Home Alone: a Christmas movie review

HOME ALONE: A REVIEW

Although the film has been out for more than 40 years: I’d like to start this review with a spoiler alert. If you don't know what happens in this iconic movie yet, please do us all a favour and go watch it now.

RAY VERSCHELDE

Kevin is the eight-year-old, incredibly clever protagonist of this Christmas movie. In the first part of the film, Kevin is constantly criticised by his family. When he asks for help with an unfamiliar task (packing his suitcase; something he has never done by himself before), his family hurtfully calls him helpless. Which makes him wish they could disappear. The next day the family flies to Paris and, on top of the usual chaos of travelling to the airport with kids, Kevin's family is running late, so they forget Kevin at home. As he wakes up, he realises he is home alone. Of course, the only logical explanation an eight-year-old thinks of in this situation is that he has made his family disappear (obviously). During his time alone, Kevin proves himself to be independent and truly grows: it is his time to shine. At first, he is happy to be in charge, but when a (more ridiculous than threatening) pair of burglars tries to break into his home, he puts up a rather ingenious fight against them.

I think the final scene with the robbers is quite incoherent; they fall into some of Kevin's traps too easily: even the alleged “smart” one acts like an idiot. I genuinely felt pain for them, even though they deserved it. As I watched this slapstick unfold, I really asked myself why they would take the risk and rob a house with a kid in it. I also wondered how Marvin stayed conscious after getting smashed in the face by a steam iron and with Marley hitting him with a damn snow shovel. The statue in front of the house keeps getting run over by various drivers, which made me really disappointed in some characters: why couldn’t they just be gentle with it (shaking my head)? I jumped at the sight of the door Santa, somehow that utterly terrified me. Heather’s sarcasm *insert worshipping emoji*. Uncle Frank: only in Ohio. Old Marley is one of my favourite characters. I’d like to reveal some of the funniest (to me at least) parts of the film. Come back to them anytime, I honestly chuckled very often. “MOMMM?” *aeroplane noise intensifies” / “I made my family disappear!” proceed to chaotically run around the house / “Did Kevin just bark?” / “Mais que ce passe-t-il” with a very obvious American accent / “I’m not afraid anymore. I’m not afraid anymore. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”, runs into the house and hides under a bed / Il crie beaucoup l’enfant / “Come on Marvin you’re scared of the dark too. You know it" / “Bless highly nutritive microwaved mac and cheese, amen”

The film is a classic Christmas comedy: I thoroughly recommend it. Rating: 4/5

I wondered how Marvin stayed conscious after getting smashed in the face by a steam iron and with Marley hitting him with a damn snow shovel.

“Bless highly nutritive microwaved mac and cheese, amen”