For a lot of people, Home Alone has become a part of their holiday tradition. I can’t believe it’s been almost twenty years since Home Alone hit theaters. Back in 1990, I thought the film was enjoyable, but I wasn’t caught up in the hysteria that surrounded the film’s star, Macaulay Culkin and his infamous scream. I don’t even think I saw the film until a month or so after its release. As a freshman in college at the time, I probably felt it was a kid’s movie, best to be avoided. Almost two decades later, I can appreciate Home Alone for its story of a child’s victory over bad guys, and the undertones of the importance of family, and the bonds of love.


Macaulay Culkin stars as eight year old Kevin McCallister. His father Peter (John Heard) and mother Kate (Catherine O´Hara) are taking the entire family on a Christmas vacation in Paris that includes his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray), his Uncle Frank (Gerry Bamman) and eleven other members of the McCallister family. The night before leaving a supposed police officer visits the house and asks if they have taken proper precautions to protect their house while leaving. Kevin gets in an argument with his mother after Buzz eats all of the cheese pizza and he is sent to the third floor attic to sleep with his bed wetting cousin Fuller (Kieran Culkin). Upset, Kevin wishes his family would disappear before he falls asleep.
When Kevin wakes up the next morning, he realizes that his family has indeed, disappeared. Rather pleased, Kevin has his fill of junk food, watches television, enjoys pillaging Buzz´s room and plays with a BB gun. He decides to leave the house to go shopping for groceries and supplies; he feels like being the man of the house suits him well. However, Kevin is unaware that the policeman who stopped by the house the night before, was actually a burglar known as Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci). Lyme and his partner Marv (Daniel Stern) are the ´Wet Bandits´ that have been robbing houses all around Chicago.
Kevin finds himself pitted against Harry and Marv as he defends the house against several burglary attempts. Kevin turns the McAllister house into a boob-trap laden fortress. He uses everything possible for defense and the two robbers are maimed and wounded. Despite the obstacles, the idiotic criminals continue their assault on the wealthy McAllister home. Meanwhile, Kevin’s mother is doing everything she can to return home to Kevin for Christmas. She manages to find a flight home from Paris to Scranton and discovers there’s no second flight to Chicago. Fortunately for her, a polka band led by Gus Polinski (John Candy) offers to drive her home to Chicago.
While the secondary storyline involving Kevin’s mother and Gus Polinski isn’t the heart of Home Alone, it does serve as the films emotional center, and any excuse to see the late, great John Candy is a good thing. Most of the entertainment and laughs comes from Kevin’s epic battle with the would-be thieves. There is a real battle of wits between young Macaulay Culkin and comedy veterans Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. There is some very good slapstick comedy on display, and the stuntmen that threw themselves down stairs and went toe to toe with falling paint cans created some memorable moments of physical comedy.
While I don’t consider Home Alone a Christmas classic, I thoroughly enjoyed laughing at the jokes and hijinks I’ve seen several times before. Though I initially pooh-poohed Home Alone when it was released, it has since become a comedic favorite I would recommend everyone add to their Blu-ray collections.

Home Alone comes home on Blu-ray in a rather nice looking 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Colors are bold but the image takes on a hazy appearance in many shots. Detail is generally high; all the intricacies of the house look better than ever. A few close-up shots of more mundane objects like a tile floor and a back door reveal all varieties of scuffs and dirt, making the home looked “lived in” and the image rather realistic in such scenes. The wallpaper, the odds and ends in the basement, and the junk scattered throughout the attic all look sharp and generally true to life. There is little in the way of noise over the image. Blacks seem to veer towards a dark purple in some shots, and flesh tones appear accurate. All in all, Home Alone has never looked better, and while this transfer doesn’t reside in the same class as the best of the best, it represents a rather nice visual upgrade that longtime fans will appreciate.
The audio is a high quality, and surprisingly active, DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Many might expect this soundtrack to be front heavy with little in the way of subwoofer or back channel support, but quite the opposite is the case. There is a nice power and vitality to the soundtrack, particularly during the more robust parts of the score. Bass makes its presence known more than once. Several sounds sweep into the surrounds to excellent effect. Most sound natural, a few sound a bit forced into the track. The mix can be almost obnoxiously loud in a few spots that might have viewers fiddling with the remote during some of the film’s key moments. Nevertheless, Home Alone features a very surprisingly robust soundtrack that will leave fans satisfied with the experience and the Blu-ray purchase.
The new Family Fun Edition of Home Alone includes a large number of special features that easily bests the former featureless versions of the film that have been made available over the years. Columbus, Culkin and others return for some newly created supplements to discuss their experiences looking back on the making of the film. Over an hour of bonus material is included to watch after viewing the film. The newly recorded Audio Commentary by Director Chris Columbus and Macaulay Culkin may be listened to while watching Home Alone. This commentary provides numerous anecdotes and remembrances from the shooting of the film between the film´s director and star. The two chat nicely and laugh throughout the entire commentary .
The vintage 1990 Press Featurette (3:52) is your standard quick electronic press feature to introduce the film and dig up some interest in the film with very light making of material and a very young Culkin pushing his acting chops. The Making of Home Alone (19:25) has most of the cast and crew spending a few moments talking about how Home Alone was one of their favorite experiences. This longer making-of feature is a recent production, but still feels like something from the EPK. Mac Cam: Behind the Scenes with Macaulay Culkin (4:46) finds the young adult Mac remembering the shooting of the film and presenting some ´video diary´ footage that was shot by him when Culkin was just nine.
Many other items are included to look back on the smash hit film. How to Burglar Proof Your Home: The Stunts of Home Alone (7:04) looks back at the slapstick moments from the film and they explain how the memorable physical comedy from the film was done. Home Alone Around the World (3:53) shows numerous film clips with voiceover from versions shown around the world. Thai, German, Spanish, French and other languages are represented. Where´s Buzz Now? (3:03) has those involved with the film guessing where the character of Buzz would be seventeen years after the story of Home Alone took place. Angels with Filthy Souls (2:06) looks at the fictional film shown within the film. This feature shows the footage Kevin used in its entirety in full widescreen glory. Deleted Scenes / Alternate Takes (15:04) is a collection of fifteen deleted scenes and alternate takes. Some Blooper Reel (2:04) shows many goof lines and other funny moments from the making of the film.