“Home Alone”

Who would have thought that a film about an eight-year-old being left home alone would become one of the biggest-grossing comedies of all time,

Macauley Caulkin plays Kevin McCallister, the youngest of five kids, who’s left behind when his sizable extended family oversleep for their plane to France. They’re supposed to spend Christmas overseas, but his mother (Catherine O’Hara who’s hysterical in both the literal and comedic sense) spends the remainder of the film hopping from one flight to another, each of which brings her just a tad closer back to their hometown of Chicago. Meanwhile, Kevin is having the time of his life.

The runt of the family is forced to fend for himself. After a prolonged period of gorging on ice cream and gangster movies, he grows up and becomes responsible. He walks to the grocery store and buys food and even detergent so he can do laundry when he gets back home. The final test of his maturity is proven in the end when he outsmarts a duo of dim-witted cat burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern). The climax at the end is hilarious, and the burglars’ anguish at Kevin’s booby traps is excruciating.

“Home Alone” is another one of director John Hughes’s long string of successes. However, this film withstands the test of time considerably better than his previous hits like “Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles”. But more similar to “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles”, the film hits the meat of a timeless comedy with sympathetic characters and terrific gags.