Login
With 1990's Home Alone grossing $476 million at the worldwide box office from an $18 million budget, Twentieth Century Fox immediately pursued a sequel, bringing back screenwriter (and beloved filmmaker) John Hughes to mastermind the follow-up. Sticking with the established formula for success, 1992's Home Alone 2: Lost in New York merely rehashes the original film's story in a new setting, introducing too many coincidences to ignore. Although critics were less enamoured with this follow-up, it remains a cherished Christmas favourite in many households and an entertaining companion piece to the first film. With the sequel arriving a mere two years after its predecessor, Home Alone 2 sees several key creatives returning for the production, including director Chris Columbus, composer John Williams, cinematographer Julio Macat, and much of the original ensemble cast, establishing a strong sense of continuity between the two pictures. Recapturing the first film's winning mix of laughs and heart, Home Alone 2 overcomes the familiar narrative with its robust execution.
One year after Home Alone, the entire McCallister family plans to spend Christmas in Miami, Florida. Before the trip, Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) again gets in trouble when his big brother, Buzz (Devin Ratray), humiliates him during a Christmas pageant, and Kevin physically retaliates. After proclaiming that he would rather spend the holiday season alone, Kevin inadvertently boards the wrong plane after losing his family at the airport and ends up alone in New York City. But an ecstatic Kevin takes advantage of the situation, using his father's credit card to scam his way into renting a luxurious suite at the Plaza Hotel while his family collectively frets in Florida. Little does Kevin realise that the Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), have escaped from prison and made their way to the Big Apple to rob a toy store owned by the kindhearted Mr. Duncan (Eddie Bracken). Harry and Marv capture Kevin, but the shrewd boy slips away and decides to save the prestigious Duncan's Toy Chest by ambushing the burglars with inventive and painful booby traps.
Home Alone 2 is not one of Hughes's best or most creative screenwriting efforts, with the sequel incorporating many familiar elements from the original flick, including the McCallister family making a mad dash to the airport again after oversleeping, Kevin binging on junk food, another fictional black and white gangster picture, the McCallister family watching a foreign-dubbed version of It's a Wonderful Life, and Kevin befriending a mysterious, misunderstood stranger who becomes an ally in his fight against the Wet Bandits. The script introduces further narrative contrivances, with Kevin ending up alone on Christmas again and encountering the same two burglars in New York City's dense expanse when they go to the same toy store on the same day at the same time. It also takes a healthy suspension of disbelief to accept that the nine-year-old Kevin could successfully trick adults with his lies and schemes, allowing him to secure a luxurious NYC hotel room. Then again, this is a film in which a man quickly recovers after being hit in the face with four bricks tossed from the roof of a three-story building. Needless to say, it is a fantasy, and the movie is charming and entertaining enough to make you forget about the logic therein.
Setting the film in New York provides a welcome change of pace and scenery, allowing Kevin to explore the limitless opportunities of NYC. Since Kevin is a child, this includes visiting an enormous toy store. Kevin's creative exploits provide ample laughs, including his resourceful use of a cassette recorder in one of the film's most memorable scenes with Tim Curry as the Plaza Hotel's suspicious concierge. (The recorder, known as a Talkboy, was actually manufactured and sold to tie in with the film's release.) Of course, the script eventually puts Kevin in a position to thwart the Wet Bandits with an array of booby traps in an empty townhouse, leading to a climax in the same vein as the original film. Channelling the energy of the Looney Tunes and the Three Stooges, the antics are more brutal than anything from the first Home Alone - many of the traps here should result in serious injury or death. Columbus again executes the material with honest-to-goodness cinematic style and convincing special effects, ensuring the climax is entertaining and funny instead of mean-spirited. Home Alone 2's soundtrack is another huge asset, with the Oscar-nominated John Williams providing another flavoursome and engaging original score, while the film also features an array of recognisable Christmas songs, including Jingle Bell Rock and Sleigh Ride.
Amidst the enjoyably cartoonish violence, Macaulay Culkin's charm still carries the film, turning in a convincing performance that never feels false or artificial. Also returning from the first film are Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, who mainly exist as human crash test dummies while Kevin puts them through their paces. It is particularly amusing to watch Pesci mumbling family-friendly PG curse words while the wild-eyed, gleefully maniacal Stern remains hilariously incompetent and stupid, often drawing Marv's ire with his behaviour. Home Alone 2 brings back most of the first film's ensemble, with Catherine O'Hara and John Heard returning as Kevin's parents, and even Kieran Culkin (Macaulay's brother) appearing as Kevin's youngest cousin. Whereas the late great John Candy made a delightful cameo appearance in the first film, numerous recognisable performers fill the ensemble here. Ally Sheedy (The Breakfast Club) briefly appears as a ticket agent, while Donald Trump allowed the crew to film in the real Plaza Hotel in exchange for a brief cameo. Speaking of the Plaza Hotel, the great Tim Curry is a scene-stealer as the concierge, while Rob Schneider also shows up as a bellhop named Cedric. Another addition to the ensemble is Eddie Bracken, whose heartfelt and wholesome performance elevates the movie. Rounding out the main cast is Brenda Fricker, who adds warmth and heart to the production as a friendly pigeon lady. (Fricker might look like English broadcaster Piers Morgan, but it definitely is not him.)
Despite its mostly negative critical reception, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is an entertaining and worthwhile sequel with side-splitting comedy and a touch of heart, and it is fun to spend more time in the company of these familiar characters. Like its predecessor, it is easy to see why young viewers find the movie so enamouring and entertaining, particularly since it taps into their fantasies and has a strong moral message at the core of the story about the importance of kindness. Although this (more expensive) sequel earned less money at the box office than the original film, it was still a commercial success, with the studio remaining interested in continuing the Home Alone franchise. Home Alone 3 eventually followed in 1997 with a new cast and no returning characters.
7.2/10
