and thrown down several stories, yet walk away with injuries nowhere ''near'' as severe as they should have received. In fact, when Harry's gold tooth is knocked out, he doesn't even seem to be bleeding. Additionally, it's worth noting that Kevin's traps failed in the first film. The Wet bandits endured them, and Kevin needed to be rescued from Harry and Marv by Marley. Are Kevin's traps in the sequel overkill, or does he recognize they should ''not'' be able to shrug off such injuries as they do and ups the stakes to try and hold them off? There's also factoring in Kevin's justified outrage in knowing the two are trying to rob money that was specifically collected for the sake of giving sick and needy children a good Christmas. Alongside the fact that they already tried to murder him way earlier in the film and long before he'd devised any traps.
20	*** The film ''Film/BetterWatchOut'' fully explores this interpretation [[spoiler:with its CorruptedCharacterCopy of Kevin, who is revealed to be exactly this sort of villain, a deranged kid who's grown violently obsessed with [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter his babysitter]]. Some of his traps from this film, most notably the paint can, are also depicted as ''lethal''.]]
21	** The video above puts Kate [=McCallister's=] parenting in question. Her leaving Kevin behind in the first movie was an honest mistake but after repeated offenses, and constant favoritism among the older kids, we have to wonder if she's just a bad parent?
22	** In light of the displays of intelligence Buzz shows in ''Home Alone 2'', was his "A, 2, and D" moment in the first film a case of him just being sarcastic rather than BookDumb?
23	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The beautiful Christmas-y scores for the first two movies were written by Music/JohnWilliams, an incredibly prolific, massively award-winning composer who had nearly 30 years of experience under his belt at the time. Creator/ChrisColumbus rightfully credited Williams for taking the film to another level with the excellent soundtrack he created. Some standout pieces include:
24	** The ''Nutcracker Suite''-type music for the family racing to the airport. A suitable hurry-up theme.
25	** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XNpnnu0EPA Trap Preparing music]] just screams LetsGetDangerous.
26	** One particularly memorable theme in ''Lost in New York'' is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8xnOfMKehg&ab_channel=MrSpartacus09 Duncan's Toy Store]]. Especially when it gets all jolly 47 seconds in when Kevin enters the toy store.
27	* BaseBreakingCharacter: Uncle Frank. His jerkassery is played for laughs and it makes him memorable despite his limited screentime, but his quips and treatment of Kevin rub some fans the wrong way.
28	* CargoShip: Johnny and his Tommy gun.
29	* CriticalDissonance: Despite being box office successes, the first two films have received mixed reviews from critics (the third film, meanwhile, was the only one to get a single Thumbs Up from Chicago-based ''Series/SiskelAndEbert'', with the latter giving that Thumbs Up).
30	* CryForTheDevil: It's easy to feel sorry for Harry and Marv in the first two movies given some of the sadistic and painful traps they have to go through. Special mention goes to Harry burning his hand on the doorknob and Marv stepping on the ornaments. Both scenes have the burglars screaming in real, genuine ''agony''.
31	* DirectorDisplacement: John Hughes is often believed to have been the one responsible for directing the first three films. In reality, he was only the screenwriter. The actual directors were Creator/ChrisColumbus (in the case of 1 and 2) and Raja Gosnell (in the case of 3).
32	* DracoInLeatherPants: While the traps that Kevin subjected Harry and Marv to may've been KarmicOverkill, some people tend to overlook the fact that the two of are guilty of burglary (not just the [=McAllisters=] house but the other houses in the neighborhood) as well as the fact that they attempted to bite Kevin's fingers off at the end of the first movie and flat out [[MoralEventHorizon tried to kill him at the end of the second one.]]
33	* EpilepticTrees:
34	** There's a semi-serious theory that the [=McAllisters=] are actually a high-level mob family. Everyone persistently ignores Harry in the opening scene, like they've all been trained to never talk to cops, and when Peter finally does, his first line is "Am I in trouble, officer?". Several of the adults are shockingly cruel to the kids, especially Uncle Frank. Kevin himself is incredibly quick to turn to violence to solve his problems when there are several easier ways to take care of Harry and Marv, and he even terrorizes an innocent pizza delivery guy purely because ItAmusedMe. Peter somehow has enough money to give the entire extended family a holiday vacation in Paris, and Harry labels their house a "silver tuna", despite the rest of the neighborhood looking just as nice and the house not having any obvious super-valuable items inside.
