Home Alone / What An Idiot

"Don't you know a kid always wins against two idiots?"

— Kevin McCallister, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

While the protagonists of the Home Alone series are very smart for children of their age, they can make mistakes out of naivety; most (especially in Kevin's case) were likely never taught by their parents how to react in serious situations, such as what they go through in the movies. For better and for worse, the adults aren't much more prudent than the protagonists.

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Home Alone

At the beginning of the film, Harry is impersonating a police officer to find out which families are going away for the holidays and what they use to indicate that they are gone.
You'd Expect: The McCallisters to ask to see his badge to verify that he is an actual officer.
Instead: They take his word for it, do not ask for any verification and tell him all he is looking for without a hint of suspicion.
To Make Matters Worse: While the McCallisters at least have the excuse of how hectic their house was with everyone running around getting ready the night before their flight, they aren't the only family who fall for this ploy. As Harry reveals when he and Marv visit the neighborhood the following night, he managed to trick four other vacationing families on the block.
When Kevin goes to the kitchen to get some pizza, he finds that Buzz ate his pizza. Buzz then sarcastically tells him that he'll have to make him barf it out of him and then pretends to do so.
You'd Expect: Kevin would do nothing except watch Buzz embarrass himself. That way he won't get in trouble because he didn't do anything.
Instead: He tackles Buzz and causes a huge mess, which gets him in trouble instead of Buzz and thus, gets him sent to the third floor.
Shortly afterwards, Kevin is pulled aside by his mother to scold him about the big mess, where he believes everyone in their family hates him.
You'd Expect: Being his mother, Kate would assure Kevin that nobody hates him, and that everyone is merely stressed out about the big trip.
Instead: She basically confirms that they do hate him for being such a troublemaker. This gets Kevin put up in the attic, where he gets forgotten about the next morning (but not before Kevin declares that he never wants to see his family again).
The Result: Kate is struck with guilt when she realizes, en route to Paris, that they never woke up Kevin and left him at home. It doesn't help that the last thing she said to him was that he was a troublemaker and Kate wants to make it up to him.
Speaking of which, Kate puts her niece Heather in charge of checking all the kids are awake and ready to drive.
You'd Expect: Heather would do roll call and find out who doesn't answer. This would have made them realize Kevin was still asleep.
Instead: She counts heads (and is distracted while doing so because Buzz is being a jerk).
The Result: By bad luck, Mitch Murphy from across the street is nosing around their van and gets mistaken for Kevin. No one notices him wishing them goodbye and having a nice trip. Heather looks extremely guilty when they land in Paris and Kate notifies them that Kevin was left behind.
The family arrives in Paris, having discovered they left Kevin behind. Kate calls the local police department who sends an officer to check on him. The officer knocks but Kevin's upstairs hiding (note: this is before the toothbrush incident so it's not like Kevin would think they're after him for that).
You'd Expect: The officer to shout through the door something to the extent of, "Hello! Is Kevin McCallister there? It's the police! Would you open the door, please?". Ideally, he should also mention that his mother sent him over to check on him.
Instead: He continues to knock and rings the doorbell several times. The officer then radios "There's nobody home. The house looks secure. Tell them to count their kids again."
Kate decides she'll get a flight back on standby to the US since there are no direct flights to Chicago, while Pete stays in Paris with the kids. She asks a married couple to let her take their seats, in exchange for some gadgets and money, as well as the woman being a Nice Girl who tells her husband they have to help a mother in distress. It's the Christmas holidays so getting a flight as it were was a miracle.
You'd Expect: Once she's on American soil that Kate would rent a car as soon as possible when learning there are no flights to Chicago or even in the state of Illinois. As shown, she has enough money for a ticket and credit cards to justify the expense. Kate also would have arrived a day or two sooner, which means as soon as Kevin tells her about the strange men trying to rob their house — Kevin is not so stupid that he'd hide that from her— she can call the cops and sit back as Harry and Marv are arrested. The whole climax could have been avoided.
Instead: She spends a lot of her money taking flight after flight to the closest possible and available cities, ending up in Scranton on Christmas Eve. No airline has any flights.
The Result: Kate harangues a Nice Guy airline employee who can only tell her that they'll book her a hotel room and get her a flight the next day. He's just doing his job and is genuinely apologetic.
Fortunately: Gus Polinski, a polka band leader, overhears. He reveals that his band have rented a van and they're going to Milwaukee, and Chicago is on the way. If she needs a ride, they'll take her to Chicago to get to her son.
