Classic 90s Movie: “Home Alone”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Paul Lewis.

Movie Title: Home Alone

Year: 1990

Writer: John Hughes

Lead Actors: McCauley Culkin (Kevin McCallister), Joe Pesci (Harry), Daniel Stern (Marv) John Candy (Gus Ploinski), Catherine O’Hara (Claire McCallister)

Director: Chris Columbus

IMDB Plot Summary: An 8-year-old boy who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas must defend his home against idiotic burglars.

Why I Think This Is A Classic 90s Movies: Many reasons. It seems like a 90’s action movie because its more of an “adventure” movie than action movies from the 80’s. Home Alone features no deaths, no dangerous firearms, no swearing and the hero is 10 year old boy. We have beats of comedy and a strong message/theme of family. This is a total four quadrant movies designed to reach any and all viewers. Looking at the other top grossing films from 1990, they’re more adult (Dances with Wolves, Ghost, Pretty Woman), this provided a breath of fresh air and acted as counter programming.

My Favorite Moment In The Movie: Kevin’s reaction to his family disappearing. The introduction to Kevin’s family is that it’s not only a crowded house, it’s a crowded large house, one where he’s the odd man out. He gets his wish and he’s alone, living what is his fantasy. At first he doesn’t realize the repercussions of being alone, so it’s a pure “wahoo” moment.

My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie: There was a slight tie in this category between Kevin at the store and Harry and Marv talking the first time.

Kevin at the store is great because we get to see Kevin ape dialogue that he’s heard from adults, or what they’d want to hear. It further establishes that Kevin might be a bit of a smart ass, but there’s an emphasis on smart. It further establishes that the main character has a sense of the world around him. It also shows how people outside the family see him (which is ironically similar to the way his family sees him). This interaction also creates a further sense that Kevin and the old man and complete outsiders.

Any dialogue between Harry and Marv is great probably for the reason that it’s dialogue you wouldn’t hear in a movie today. The two Wet Bandits go from being stock bumbling idiots to being invaders. When they finally catch up with Kevin, they’re menacing, suggesting torture to a kid, and the moment plays just long enough to give a sense of dread.

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: Point of view. Columbus and Hughes remember that their main character is a child. This leads to great gags (Kevin’s reaction to reading a dirty magazine) and also creates obstacles that an audience can relate to. Case in point: the furnace. At the start of the film its an object that Kevin fears (complete with scary sounds and neat practical effects), it eventually becomes part of his home defense.

Columbus and Hughes never lose sight that this is a family movie, so there’s a great emotional balance between Kevin’s story and Claire’s B plot trying to make it back to Illinois. This way the viewer gets the best of both worlds, a story for the kids that younger audiences can enjoy in the moment and adults can be nostalgic for, and a funny adult side story that stays on the theme of family.

Thanks, Paul! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

We already have a set of 80s Movies. This month we cover 90s movies. So thanks to all of you for your participation in this project, creating a resource for writers, movies they should watch to help learn the craft of screenwriting!

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