35	** In a crossover example, a rather popular theory among non-fans (usually known as "Kevin is Jigsaw") is that Kevin and John "Jigsaw" Kramer from the ''Franchise/{{Saw}}'' series are the same person, saying that Kevin's booby traps are early versions of John's death traps (since while Kevin's traps aren't fatal, they ''should'' be with real life logic applied), and that plenty of Kevin's behavior matches John's.[[labelnote:Such as]]Problems controlling his temper, indulging in somewhat violent fantasies, spying on people, delighting in the pain of those caught in his traps (although much more prominently than John), and using video/audio recordings to communicate with people and trick them. Kevin's neglectful parents and troubles with the police also line up with John's distrust of authority and his particular contempt for police officers who abuse their power.[[/labelnote]] Many versions of the theory also draw parallels to certain objects in Kevin's ''Home Alone'' films (such as the furnace he got scared by looking similar to the Reverse Bear Trap and being the basis of the Furnace from ''Saw II''), and even [[https://grantland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/homealone_kevin_jigsaw.png compare]] Creator/MacaulayCulkin's (Kevin's actor in his first two films) present appearance as resembling John at a younger age. Believers of this theory tend to overlook the fact that (among many other problems) John's motivations and the origin of his death trap methods were already established in the ''Saw'' series, and are very different to Kevin's intentions. Still, it hasn't stopped the theory from receiving [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVodDpKSi2E numerous]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4Y9W-oK02w fanmade]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8PAIbiKFVk trailers]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ilToTEH9k&t=106s a short film]] based on it, several [=YouTube=] media channels [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Uq-j0SOKU making]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTJvke1QtgY videos]] about it, and even being brought up in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx54quy9tDQ a program]] of ''Series/TheTonightShowStarringJimmyFallon'' where Culkin is interviewed about various conspiracy theories in regards to ''Home Alone'' (at the 2:13 mark).
36	** If [[https://www.reddit.com/r/saw/comments/uyynvg/feel_old_yet/ this Reddit post]] is anything to go by, some have taken the theory further (though likely in a joking manner) by comparing the faces of the other ''Home Alone'' protagonists with those of other Jigsaw killers/copycats.
37	* EscapistCharacter: In the first two films, Kevin gets to live out many a kid's dream by getting to live alone and do whatever he wants be it jumping on the bed without consequence or riding a limo to a toy store while eating all the unhealthy food he can. A lot of kids also wished they could have his treehouse zipline.
38	* FanonDiscontinuity: The fourth, fifth, and sixth movies, universally agreed on there. The third film also tends to get this to an extent, though not as much as the others.
39	* FirstInstallmentWins: Regardless of one's opinions about the sequels, the original film is a beloved classic.
40	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff:
41	** The movies, especially the first two, have become something of a cultural meme in UsefulNotes/{{Poland}}. That's because since the fall of communism in 1990 (it was one of the first Western films shown in the country and it being released at around the same time that Lech Walesa was elected President, the Polish population has come to associate it with the fall of the Soviet rule), each year one of the main TV stations aired ''Home Alone'' during Christmas. Today many Poles can't imagine Christmas without "Kevin". In the event that no station is planning to show the movie, stations are flooded with mail and petitions until one agrees to broadcast the movie. Eventually, a proverb was coined: "'Kevin' on TV? It must be Christmas coming." It's the Polish equivalent to ''Film/ItsAWonderfulLife'' in America. Ironically, ''It's a Wonderful Life'' shows up in ''Home Alone''. This also happens in a similar manner in UsefulNotes/{{Portugal}}, albeit without the mail and petitions, because it's easier to complain on Facebook.
42	** The first two movies also have a sizable and loyal fanbase in Spanish-speaking countries, especially Latin America. The translated title of the first movie, "Mi Pobre Angelito", became trending topic in several countries in 2015 after the release of Macaulay Culkin's viral video in which he reprised the role of Kevin. It became a Christmas tradition in those areas, too.
43	** The series is also a Christmas tradition in Portugal (with either the first film or the second one being usually aired on the afternoon of the 24th or the 25th).