As it happens: Even with the band's help, she only gets home a minute or so before the rest of the family who waited for the next direct flight.
Harry and Marv have been burglarizing houses in the north Chicago suburbs while the owners are away on vacation.
You'd Expect: That they would rob the homes with as little of a pattern as possible so as not to attract police investigation.
Instead: Marv decides that they need a "calling card" (his words) and so floods every house they hit, against Harry's wishes, claiming that they're "The Wet Bandits".
The Result: This leaves an easily identifiable pattern that Marv brags about after the two get caught, which a cop jokingly thanks him for, saying "Now we know each and every house that you've hit."
While driving the van, Harry gets into an argument with Marv over the "Wet Bandit" gimmick. Distracted, Harry almost runs the van into Kevin, but brakes in the nick of time. Shaken, Kevin starts to walk away.
You'd Expect: Harry to avoid any unnecessary contact with the residents and just let Kevin walk off.
Instead: He opens the car window to scold Kevin for not looking out for traffic.
To Make Matters Worse: He also smiles at Kevin and says Merry Christmas. This results in Kevin recognizing him from his gold tooth and getting alerted to his and Marv's presence.
Kevin goes to buy a toothbrush but he gets scared away by Old Man Marley.
You'd Expect: Kevin to drop the toothbrush.
Instead: He keeps it with him without paying and runs for the exit. The shop owner calls on Jimmy, a store employee, to pursue him.
You'd Then Expect: Kevin to keep running without pause until he gets home.
Or: Him to apologize and to give the money for the toothbrush. He could even tell them that he did not mean to steal, he just was in a hurry and forgot to pay. Maybe they will forgive him, he did not steal something valuable and he is just a kid.
Instead: He stops to look around, allowing Jimmy to order a police officer to go after him.
Kevin buys pizza using Johnny from Angels with Filthy Souls to pose as the buyer so the pizza boy won't know Kevin's alone.
You'd Expect: The pizza boy to recognize that Johnny's voice is coming from a TV. And to maybe ask for the resident to open the door and confirm it's actually them.
Instead: The dumbass actually believes this. Even the part where he believes Johnny's shooting at him.
You'd Then Expect: The pizza boy to report to the police that there's a maniac with gun who just tried to kill him. At the very least, you'd expect him to tell his boss, who will then report the matter to the police.
Instead: He never appears again. And the police are never notified.
Harry and Marv leave the water running at every house they rob as a calling card.
You'd Expect: The local water company to notice the huge increase in usage and send out a repair crew to either check the supply lines for leaks or shut the water off altogether.
Instead: Nothing is done and the basement of the Murphy house floods, ruining everything stored there and possibly damaging the structure itself.
After realizing Kevin is home by himself, Harry and Marv return to their van, with an enthusiastic grin on their faces.
You'd Expect: The duo to return to their van, drive off, and discuss the plans while on the road.
Instead: They discuss their plans as they are leaving Kevin's house after spying on him. They both announce it loud enough for Kevin (as well as any of his next-door neighbors) to hear it, giving him all the time he needs to set his traps.
Even Then: Not that the "You'd Expect" solution would've done much since Kevin was already well aware that they were planning something before they even stated their intentions. They followed him in a van without even bothering to be discreet, and he's even seen Harry before (when Harry poses as a police officer).
Related to this, Harry figures out that it's just Kevin in the house, a child with no guardians and he has scared Marv to death with a childish prank. He's also a believer in Pragmatic Villainy to have no one witnessing their crimes, which is why he waits until the families are on vacation to rob their houses.
You'd Expect: He and Marv would go to a payphone and call the cops, with Crocodile Tears, saying they saw a child abandoned at the address and he seems to be neglected. Child services would come to pick up Kevin until they can get in contact with his mother, and it's unlikely they would leave a cop at the house because Kevin didn't tell anyone about the robbers, and they aren't likely to believe him if he does. This also gives Harry and Marv a window where the house is definitely empty and will not have any particular security system.
Instead: It's one thing that Marv believes "kids are stupid" but Harry says they just need crowbars and the power of persuasion to convince a "kindergartner" to let him into the house, overpower him and rob the "silver tuna" as they call it.
The Result: They're blindsided when Kevin shoots them both with a BB gun and shows that he's in Let's Get Dangerous! mode with his traps.
When he visits the church, Kevin gets to know Old Man Marley and finds out that he's actually a pretty decent guy. For the first time in the movie, he's with an adult he can trust.
You'd Expect: Kevin to tell Old Man Marley that he's home alone and that the bad guys are going to break into his house that night. Old Man Marley can then alert the police.
