In 1990, Home Alone debuted starring Macaulay Culkin as a kid accidently left home during a Christmas vacation. While they family is away, the "Wet Bandits" target his home for burglary.
This film was almost not completed. Warner Brothers cancelled the flick after going over budget, but it was saved with some "blurring the legal line" talks with 20th Century Fox. As one Warner executive told everyone they were fired, another person followed behind and said we are going with another company.
While this has never been a staple in my household for Christmas movies, I understand why it is for some people. The last third of the movie is iconic following the bandits going through Kevin's traps. It takes a long time to get there though.
Many of the previous moments are still good. Some jokes land including the famous quote saying "Merry Christmas ya filthy animal." Kevin is watching the movie which helps him get free pizza and threaten the bandits. The rest of the two-thirds is fine, but I was mainly waiting for the better part.
Let us mention the Wet Bandits themselves. In the same year of this film, Joe Pesci stars in Goodfellas and Lethal Weapon 2, My Cousin Vinny, and Casino happen during a short time frame. Pesci was an in-demand celebrity. The casting director did a great job getting him on board.
While Daniel Stern does not have the star power, he was an excellent compliment as the other bandit. Interestingly, he turned it down at first but came to his senses after getting a second chance.
To be honest, the main reason to watch Home Alone is the break-in scene. I am not sure why watching people get hurt is funny, but it is (assuming it is fake of course). Here is a running list of the traps: iced steps, blowtorch, stepping on ornaments, stepping on nails, falling irons, hot handles, spider surprises, swinging paint cans and much more.
