Summary
- Home Alone franchise struggled to replicate the success of the first two movies, partly due to Culkin's inimitable performance and later sequels focusing too much on physical comedy.
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York managed to be even better than the first movie by putting a new twist on the concept of a child being left unsupervised.
- Home Sweet Home Alone attempted to reboot the franchise but didn't live up to the high standards of the first two movies, wasting the potential of its great comedic cast.
For over 30 years, Home Alone has been a holiday staple, packed with quotes that are hilarious and heartfelt in equal measure. Most people think of the first two Home Alone movies, those that featured Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, but there have actually been six movies in total. The latest Home Alone movie, titled Home Sweet Home Alone, came out in 2019, and the franchise could still have a future, despite the downward trend since Culkin's departure.
The franchise has struggled to recreate the success of the first two Home Alone movies. The formula remains largely the same - a child is left unsupervised and has to set up some creative booby traps to repel home invaders - but the magic of the franchise's early hits has been difficult to recapture. This is partly due to Culkin's remarkable performance, or because the later sequels focus too much on physical comedy, and neglect the thoughtfully crafted emotional journey that Kevin goes on. The best quotes of the Home Alone franchise are heavily skewed toward the first movies, underlining their superiority.
20 I Made My Family Disappear!
Kevin in Home Alone
Kevin's shock soon turns to glee when he realizes that his family has gone on holiday without him. The original Home Alone movie is a joyous and accurate representation of how children think, and Kevin's celebration perfectly reflects how children act when they finally get the freedom to do whatever they want. Before the burglars even rear their heads, there are a lot of fun scenes with Kevin enjoying himself in novel ways without adult supervision or his mean siblings.
Home Alone: Kevin McCallister's Family Tree Explained
Kevin McCallister, Home Alone’s iconic lead character, surely can’t stand his family; however, there are so many of them it can get quite confusing.
19 Yikes. I Did It Again.
Kevin in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York faced the daunting challenge of following up a movie with a unique premise that couldn't be easily repeated. In the end, it might be even better than the first Home Alone, and this is due to the fact that the writers show their awareness of how absurd the concept is. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York keeps all of what makes the original great, including the bumbling burglars and the slapstick traps, but it puts a new twist on the idea of a child being left unsupervised.
18 Alex Slammed The Toilet Seat Down On His Thing Again.
Molly in Home Alone 3
Home Alone 3 marked a steep dropoff in quality for the franchise, with none of the beloved characters returning. The movie raises the stakes with a ridiculous plot about international espionage, rather than just run-of-the-mill burglars. Home Alone 3 as Molly, long before she would establish herself as a Hollywood star. She provides a couple of highlights, although the script fails to replicate the humor of the first two movies with Macaulay Culkin.
17 Well, Prison Isn't So Bad. We Do Get Salisbury Steak On Wednesdays.
Marv in Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House
Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House brings back Marv, but not his partner Harry. Unfortunately, Daniel Stern declined to return, so the character is played by French Stewart instead. The movie also recasts Kevin McCallister and both of his parents, so its a hollow imitation of Home Alone, rather than a true sequel. Home Alone 4 is neither as innovative or as funny as the first two instalments in the franchise, and it often falls to the bottom of the ranking of Home Alone movies.
16 What's Your Big Plan? Wrap The Ghost Up And Tuck Him Under The Christmas Tree?
Alexis in Home Alone: The Holiday Heist
The fifth Home Alone movie also features a completely new cast of characters. The plot focuses on two siblings whose home is targeted by burglars, but the younger child initially thinks that the noises are coming from ghosts. The children are only left unsupervised for an evening, so the movie doesn't give them a chance to explore their freedom before the burglars arrive. Home Alone: The Holiday Heist still has booby traps, but the children are alone for less than a day, so they don't go on much of an emotional journey.
15 This Is Garbage. I Don't Know Why They Are Always Trying To Remake The Classics. Never As Good As The Originals.
Hunter in Home Sweet Home Alone
The 2019 Disney+ original Home Sweet Home Alone attempted to reboot the franchise after a string of low-budget flops, but it didn't quite live up to the high standards of the first two movies. Home Sweet Home Alone is clever enough to reference its own difficult position, but this doesn't make it any easier to overcome the odds, and it ends up as an ironically prescient quote. Home Sweet Home Alone's cast is packed with great comedic actors, including Rob Delaney, Ellie Kemper, Timothy Simons, and Aisling Bea, but it wastes their potential.
14 He Was OK, You Know. After 6, 7 Weeks, He Came Around. Started Talking Again.
Gus Polinski in Home Alone
Comedy legend John Candy makes a memorable cameo in Home Alone as Gus Polinski, the affable musician who offers to give Kate McCallister a ride back to Chicago in a van with his polka band. As the rest of the band sleep, Gus and Kate share their stories about parenting, and Gus reveals that he once accidentally left his son alone in a morgue for a whole day, in the same room as a corpse. His short summary is a hilarious way of retelling the most harrowing experience of his son's life, and few actors could have delivered it as convincingly as Candy.
13 I Wouldn't Last Thirty Seconds In Gen Pop. That's Where Fresh Fish Get Got.
Jeff McKenzie in Home Sweet Home Alone
The words feel incredibly unnatural coming out of Delaney's mouth.
Rob Delaney's character, Jeff McKenzie, has many of Home Sweet Home Alone's best lines. As he and his wife consider breaking into a neighbor's house to retrieve a lost family heirloom, he panics about the possibility of going to prison, but his word choice shows that he probably only knows about life on the inside from movies and TV shows. The words feel incredibly unnatural coming out of Delaney's mouth. He and Ellie Kemper represent a different approach to the Home Alone series, since they're relatively sympathetic antagonists, and definitely not career criminals.
12 How You Feel About Your Family Is A Complicated Thing.
Old Man Marley in Home Alone
As well as having some hilarious moments, Home Alone can change the pace and produce some inspiring and heartfelt quotes. Kevin is initially terrified of Old Man Marley, mostly because of a horror story his brother Buzz tells him, but he eventually learns that Marley is nothing more than a kind and misunderstood neighbor. He and Kevin share a tender conversation which helps Kevin work through the complicated feelings he has for his family. He may not always get on with them, but he still loves them and wants to spend Christmas with them, including Buzz.
11 He's A Little Cranky. We Just Broke Out Of Prison A Few Days Ago.
Marv in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Marv and Harry are the inept burglars in the first two Home Alone movies. Played by Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci respectively, their comedic dynamic is one thing that prevents Home Alone from being a flat out horror movie. Harry is often frustrated by Marv's incompetence, but the duo stick together even after the events of the first movie, so they must rely on each other in some way. Marv can't even be trusted to conceal the fact that he and Harry recently sprung out of jail. To be fair to him, he is constantly taking painful shots to the head, so he may not be thinking clearly.
