Review of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) by Russell F — 18 Dec 2011

Day 15 of Our 25 days of Christmas Movies Marathon Countdown.

Sequels usually aren't as good as there predecessors , but here's one that actually passes the test with flying colors. Now I'm aware that Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is the exact same plot as the first Home Alone, and not to mention how silly it seems that these folks would leave their kid behind, but come on, this movie was all in good fun.

"Home Alone 2" takes place just two years after the events in the first movie when Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) was accidentally left home alone by his family and relatives because of an argument and later had to deal with two burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) wanting to rob his house before getting arrested. Kevin and his family are heading down to Florida for Christmas this year, but when Kevin gets mixed up at the air port and gets on the wrong flight, he ends up in New York. Instead of complaining or panicking, he just plain enjoys it. He goes on the ultimate tour with his father's bag of money and credit cards and cons himself into the Plaza Hotel claiming he's there with his dad. But the Wet Bandants who have now re-named themselves as the Sticky Bandants are in New York as well and are planning on stealing all the money from a toy store that is going to be given to the children's hospital. But Kevin is going to make sure that they don't mess around with the kids and has set his uncle's abandoned apartment up for a fun house of traps.

Like the first film, Director Chris Colombus really shows great talent on producing ideal family films. The laughs are as effective as always and, like the original, it doesn't forget to integrate great family values. The snowy New York scenery is a wonderful backdrop to the all ready popular Home alone storyline. The original cast return with Culkin in the lead, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern as the hilariously dumb, yet slightly endearing criminals with a heart of coal and the fantastic Catherine O'Hara as the mom every child wants, played with just the right amount of fear, guilt, determination and love that is needed. Another noteworthy return is the sequel of gangster spoof Angels with Filthy Souls, Angels with Even Filthier Souls (a reminiscent construction of Angels with Dirty Faces with James Cagney.) New characters are brought to life by Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Eddie Bracken, Dana Ivey and a young Rob Schneider. Out of the new additions, It's Curry who has some of the funnier moments as The Plaza's Hotel's concierge trying to figure out what Kevin is really up to.

'Home Alone 2' still carries the Christmas spirit and spreads that warm, holiday feeling. Along with the comedy aspect come the moral subplots involving friendship/family and the meaning of Christmas. Overall, it is done very well, but the novelty tends to wear off between films because both are very similar. They're still creative in the comedy aspect, however, and it's worth a watch over the holidays. but I will say this and it's one of the reasons I still have a soft spot for it. What helps separate Home Alone 2: Lost in New York from the Original is the way it uses New York as it's backdrop. It forms a quintessential idea of New York by using Central Park, Carnegie Hall and the Plaza Hotel as central plot settings. It is as much a Christmas film as it is a New York City film and this familiar "touristy" promotion shows New York as being a unique "White Christmas" town.