44	* HoYay: But you might say that Harry and Marv bicker like an old married couple, and you might also note that (asides from ''Home Alone 4'', which ignores continuity in many ways, and removes Harry from the story) neither of the thieves mentions having a girlfriend or a wife. (Harry wears a wedding ring, but this could be handwaved as his wife being dead or in jail, or as the ring being stolen.) This would also explain why Harry puts up with Marv, since he is certainly not the brains of the operation and not much use for brawn either, being defeated by a child. Marv does go "Well, hello!" to the woman who gets her skirt pulled by Kevin in the second movie, and if you wanna count ''Home Alone 4'' at all, he has a wife named Vera that he officially met in prison, but he could be bi.
45	* JerkassWoobie:
46	** Harry is a hot-tempered burglar who tries to bite off Kevin's fingers in the first film and tries to shoot Kevin in Central Park in the second film, but considering all the sadistic and nasty things Kevin does to him (and Marv), especially in the second film, few people wouldn't feel sorry for him.
47	** Marv as well. Though he comes off as much more likable than Harry, he's still a shameless thief. At the same time, he gets it just as bad as Harry in the first film, and even worse in the sequel.
48	** The concierge in the second film, meanwhile, is a little overeager to bust Kevin for "credit card fraud" and is an all-around smarmy jerk; but watching him get outsmarted and humiliated by Kevin, and later slapped in the face by Kevin's mother, makes him pitiable.
49	** The thieves in the third movie have a valid excuse to get back the chip: if they fail, their boss will have all of them killed.
50	** The criminals in the fifth movie, especially Sinclair, who has a valid reason for wanting to steal the painting.
51	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: The two Wet Bandits, [[BigBadDuumvirate Harry and Marv]], are impossible to hate, [[spoiler:even when they attempt to kill Kevin in the sequel]], as their ButtMonkey status and Marv's ditziness make them hilarious to watch. However, Kevin's family, especially {{B\|igBrotherBully}}uzz and [[EvilUncle Frank]], are just unlikable, as they constantly bully him and don't get much comeuppance.
52	* JustHereForGodzilla:
53	** Many of the people watch the series mainly only because of the traps at the second half of each film.
54	** A number of people only watch ''Home Alone 2'' for Creator/TimCurry. Similarly, since his 2016 presidential bid and victory, many people watch it just for UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump's cameo.
55	* MandelaEffect: "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from "The Nutcracker" is heavily associated with the first two films, despite not actually playing in either film.[[note]] The beginning of the Music/JohnWilliams track "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iX9-j2g3HA Making the Plane]]" (the piece that plays in both movies when the [=McCallisters=] wake up after oversleeping) does [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong sound uncannily similar]] to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy", which probably has something to do with it.[[/note]] It ''does'' play in ''Home Sweet Home Alone'', though.
56	* MemeticBadass: If one were to ask the internet, Kevin can defeat literally anybody with prep time. It's reached the point where he's often pitted against the [[Franchise/{{Batman}} only other character]] with that reputation.
57	* MemeticMolester:
58	** Uncle Frank, especially in the deleted "Frank's Yank" scene which is present in the novelization. Not to mention how he brags to Kevin about his dick size in the second film.
59	** Harry for some people.
60	* MemeticMutation: [[Memes/HomeAlone Has its own page.]]
61	* MemeticPsychopath: Kevin is often seen as a sadistic sociopath among the many [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation Alternative Character Interpretations]] done on him. The EpilepticTrees that he grew up to become [[Franchise/{{Saw}} John Kramer]] didn't grow themselves.
62	* TheProblemWithLicensedGames:
63	** WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd lampshades these two video games based on the first two films, in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNAF0GGssbM two separate]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyqK8wqwYmc reviews]]. One time, in the first NES game review on ''Home Alone,'' the Nerd sees that Kevin [=McCallister=] moonwalks, and says, "[[HarsherInHindsight He must have spent way too much time with]] Music/MichaelJackson."
64	** The WebVideo/GameGrumps have played the SNES version of the game -- which really isn't much better.