Instead: Kevin doesn't tell him, goes home and sets the traps.
The Result: Despite getting the better of Harry and Marv, he still ends up at their mercy, and is only rescued by Old Man Marley.
Harry and Marv's responses to plenty of the traps Kevin set for them qualify. Below are several of those instances:
- First, the two burglars go to the front door. Kevin has rigged the doorknob with a hot charcoal lighter. Harry is the one who first takes a try with the knob.
  You'd Expect: Harry to notice that the knob is literally red hot with heat and that he should find another way to enter the house since touching it will severely burn him.
  Instead: He doesn't look at the knob and doesn't realize its intense heat until he grabs it for a full second! He has a permanent scar on that hand for the next film. Now, third degree burns destroy nerve endings. It can take a few seconds for the pain to actually be felt from surrounding tissue. But still, oversight.
- While in the basement, Marv tries to turn on a light to see better using a string, which turns out to be a trap involving an iron falling down the laundry chute. Marv hears the noise coming from the chute and looks up to see the iron falling.
  You'd Expect: Marv to get out of the way as quick as he can.
  Instead: He just stands there and gets hit square in the face.
  Then: He tries to climb up the stairs, only to step on tar and get stuck.
  You'd Expect: He would go back downstairs, grab his shoes and try another way to go upstairs. After all, he already fell victim to one trap in the basement. If tar is on stairs, odds are there has to be a trap set there.
  Instead: He ditches his shoes and socks and soon steps on a nail, causing him to fall down and hurt himself further.
  You'd Then Expect: Marv would grab his footwear before leaving.
  Instead: He doesn't and would later hurt himself further because of not doing so.
- Kevin has placed many glass ornaments in front of a window where a bare-footed Marv happens to be sneaking through.
  You'd Expect: Marv to look around the room and the floor before sneaking inside.
  Instead: He never looks down and the ornaments break under his feet.
  You'd Then Expect: Marv would sweep the rest of the glass out of the way to avoid further injury.
  Instead: He walks over the rest of it and hurts himself more.
- Harry tries to enter though the back door, and for his trouble gets a blowtorch to the head.
  You'd Expect: Harry to get out of the way from the blowtorch as soon as humanly possible.
  Instead: He just stands there screaming for a full five seconds before running out to the snow, causing him to almost burn to death. It's implied by the sequel that he got nerve damage from this, given that he ends up setting his head on fire again and it's not until he looks in a mirror that he realizes this.
After falling for many of Kevin's traps with injuries that would potentially kill them, making loud noises throughout the entire neighborhood, and being threatened to get arrested by the police...
You'd Expect: Harry and Marv to cut their losses and get out of the neighbourhood before the police arrive.
Instead: They keep pursuing Kevin, get more injuries along the way, and get arrested because as Surprisingly Realistic Outcome goes, Marley came from the Christmas Eve church service and saw enough to get the gist of the situation.
At one point, Kevin has escaped using an improvised zipline to the family treehouse. He taunts them to come and get him, and Marv suspects going back into the house means they'll trigger more traps. He makes Harry go on the zipline, and he does the same. It's taking a while for them to do so and they're about thirty feet off the ground.
You'd Expect: If Kevin wants to lure them to the Murphys' house, make a big show of it while they're on the line as he's climbing down to the snow, get to the house with a headstart, and take the BB gun with him. Even if it's out of BBs, he can still cold-cock them in self-defense. These are armed criminals and pride goeth before a fall.
Instead: He cuts the line with garden shears. Then he waits until they recover in the snow before making a big show of going into the Murphys' basement.
The Result: Marv and Harry already broke into the Murphys and left the doors unlocked. They beat him to the Murphys' house by going to the front door, as he's wading through the flooded basement. And they would have killed him, if not for Old Man Marley having seen enough of the debacle to pull a Big Damn Heroes moment.
- After all the fracas, everyone except Uncle Frank's family returns home and is relieved that Kevin isn't hurt. They're also grateful he got them groceries and did laundry. Kevin for the moment decides not to tell them about the attempted burglary because probably they'd never let him out of their sight again.
  You'd Expect: At some point, Kevin would come clean about what happened. After all, he still left tar in the basement and used Buzz's BB rifle. Plus, there are two vengeful criminals that could report he was left alone or seek him out for revenge.
  Instead: He never tells them.
  The Result: In the sequel, Kevin finds himself having to fight Harry and Marv again when by the weirdest coincidence they encounter each other in New York. It would have been easier if Kate had known that her son might need some police protection.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

