These are what we call the 'YMMV items.' Things that some people find in this work. We call them 'your mileage might vary' because not everyone sees these things in the same way. This starts discussions in the trope lists, a thing we don't want. Please use the discussion page if you'd like to discuss any of these items.
YMMV: Home Alone
Alternative Character Interpretation: This applies mostly to the second film: is Kevin really just a nice boy looking to do a good deed for Christmas, or a sociopath? At the end of the film, Kevin lures Harry and Marv from Duncan's Toy Chest, to his uncle's house to put them through hell, and then into Central Park where he calls the police. If all Kevin really wanted to do was stop Harry and Marv from robbing the toy store, he could have lured them directly into the park; instead, he catapults them onto cars, pummels them with bricks, wrenches and bags of cement, shoots them with staple guns, electrocutes them, sets them on fire, throws them through floors, etc. Sounds like stuff Jigsaw would pull. Perhaps he was taking his anger at his family out on the Wet/Sticky Bandits. (After all, his mom, older brother and uncle especially treated him horribly in both films)
Additionally, 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?
To be fair, the Sticky Bandits pursue him on their own in the second film. Kevin did take pictures of them at the scene, but as they were already on the run, the only change to their plan requires them getting out of New York straight away.
Big Lipped Alligator Moment: Marv turning into Skele-Marv for a few seconds in the second film when attempting to wash his hands.
Critical Dissonance: Despite being box office successes, the first 2 films have received mixed reviews from critics.
Designated Villain: Natalie in Home Alone 4. We're supposed to hate her just because she's rich, is dating the dad after he divorced the mom, and doesn't want her Christmas ruined.
The hotel concierge is depicted as a bad guy from the get-go just for being suspicious of Kevin when, in fact, he and the rest of the hotel staff have every right to be wary of a ten-year-old checking into a four-star hotel by himself. So that's why the second film has him sneak into Kevin's hotel room to spy on him while he showers, scare him by threatening to call the police instead of kindly asking Kevin why the credit card is reported as stolen, and generally behaving as though he's eager to catch Kevin out of spite.
Hey, kids! Are there burglars in your house? Better try and fight them off then!
Do be sure to phone the police, but not until they've made it past all your traps that could have bought you enough time for the police to arrive.
The second movie seems to imply that being a parent makes it okay to forget the lessons they learn as well as to lecture their youngest son about being a pest, expecting them to learn about being respectful, while never even noticing that they themselves are part of the problem. It's no wonder Kevin acted the way he did, in both this movie and in the first one.
Also from Part 2: If you're marooned in a strange city, don't go to the police station! Go to an expensive hotel. And if you overhear some crooks planning a robbery, alert the cops by smashing the store window while the robbery is taking place to set off the alarm. To be fair, after that whole Christmas pageant fiasco, Kevin wasn't feeling too fond of his family at that point.
Genre Turning Point: This made family-oriented film-making a much more attractive proposition for studios, in tandem with the animation revival the previous year's The Little Mermaid inspired.
Hilarious in Hindsight: In the first movie, the family remarks on their tab for the pizza they ordered: ten pizzas, twelve bucks each... ironically in this day and age (taking price hikes and inflation into consideration), twelve bucks is essentially what you pay now for a delivery pizza (depending on the chain).
Ho Yay: Nothing graphic, but you might say that Harry and Marv bicker like an old married couple, and you might also note that (aside from the made for TV sequel, 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's girly scream was the basis for a popular YTMND fad. Sites with unsuspecting titles would reveal itself with Marv's spider scream turned up to speaker-shattering levels. The name of the fad? "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Surprisingly Improved Sequel: While it still wasn't on the same level as the first two films, the fifth Home Alone film is a noticable improvement over the fourth, actually feeling like a Home Alone film.
Tearjerker: After his encounter with "Santa," Kevin walks by a house and sees a family enjoying Christmas together, causing him to stare at them longingly. And all while "Somewhere In My Memory" plays in the background.
They Just Didn't Care: Or, more accurately, they cared about the wrong things. Since Home Alone 4 was meant to lead into a TV series, the focus was on setting that up rather than being a faithful sequel to the first two films. As a result, most of the subplots go nowhere (since the family has to get back together at the end), and Kevin and his siblings had to be cast with very young actors who could be kept for several seasons of the show.
That is almost no reason for ruining a great franchise. The writers clearly didn't bother to take the time and just watch the first two films. Kevin's siblings should already be old enough to leave the house or something but they've bizarrely gotten younger in this film. Kevin's parents getting divorced for a while, only to come back at the end might have worked as plot; but the the writers obviously forget that the McCallisters used to live in a giant house that was even the biggest of their neighborhood. Why would Kevin's dad leave such a perfect house behind to live with his new girlfriend? The fourth was nothing but a failed plan to cash in the success of a very well known franchise.
Values Dissonance: The scene with the airport clerk in the first film. If you're a parent, you're likely to side with the mother worried over her son and having to deal with the incompetence of someone trying to follow procedure when there are important personal things at stake. In contrast, if you've ever worked with the public, Kevin's mother berating, interrupting, and screaming at the clerk who's only trying to do her job in an unusual and tense situation is uncomfortable to watch. Especially, if you're an airline clerk who has dealt with this issue.
Wangst: Harry at times, especially in the second film.
In the sequel, Marv stealing many things in broad daylight, swiping coins from a sidewalk Santa's coin tray. He doesn't get caught, but considering he just broke out of prison, he might want to be a little more careful.
Harry does point this out, though Marv responds by giving the duo their new nickname; Harry does not look impressed.
In the first, after falling on the broken glass, he then walks on it instead of simply clearing the way. Really, Marv is just Too Dumb to Live.
Remember, Marv is the one that pushed for the "Wet Bandits" motif in the first movie. After being arrested, a cop jokingly thanks him for that, saying, "Now we know which houses you hit."
