“Kevin!”
While I can say that I’ve only seen this movie once, I can say that I know it is a very popular Christmas movie because it seems to show up on every channel every year during the holiday season. Sure, it takes place at Christmas, but really? Okay, let’s go with it being a family holiday movie since it does have Santa and stuff in it. It is listed as one of the best Christmas films.
It is the first in a franchise because if you forget Kevin once, apparently you’ll forget him time and again – at least until he turns 21. This is not a story of reliable parenting.
It was written by John Hughes (of Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Beethoven, Dennis the Menace and more fame – none of these are examples of reliable parenting, either) while he was on vacation one year.
Maybe John saw a family looking for their kid somewhere and was inspired. Anyway, he partnered with Warner Bros. who backed out when John blew past the budget. It was then picked up by 20th Century Fox.
The movie grossed more than any other live-action comedy until The Hangover Part II in 2011. That seems like a terrible replacement for Home Alone, but hey, the same kids that loved Home Alone can now drink, so there’s that.
What Home Alone did do was to make Macaulay Culkin a star and make every guy who’d ever felt the sting of aftershave cringe.
The story of Kevin is akin to the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Little Kev was kinda the butt of the family joke and was tormented relentlessly by his siblings. So what does his wonderful mother do? She sends him to the attic – most likely to spend time considering the errors of his ways. Kev spends time thinking about how nice it would be if they all disappeared.
Self-fulfilling wish or circumstances?
The story hits the top of the roller coaster here and then dives deliciously into the wild ride that Kevin takes for the rest of the movie.
The cast is stellar with Joe Pesci not using the F-word once that I recall and Daniel Stern playing his bumbling sidekick. Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice and Schitt’s Creek) drags her matronly instincts out of a posh bag and treks off to save her child. John Heard played Kevin’s dad - he was a bit underwhelming in this role.
Home Alone garnered several Golden Globe and Academy Awards nominations, but did not win any of them. That doesn’t matter though; it was the second-highest grossing film in 1990, falling behind Ghost. I mean, really, Ghost had sexy Patrick Swayze and Home Alone had Joe Pesci! No contest.
The pratfalls and other physical comedy in this movie does warrant a laugh or two (especially if you're a fan of America's Funniest Videos, and guys getting hit in the face with irons makes you snort your soda), so if and when it comes around this holiday season, if you haven’t seen this, take a couple hours and be delighted by the fun of 1990 and stupid parenting.
Another wonderful delight of the holiday season is the shopping! When shopping for your gifts this year, choose handmade gifts that will stand out from all others. Here are some great gift ideas for you:
Jewish Wine Charms Jewish Gifts
Plumeria Brilliance Coffee Mug
Christmas Holiday Gift Card or Money Holders
Snowflake and Snowman Keychain, Handmade Winter Purse Charm
VICTORIAN CHRISTMAS Theme Cards Set of 2
Crocheted Christmas Red Jumper Infant w Snowflake Applique and Matching Hat
Birds Freedom Boho Earrings
Sparkly Faceted Blue Swarovski Crystal Dangle Earrings
Sacred Heart Catholic Church 8x10 or 11 x 15 watercolor print Tampa Florida Historic print
Tibetan Tusk Pendant Lapis Natural Turquoise Coral Tusk Gemstone Necklace
Antiqued Silver Bell With Clapper Necklace
Christmas Winter Cardinal Redbird Collectible Thimbles Decorative Handmade
Don’t see what you want here?
Here are some more places to shop handmade by these artists, and if nothing else, ask one of them to create something for you.
Countdown to Christmas 2022
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Week 6
Week 7
More Places to Shop:
Favorite Christmas Movies - How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Favorite Christmas Movies - A Christmas Story
Favorite Christmas Movies - Miracle on 34th Street
Favorite Christmas Movies - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Favorite Christmas Movies - A Charlie Brown Christmas
Favorite Christmas Movies - A Christmas Carol
Check back for more gift ideas.
Happy gift giving,
Julie
Julie, you’ve brought back a ton of good memories when the movie Home Alone came out.
Thanks so much for including my Jewish wine charms in this beautiful gift collection. We all appreciate your hard work.
It is one of my kids favorite movies. It gets watched every year. Thanks so much for including my Swarovski crystal dangle earrings.
I love the movie “Home Alone”. It is definitely a classic! Thank you for choosing my photo of a plumeria bloom, Julie… I am so appreciative!!! Wishing you and yours a wonderful weekend! Joanne :)
I definitely remember this Home Alone movie since it was a really big hit in the 1990s. Watch it for the first time while I was still quite young and I liked it. But as I was getting older, rewatching this is now just meh… I’d rather watch something else. So many beautiful creations here, thank you so much for including my Christmas gift card holders, Julie. Off to share.
Thanks Julie for hosting. LOVE that movie and all the laughs. Appreciate these posts and reflections of the good type movies. Thanks for including my Sacred Heart Catholic Church print. Great collection.