The parents are looking for a battery charger, and Peter unplugs a multi-adapter with several things plugged into it, including the alarm clock. In doing so, the clock is reset to 12:00 AM.
You'd Expect: Either of them to notice, whether right away or right before going to bed later, that their clock isn't showing the correct time, and to re-adjust the clock and its alarm.
Instead: They don't do such a thing and oversleep. Just like in the last movie.
In addition to this, just like a year earlier, they have an early flight to catch. Due to being unplugged by Peter, the alarm clock didn't work, resulting in the families being rushed off their feet as soon as they've been woken up.
You'd Expect: Somebody to remember what happened and have a battery-powered alarm clock as back-up should the mains-powered one fail. This way, they can have a calm, unrushed time getting to the airport in time regardless of which alarm is used.
Instead: Nobody thinks of this and, as a result of an event listed above, they have a panicked rush to catch their flight.
Kevin finds himself in a similar predicament when he and Buzz ruin their school's Christmas pageant. In the aftermath, Buzz offers an apology to Kevin in front of both families. Kate asks Kevin if he accepts, but Buzz whispers to him: "Beat that, you little trout-sniffer!"
You'd Expect: Kevin would avoid taking the bait and keep his cool, knowing that lashing out at Buzz got him in trouble last Christmas.
Instead: This sends Kevin into a rage, saying he had to act after Buzz embarrassed him and also expresses disdain for the upcoming Christmas vacation in Florida. Just like last time, Buzz avoids punishment and Kevin spends the night on the third floor.
The McCallisters are on their way to the airport, and Kevin needs to find new batteries for his Talkboy. The batteries are in his dad's bag.
You'd Expect: Kevin would wait until they get on the plane to search for the batteries.
Instead: He chooses to change them while he and his family are rushing for the plane, thus resulting in him getting separated from them and finding himself in New York.
In Addition: This is O'Hare International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, at Christmas time. A time where getting separated while rushing through a big crowd getting to your flight would be the last thing anyone would want to have happened.
The flight attendant at the gate of the flight to LaGuardia also deserves a mention. Kevin has followed a man with a similar coat to the one his father's wearing to the wrong gate. The attendant brings Kevin to the plane where they see the man getting ready to sit down on the aisle.
You'd Expect: The flight attendant either to go up to the man and ask "Excuse me sir, are you this boy's father?" or ask Kevin where his family is going.
Instead: She tells Kevin to find an empty seat and to have a Merry Christmas.
Harry and Marv have escaped from prison and are planning a grand robbery.
You'd Expect: They'd lay low until the robbery so they aren't caught and taken back to prison. After all, any petty theft they achieve will be nearly meaningless after their big score.
Instead: Marv starts running a new gimmick, "The Sticky Bandits", in which he uses a sticky glove to steal change from coin trays. Harry isn't impressed at all.
Kevin attempts to check into the Plaza Hotel, a five-star hotel, by himself. He makes the excuse that his dad dropped him off and took off for a business meeting right afterwards.
You'd Expect: The front desk agent to either invoke the "must be 18/21/whatever years old to check in" clause that's common in many hotels, or, being suspicious of Kevin's story, ask, "Well, if your father has a reservation here, wouldn't he know to come to the front desk in order to check in?" Many reputable hotels, especially one as prestigious as the Plaza Hotel, have protocols to ensure that people aren't checking in on behalf of others, because allowing such is a major security risk.
Or: Realize that Kevin is trying to use a credit card that doesn't belong to him, and point out that someone his age shouldn't be doing business with a credit card. Or even just ask to see a matching ID, if she's gonna look over that fact. Most hotels require that every cardholder running their card at the hotel also present their ID, to avoid being accomplices to high-profile credit card fraud and to reduce the chances of chargebacks.
Instead: They check Kevin in under a reservation that doesn't bear his name. Kevin says "Wow, it worked!" under his breath, but the agent doesn't do anything about it.
The Result: Kevin illegally racks up hundreds of dollars of charges on a card that doesn't belong to him.
After Kevin exits the toy store, Harry and Marv exit afterwards and notice Kevin in front of them.