65	** And on that note, WebVideo/JonTron made a video about the franchise's tendency to suffer the trope, although he did admit [[VideoGame/HomeAloneSega the games]] [[VideoGame/HomeAlone2LostInNewYorkSega for the]] UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis [[SugarWiki/NoProblemWithLicensedGames were pretty decent]].
66	** If you wanna see two friends play it with one [[AudienceSurrogate newcomer]] and a guy who [[ExperiencedProtagonist got it in his childhood]] can you see LetsPlay/StephenPlays' video on it [[http://youtu.be/Bg4JFlrScyU here]].
67	* ReplacementScrappy: Alex from ''Home Alone 3'' gets a lot of this, simply for not being Kevin. Finn from from ''Home Alone: The Holiday Heist'' not so much, because his movie came after the CanonDefilement that was the retcon-happy ''Home Alone 4,'' convincing most viewers that cast reboots might be a good thing after all.
68	* RonTheDeathEater:
69	** A lot of people view Kevin as some psychotic little brat considering the pain and suffering he puts Harry and Marv through, ignoring the fact that they ''are'' guilty of robbery, invaded a house where they ''knew'' a small child was staying unattended, and were even planning to bite his fingers off once they caught him.
70	** Kevin's family gets depicted as horrible abusers who hate him. People tend to forget they have scenes where they worry about Kevin after he gets forgotten and Kate goes through desperate lengths to get to him.
71	* {{Sequelitis}}: The first movie is widely considered a classic Christmas movie. ''Lost in New York'', while it has a very similar plot to the original, is still beloved. However, the third film got a lot of criticism for changing the setup too much. Creator/MacaulayCulkin's Kevin was replaced (he had retired from acting at the time), and the villains were changed from burglars to secret agents. Then, the two sequels after that were low quality {{TV Movie}}s, with fewer and less interesting traps and no actors from the previous movies appearing. ''Home Sweet Home Alone'' earned even more vitriol for questionable choices in characterization - the burglars were sympathetic {{Anti Villain}}s, the kid snobbish and borderline sadistic - that made the movie not only uninspired but mean-spirited.
72	* SignatureScene:
73	** The moment where Kate realizes that they forgot Kevin -- while on a plane flying to France, 30,000ft in the air. At first, Kate and Peter talk about what they forgot, and Kate determines it wasn't him leaving the garage open. After a {{Beat}}, she looks in the camera and suddenly screams, "[[OhCrap KEVIN!]]"
74	** Kevin's two screams, after putting aftershave in his face, and the one delivered straight to the camera before he runs to bed.
75	** When Kevin runs from the church at 8 PM, as the "Setting The Traps" remix of "Ring Christmas Bells" plays and the automatic timers start behind him. Then he gains a LetsGetDangerous look and says, "This is my house. I have to defend it!" Cue him setting up all the traps, with a floor plan and an escape route to boot.
76	** The Paint Cans in particular, both their use in the first movie as well as the {{lampshad\|eHanging}}ing in the second movie.
77	** In ''Lost in New York'', Kevin's stay at the Plaza Hotel is this. Mainly because it's the main chunk of the film that doesn't suffer from ItsTheSameSoItSucks when compared to the first movie.
78	* SoOkayItsAverage: The third and fifth movies generally have this reception -- not as beloved as the first two, but not as reviled as the fourth and sixth.
79	* StarTrekMovieCurse: Mainly applies to the sequels after ''Lost in New York''.
80	** ''3'' was contentious when it was first released. However, it has been VindicatedByHistory for fans who think it did a decent job acting out of the box. It features a protagonist as tech-savvy as Kevin with robbers who are genuinely more threatening than Harry and Marv.
81	** ''Film/HomeAlone4TakingBackTheHouse'' is considered the worst in the series. The original [=McCallister=] family returns, but the continuity of the first two movies is thrown out the window.
82	** ''Film/HomeAloneTheHolidayHeist'', while introducing another brand new cast, feels like a decent return to the ''Home Alone'' formula. It also does its job bringing the series into the modern age.
83	** ''Film/HomeSweetHomeAlone'' is a major step down with its DesignatedHero protagonist and its sympathetic thieves who suffer cringe-worthy punishments.
84	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The ''Home Alone'' theme "Somewhere in My Memory" sounds similar to "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from ''Theatre/TheNutcracker''.
