Like presents, Christmas films come in all shapes and sizes, and navigating the great from the mass of cheese can sometimes be torturous. There are many films that have got it spot on though: entertaining, family-friendly, heart-warming and with plenty of laughs. These films deliver for all audiences, and evoke memories for many of sitting around post-Christmas dinner, more stuffed than the turkey, with a grandparent snoring away and too many quality street sweets being eaten. With so many movies that make me feel like a child again and remind us of this magical time of the year, narrowing down my favourite is no easy feat. National Lampoon’s Christmas never fails to entertain, Elf has made its mark as a modern classic, It’s a Wonderful Life tugs on those heartstrings, and Die Hard may not be a stereotypical Christmas film, but it sure is a great movie and still gets you in the festive spirit. For me, there is one that edges out the rest, that I couldn’t imagine not watching during the festive period: Home Alone.
Macaulay Culkin plays Kevin McCallister, the wise-cracking trouble-maker, who accidently gets left at home while his family go away on holiday for Christmas. Feeling a bit hard-done by as a young child in a big family, he wishes his family would disappear, and one morning it seems he gets his wish. He lives every kid’s dream of being able to do whatever he wants without any repercussions. He learns pretty quickly how much he misses his family when they’re not around though, even his nightmare of a big brother Buzz (Devin Ratray). While Kevin could easily have come across as a bit of a brat, Culkin plays him to perfection as the endearing, street-smart 8-year old who manages to order pizza and get away without paying, watches films too inappropriate for a child his age, and snoops around his big brother’s room. There are really sweet moments when Kevin lays the table to eat a ‘proper’ meal by himself, and hides under his absent parents bed, along with lots of laughs.
What the film is best known for are the antics Kevin gets up to as he prepares for battle against the Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), who are a pair of hapless burglars with their eyes set on the McCallister house. They have no idea who they’re up against with the resourceful young Kevin though, as he sets traps all over the house to injure and antagonise the criminals, producing some brilliant slapstick comedic moments. I’m pretty sure all children watching this loved the idea of a kid standing up to the villains, making them look like fools and finding all sorts of funny ways to terrorise them through the house.
Things look hairy for Kevin when the Wet Bandits seem to take the upper hand, but Kevin’s sweet nature in having made friends with a lonely neighbour who previously terrified him comes into play as the old man Marley (Roberts Blossom) rescues the boy. The police arrive to detain the bandits, and Kevin is finally reunited with his mother (Catherine O’Hara) who has no idea of all the events that have taken place under her roof. When she eventually finds the basement covered in tar and paint cans tied to the stairs on string, she might start to get suspicious…
Home Alone delivers the laughs in bulk, but also the family-friendly tale of someone realising what’s important to them at a time of year when it’s good to be with the people who mean most to you. For me, it combines some of those heart-warming moments from It’s a Wonderful Life with the great slapstick comedy of Chevvy Chase in National Lampoon and the childhood innocence of Will Ferrell in Elf. Harry and Marv play the Grinch-like characters well as a comedic-double act, with just the right amount of meanness mixed with silliness to be scary enough they deserve their comeuppance and the injuries Kevin inflicts on them, but not completely terrify real children watching at home. It’s a film that really makes me nostalgic as a 90s child, and my perfect Christmas film. All that’s left to say, is “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal”.
Verdict