You'd Expect: The two to leave Kevin alone, since he doesn't know they're there or their plans, and it'd be best not to draw attention, even in revenge.
Instead: They walk up to Kevin and introduce themselves. Kevin screams and runs away.
You'd Then Expect: Harry and Marv to let him go, since it's not like he knows what they're up to, and it'd be best not to make things worse. At the very least, you would expect them to not be two grown men chasing after a screaming child.
Instead: They chase him, and manage to catch him eventually. Marv blabs their plans to rob the toy store to Kevin (figuring they'd kill him anyway, but they don't notice he's recording with his Talkboy), which means Kevin now has incriminating evidence after he escapes.
The Result: Kevin now knows of their plans, and eventually gets them arrested.
The concierge of the Plaza Hotel, the hotel that Kevin booked into, has confirmed that Kevin stole his father's credit card to book his suite.
You'd Expect: That upon Kevin's return from the toy store, the concierge would simply ask Kevin why he has his father's credit card.
Instead: The moment Kevin gets back after being chased by Harry and Marv, he snatches the credit card from him, and decides to hand him over to the police, thus resulting in Kevin fleeing from the hotel and getting lost. When Peter and Kate find out about this, they both read the concierge the riot act.
Kevin uses Johnny from Angels with Even Filthier Souls to pose as a hotel guest to talk to the hotel employees and cops that are after Kevin.
You'd Expect: One of those dumbasses to recognize that this is obviously a TV. After all, they must have already put together that Kevin is there unsupervised.
Instead: They have an entire conversation with "Johnny", who eventually scares them away with gunfire.
The police call Kevin's parents in their hotel room in Miami, Florida, telling them that Kevin is (lost) in New York City.
You'd Expect: Mr. and Mrs. McCallister get the next flight up to New York, leaving everyone else in Miami in the care of Uncle Frank and Aunt Leslie until they're due to fly home.
Instead: Both families fly to New York. They bought plane tickets for another 14 people to NYC, then another 14 tickets to get home from NYC to Chicago days later (they only knew that the hotel room would be fully comped when they got there). This family's just made of money.
Kevin photographs Harry and Marv robbing the toy store and sets off the alarm.
You'd Expect: Harry and Marv, having escaped from prison and thus being fugitives regardless of Kevin's evidence, to take the money and run.
Instead: They chase Kevin again to get his camera and fall right into his traps.
Harry finds himself standing on the end of a makeshift see-saw. Marv is about to jump on the other end.
You'd Expect: Harry to get off of it.
Instead: Harry just stands there telling Marv not to get on. Marv does anyway, and Harry gets launched into the air and onto a car.
Marv tries to get in through the front door and finds it locked with a string going through a hole in the door.
You'd Expect: Marv to look through the hole to try and see what the string is attached to, after that, he could try and step out of the way when he pulls the string to avoid the trap.
Instead: Marv just keeps pulling on the string without looking through the hole to check for a trap. Eventually the trap goes off and Marv gets shot three times with a staple gun.
Marv then kicks the front door open. However, there is a giant hole one step ahead the front door.
You'd Expect: Marv to look around, notice the hole when he looks down and either try to get around it or, if he can't, find some other way to enter the house.
Instead: He takes one step inside without looking down and falls into the basement.
Both Harry and Marv get one later on when Kevin has rigged a tool chest to fall down a flight of stairs when one of the doors is opened. Harry turns the knob and the tool chest starts to fall.
You'd Expect: Harry and Marv to back away from the door at once.
Instead: They press their ears against the door, thinking "What the hell is that noise?" and don't realize that the tool chest is behind it until it breaks the hinges and flattens them against a wall.
Harry and Marv decide to chase Kevin to the ground by climbing down a rope soaked in kerosene.
You'd Expect: Both of them to realize they had fallen for a similar trap the previous year and forget about the rope. Or at the very least, realize they would get down quicker by using the stairs?
Instead: After Kevin lights the rope, they hang on until the flames reach them, then let go and fall to the sidewalk where they get doused in glue and varnish.
While Harry and Marv are chasing Kevin, the latter threatens to call the cops the exact same way he did the previous year.
You'd Expect: Marv and Harry to just give up and run away while there's still time.
Instead: They fall for it, again.

