In 1990, a film called, “Home Alone,” written by the late John Hughes, became a household name for Macaulay Culkin’s status as an A-Lister. Chris Columbus, gained recognition as a full fledged film director. Over the years, Home Alone went on to become a Christmas classic among movie goers, and as a result, it continues to air on television every December. Two years after the release of Home Alone, Mac reprises his role as Kevin in “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York.”
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, was released in 1992. (same year Batman: The Animated Series aired on TV) Unlike Home Alone, the sequel received mixed reviews from critics, plus it became a money maker at the box office.
The following review contains SPOILERS. Due to the fact Home Alone 2 is basically Home Alone all over again.
Nice & Naughty Aspects
Nice: Macaulay Culkin, reprises his role as Kevin McCallaster and he did a good job on his performance.
Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern, also reprise their roles as bumbling burglars, Harry & Marv, the main antagonists from the previous film. They both did a fantastic job on their performances and they’re much more over-the-top than last time.
The only new character I liked, was Tim Curry’s role as the hotel concierge, who grows suspicious on Kevin, without anybody accompanying him. I’ll give him an Extra Point for trying to save the movie.
Besides Tim, Rob Schneider appears as a bellhop desperate for a paycheck. That’s Rob begging his friend, Adam Sandler a starring role in a nutshell.
One of the best Match Cuts, (a Match Cut, means a shot cuts to an identical one) shows The Grinch, smiling as it cuts to Tim Curry’s evil smile.
An inflatable clown was used to trick the hotel concierge, to make it look like Kevin’s dad was here. I think this is a meta-reference to Tim Curry’s role as Pennywise The Dancing Clown, from the original 1990 version of It.
Film Composer, John Williams, returns to orchestrate the film’s musical score.
Cinematography looked normal without any technical issues present throughout.
Former Brat Pack member, Ally Sheedy. You know the weird girl from “The Breakfast Club,” makes a cameo appearance.
Say what you will, Donald Trump, (yep the current president himself) makes a cameo appearance when Kevin enters The Plaza Hotel. Back in the day, Donald used to own the place. At least he didn’t hang out with Billy Bush. If you know what I mean?
Once again, a movie-within-movie, which features the same guy from the previous entry. I’ll give you a hint, his catchphrase has something to do with a filthy animal.
Marv screams like a girl, as he did in the original, he continues to give me a massive dosage of laughter! I’m still gonna give him Bonus Points for screaming in agony! It never gets old!
My favorite part of the whole movie, is when Marv gets electrocuted and he literally transforms into a skeleton. This isn’t a joke, I’m being brutally honest. Can somebody please make a meme featuring Marv as Ghost Rider?!
The Best Line in this film is, “Merry Christmas you filthy animal, and a happy new year!”
Naughty: The second entry felt like the first film all over again with elements recycled from the original. It’s basically “Home Alone In New York.” It’s as if John Hughes copied and pasted the plot from the sequel’s predecessor.
Chris Columbus made some big boo boos. It’s not his worst film if you count “I Love You Beth Cooper” & “Percy Jackson.”
Kevin’s family were completely oblivious that Buzz, who was responsible for humiliating Kevin, manages to apologize in an eloquent speech. In the real world, he’d be punished for what he did. Tony Soprano has better parenting skills than Kevin’s parents! Imagine if his son A.J. got away with various shenanigans? At least Tony acts like a responsible father than Kevin’s friggin’ idiot parents.
Like it’s predecessor, the sequel is also completely dated, for example, during a montage of Kevin exploring New York City. There’s a scene with him on top of one of The Twin Towers. This was filmed nine years prior to 9/11. Don’t forget that TSA wasn’t around back then.
Harry & Marv, manage to survive Kevin’s deadly traps. Unlike the second film, the traps from the original worked out realistically without going too overboard. Did they somehow acquired Wile E. Coyote’s ability to cheat death?
Kevin’s Character Development is reversed back to the way he was in the previous entry. I would assume he didn’t learn his lesson.
Kevin’s new friend, who’s a Pigeon Lady, was way too similar to The Old Man. You know, the creepy looking guy who was rumored to be a serial killer, but it turns out he ain’t. Just a misunderstood gentleman.
Product Placement featuring the following brands such as, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, American Airlines, Visa, & Polaroid.
The Final Verdict: C, FOR CAVITY ON A TOOTH!
Did Home Alone 2 captured lightning in a bottle like its previous entry? In my opinion, I don’t think this film didn’t recapture it’s mojo. Some parts were good, while some felt like they were copied and pasted without a new element. Sequels can be extremely tricky when it comes to bringing back your audience/fan base into trying new magic tricks, as long as the magician doesn’t redo the same routine over and over again.
Home Alone 2 is not the worst Home Alone movie, until an epic clunker called Home Alone 3, came out in 1997 without Macaulay Culkin and the rest of the cast. The second entry had some good stuff I’ve listed are Nice, while the cons I’ve listed are Naughty.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 