Happy Holidays and welcome! We are counting down the days until December 25th and, in that time, I will be reviewing each and every Christmas/holiday film I watch during the month. They’re mostly a selection of films in my own library or films and shows that have been recommended to me.
Please enjoy and leave a comment!
And if you missed any of our past reflections, take a look:
Holiday Inn (1942)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
White Christmas (1954)
Santa Claus (1959)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972)
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
I Believe in Santa Claus (1984)
Lethal Weapon (1986)
Die Hard (1988)
Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Scrooged (1988)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
Die Hard 2 (1990)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
It’s Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown (1992)
Our next film is…
WATCHING: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
DIRECTOR: Chris Columbus returned to the director’s chair for this one because, why the hell not? The first one was an epic smash, so Columbus was ready to skate this ice again.
WHAT IS IT?: The sequel to the smash film that was Home Alone.
THE PLOT: A year following his solitary Christmas at home, Kevin McAllister (Macauley Culkin) DOES end up at the airport with his family this time around…except, this time, he gets separated during the run for the main gate and takes the wrong plane, ending up in New York while his family goes to France.
Using his dad’s credit card (Kevin also ends up with his father’s satchel) to secure a suite at the Plaza Hotel, Kevin’s Christmas starts out well enough — but once the hotel manager (Tim Curry) discovers Kevin’s game and boots him out, Kevin’s soon wandering the streets of New York alone.
This puts him on a collision with the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern), who recently escaped from prison, and who have also found their way to New York, looking to pull a get-rich quick job so they can survive.
WHAT DID CRITICS THINK?: The critics chewed it up and spit it out, saying that it was more violent, exaggerated, and forced than the original film.
WHAT DID I THINK?: The follow-up to the insanely successful “Home Alone” is better than you’d expect. It has the same formula as the last film with every single cast member returning. The “big city Christmas” photography is beautiful and the film features another beautiful, joyous Christmas score from the great John Williams.
However, the film requires that you suspend your disbelief to unbelievable levels and the final battle between Kevin and the Wet Bandits eschews reality, settling for Looney Tunes cartoon-style violence this time around. It still gives you laughs but it’s a little harder to tolerate.
Still, Home Alone 2 has its moments and kids will eat it up.
(Somebody is going to mention it so I’ll just rip the bandage off and say it: Donald Trump has a tiny cameo in the film. Sorry for giving him any credence.)
GRADE: B-