Home Alone 3

Alex sees suspicious activity in his neighborhood and catches one of the spies inside a neighbor's house. He dials 911, but they leave before the police can show up. An officer shows up at Alex's house under the impression that his call was a false alarm. Alex tells the officer that he did see an intruder in the house and that he had two accomplices and a getaway car.
You'd Expect: The officer take this information down and ask Alex what else he saw just in case a similar break-in is reported.
Instead: He still treats it as a false alarm and leaves.
Afterward: Alex gets punished by his mother for the 911 call. Alex proceeds to describe who he saw in the house. Previously, Alex told his mother that he saw a person of interest walking a dog that may have been abducted from one their neighbors.
You'd Expect: Alex's mother to be mindful of Alex's descriptions and to contact this neighbor's family and ask about the dog.
Instead: She does neither, leaving Alex to continue to monitor his streets for the spies.
Then: After the second time the police fail to catch the spies, the police chief gives Alex a talking to. Alex gives the chief another tip which confirms the neighbor's dog being kidnapped, which includes of all things talking to said neighbor's son.
You'd Expect: The chief to investigate this further, go to the neighbor's house and look for clues. If not, he can radio another officer to do so.
You'd Also Expect: Alex's mother to suspect that Alex may be telling the truth and either call the neighbor or have the police do so.
Instead: The chief only asks Alex if the neighbor's son saw the kidnapping happen, and his mother immediately after that forces him to apologize to the chief. Fed up, Alex refuses and takes matters into his own hands.
The terrorists arrive in Chicago looking for their bag that was accidentally taken by someone and discover all the streets are shoveled after being told the person lives in the only house on the street that the driveway wasn’t shoveled.
You'd Expect: The terrorists to figure out which house Mrs. Hess lives by either looking in the windows that night or by staking out the area the next day. After all, she wouldn’t know the car has a chip in it and would have no reason to not trade back bags and tell the terrorists that she gave the car to Alex, where the thieves could walk over to Alex’s house and then ask for it back, possibly even offering him money for it.
Instead: They resort to breaking into houses looking for it.
The Result: Alex sees them doing this twice, eventually leading to him catching them on camera the third time, which leads to him discovering the chip in the car and reporting it.
When the spies try to get into Alex's house, Unger tries the front door, which is barricaded by a homemade electric fence, with a warning sign on it.
You'd Expect: Unger to heed the warning, find the power source and shut it off, carefully step over the fence, or find another way inside.
Instead: Unger thinks the fence is a fake, and cuts the wire, with shocking results.
Later, Unger and Beaupre discover a thin string leading upwards. Beaupre suspects Alex's cleverness and cuts the string.
You'd Expect: Unger and Beaupre to step away at once, just in case it really is a trap.
Instead: They don't move away, and after a few seconds of nothing happening, they think the trap is a dud.
Immediately After: A trunk of books (followed by a set of weights) crashes out of the attic window and lands on them.
Unger, Jernigan and Alice chase Alex to the third floor of his house. Alex taunts them from outside, having already escaped through the dumbwaiter shaft. They look out the window and see a trampoline beneath them.
You'd Expect: All three of them to realize that jumping from the third story of a house is a bad idea, as it's a pretty far drop and a trampoline from that height might not be able to support them. At the very least, they should realize that the trampoline is already covered with snow and that Alex had to have left the house another way.
Instead: Alice orders Unger and Jernigan to jump from the roof of the third floor, which they do. They crash through the trampoline, which Alex had booby trapped earlier, and find themselves waist-deep in freezing water until the police catch them.
Then: Alice notices the dumbwaiter has been called up to the third floor, Alex having done so by having a toy robot push the button. Alex had previously removed the flooring from the dumbwaiter.
You'd Expect: Alice to notice this and exit the house by going down the stairs.
Instead: She backs inside the dumbwaiter and falls down the shaft all the way to the basement.

Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House

Kevin records the kidnappers saying they’ll kidnap the prince into his super spy bugging device.
You'd Expect: Peter and Natalie to ask Kevin to listen to the recording when he tells them he heard the kidnappers’ words about kidnapping the prince.
Or: Kevin to show Peter and Natalie the recording when they talk to him about ruining the party.
Instead: Neither do.
Result: While Peter and Natalie are out, Kevin is in danger at home with Prescott and it takes an entire trip to the airport for Peter to realize something is wrong and so he goes all the way back again and during the arrest of the crooks, the officer reveals that Kevin was right that the prince was gonna be kidnapped.
The kidnappers lock Kevin and Mr. Prescott in the wine cellar. Prescott has a cellphone.
You'd Expect: Prescott to call the police.
Instead: He gives the phone to Kevin, who drains the battery attempting to call his mother.

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist

Finn and Simon play the same online game. When Finn tells Simon about burglars in his house, Simon uses his hacking skills to quickly gather Finn's contact information.
You'd Expect: Simon to call the police in Finn's town and tell them about the burglars at Finn's house.
Instead: Simon calls Finn's parents. To make things worse, his wording makes it sound like he's a criminal who just kidnapped Finn and Alexis.
The Result: Finn's parents call the police on Simon, which results in the police storming his apartment. The police don't go to Finn's home until after Finn and Alexis have already taken care of the criminals themselves.
One of Finn's booby traps leaves Jessica stuck in a window on the ground floor.
You'd Expect: Sinclair and Hughes to open the window so Jessica can have more space to go inside the house.
Instead: They decide to try pulling her back outside.
The Result: While they struggle to pull Jessica free, Finn shoots ping pong balls at her rear. Jessica thinks that Sinclair and Hughes are responsible, so she kicks them.

Home Sweet Home Alone

Pam and Jeff believe Max has the doll and after breaking into the house and almost getting caught, hear someone who they later believe to be Max’s grandmother speaking German.
You'd Expect: Pam and Jeff to just simply go back to the house and ring the doorbell to ask about it (in fact, it’s implied they told their relatives that they did exactly this), which would have cleared up the misconceptions.
Instead: They break into the Mercer house to look for it.
The Result: They not only find out that Max doesn’t have it, but are also left injured by his traps and have to compensate his family for the damages to their house.

What An Idiot / Home Alone

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