Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Now we come to the 1992 sequel, “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” People might complain that this film is the exact copy of the first one, but I still love this one. What’s best is John Hughes returns as writer-producer and Chris Columbus returns as director. On top of that, every character from the first one reprises their role in this film.

Macaulay Culkin returns as Kevin McAllister, now a little taller from the first one but still that boy that you saw in the beginning of the first one. This time the family does not forget him at home, and when they run to the airport because they are late for their flight to Miami, Kevin wonders on the wrong plane to New York City. He seems to be fine with it because he doesn’t need his family, or so he thinks. What’s so clever about this sequel is that the filmmakers realize that Kevin needs to find a place to live so he is not stranded on the streets. He’s one of those upper-middle-class children that he books a hotel room at the Plaza Hotel, using his dad’s credit card.

At the Plaza, Kevin meets up with some of the most beloved actors that we have seen. Most notably, they are Tim Curry as Mr. Hector, the concierge of the hotel, who you could consider the secondary villain. Former SNL member that you might hate, Rob Schneider plays Cedric, the bellman who can’t seem to say that he would like a proper tip and instead is given Fruit Stripe Gum. Dana Ivey is the desk clerk of the hotel, Mrs. Stone.

Owen Gleiberman of EW said in his review of “Home Alone 2,” “In just about every other way, Home Alone 2 duplicates the first film with blueprint savvy.” Just like how Kevin did in the first one when he found out his parents had left him home alone, he eats ice cream and watches movies. What makes this better is that Kevin has a tape recorder this time to fool the hotel people that his parents are talking to them. Just like how in the first one when Kevin was scared of his neighbor but got to know him and is told none of the rumors are true, in this one he befriends a pigeon lady, played by Brenda Fricker, who does scare him at first, but gets to know her and promises to be her friend. She melts her heart in time for the Christmas spirit finale. On top of all of this, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern return as the Wet Bandits, Marv and Harry, this time calling themselves the Sticky Bandits, and they are dumber than a doorknob.

The booby traps set in this one seem to be more violent and dark, but children would laugh at them. Marv gets hit by four bricks, stapled in the forehead and electrocuted. Harry again gets his head on fire, and the two have their nose smashed by a tool chest that Kevin pushed down the stairs. These traps are so funny that just like how in the first film when Harry and Marv got hit with paint cans and avoided them, they get hit with a large barbell looking object twice.

I didn’t say this before, but this is good family entertainment. I know it’s not as good as the first one, but at least give this one a chance. Even though they copied everything, it still has that nice Christmas charm that the family can feel when they watch this together. Gleiberman said, “I saw Home Alone 2 with an audience of children, most of whom ate up the gags like Gummi Bears. If they found this stuff harmless, I tend to think it probably is. For all that, the two Home Alone movies stick in my craw.” I completely agree with him because I still own the first two Home Alone movies on VHS to this very day. Today’s kids have more time to realize what kind of a violent world we live in today. Gleiberman stands by this statement by saying, “That they can now get started early, courtesy of John Hughes, isn't something I can muster a great deal of enthusiasm for.” A person saying that a live-action movie works like a cartoon is a type of criticism and not a compliment.

Final verdict: I would probably give this film a 9. Watch it if you liked the first one, and at least give this sequel a chance.

But how do the other sequels in this series hold out? Find out tomorrow when I continue my review of the “Home Alone series” in my 25 days of Christmas reviews.