85	* TheyCopiedItSoItSucks: French director, René Manzor believes they ripped off his 1989 horror movie, ''[[Film/DialCodeSantaClaus 3615 code Père Noël]]''.
86	* UnintentionallySympathetic:
87	** Harry and Marv, especially in ''Home Alone 2''. The pain and humiliation from the traps is supposed to be LaserGuidedKarma for their villainous deeds, but many of them are so violent and over-the-top that you can't really blame them for wanting to kill Kevin. Additionally, there's a deleted scene of the first film in which Harry explains to Marv that his reason for burglarizing is because he hates the commercialization of Christmas. It was cut for this very reason, since they're supposed to be the bad guys you ''want'' to see get pulverized by Kevin's traps.
88	** The pizza delivery guy in ''Home Alone''. While Harry and Marv are criminals, who probably do deserve a fair amount of what Kevin does, this poor guy is just a young man (probably in his first job, considering his age) doing his job, and the film treats the trolling Kevin does to him as funny, when the guy has done absolutely nothing to warrant such treatment.
89	** Natalie from ''Home Alone 4'' is a RichBitch, but did that really prompt having the royal family she had invited to spend Christmas with her abandoning her to be with her ex-boyfriend's family, and being left in tears by said ex-boyfriend because he loved his wife and kids more than he loved her, not to mention she genuinely loved him despite him being middle class? Doesn't help that the movie was originally supposed to end with Peter staying with her, which makes her late-addition FaceHeelTurn feel forced and unconvincing.
90	** The thieves in ''The Holiday Heist'' are meant to be seen as bad guys, but they had no intention of hurting anyone. Sinclair only wanted the painting, but sadly he, alongside Jessica and Hughes, are arrested after numerous pranks and traps Finn set up.
91	** Jeff and Pam from ''Home Sweet Home Alone'' are this in that they're set up as [[AntiVillain Anti-Villains]], as their motivation isn't to rob Max's house or harm him; it's to obtain a doll that was rightfully theirs so they could provide for their family. However, because they're given such a sympathetic background and motive, this makes the HomeAloneAntics that Max inflicts on them come across as ''very'' mean-spirited to viewers instead of funny. Not only that, but they even end up acting as better parental figures ''than Max's actual parents''. Because of this, and Max being an DesignatedHero, many even consider them the ''true'' protagonists.
92	* ValuesDissonance:
93	** In the second film, Kevin is able to get onto a flight that wasn't his -- a feat that was already difficult at the beginning of TheNineties, but nigh impossible by the end of the decade.
94	** The second film's scene where Kevin escapes from the Plaza plays the "You've been smooching with everybody!" quote for laughs, but the GayPanic makes it very hard to imagine any film trying that these days. The employees are also forced out of the room when they mistake Johnny shooting a tommy gun for being real. Hector's precautions and warnings for the guests to remain in their rooms would be taken much more seriously today.
95	* {{Wangst}}: Harry at times, especially in the second film.
96	* TheWoobie:
97	** Kevin at the beginning of the first two movies. While he may be a bit of a brat, getting left behind takes its toll on him, and as angry as he is with his family, he comes to regret wanting them gone. Then he has to deal with burglars coming after him.
98	** The pizza delivery guy, mocked and trolled, while trying to do a honest evening's work.
99	** Marv and Harry, although the latter is more of a JerkassWoobie while the former is a StoicWoobie who can recover from pain and suffering [[SnapBack with remarkable speed]]. Sure, they're robbers, but it's hard not to feel some pity on them having to endure all the brutal traps.
100	** Marley in the first film, who not only has to deal with scary rumors being made about him, but also had a falling out with his own son, leaving him only able to see his granddaughter while she's singing at the local church. Fortunately for him, Kevin's advice convinces him to try and reconnect with his son, and the ending shows that the two have made up.
101	** The Pigeon Lady in ''Lost in New York''.
102	** Alex in the third movie, who is less bratty than Kevin and is trying to do the right thing from the get-go only for nobody to believe him.
103	** Natalie is an unintentional example. She is supposed to be some kind of RichBitch WickedStepmother but, mainly due to bad writing, it doesn't work, and so when Peter breaks up with her in front of everyone and she bursts into tears you will most likely just want to to give her a hug more than anything.

Context YMMV / HomeAlone