286. Home Alone

Title: Home Alone
Genre: Comedy, Family
Year: 1990 1992, 1997, 2002, 2012

Summary: 

Home Alone (1990): The night before their flight to Paris for the Christmas holiday, the McCallister family gathers at the Winnetka, Illinois home of Peter and Kate McCallister. Their eight-year-old son Kevin is tormented by his siblings and cousins. After a fight with his older brother Buzz, Kevin is sent to the third floor of the house, where he wishes his family would disappear. During the night, an electrical outage resets the alarm clocks and causes the family to oversleep. In the confusion and rush to reach their flight on time, Kevin is left behind and the family is unaware until they are already airborne. Once in Paris, both Peter and Kate desperately try to book a flight home, but find all the flights booked for the next two days. The clerks put Kate on standby for any possible seat opening. The rest of the family goes to their relative's home in Paris.

Meanwhile, Kevin wakes up to find the house empty and is overjoyed with his new freedom. He practices shooting with Buzz's BB gun, jumps on the bed, watches a gangster film, and eats a large serving of junk food, but accidentally wrecks Buzz's room. The Chicago Police Department arrive to check on him but are unable to locate him and consider his parents' call a hoax. Kevin also deals with his fear of his next door neighbor "Old Man" Marley (who is rumored to have murdered his family many years earlier) and the Wet Bandits Harry and Marv (criminals named for Marv's tendency to intentionally flood the homes they rob). The duo is robbing the area's vacant homes and have targeted Kevin's. Kevin keeps the duo at bay by tricking them into thinking the house is still inhabited, but they eventually realize Kevin is alone.

Kate gets a flight to the U.S., but ends up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She tries to book a flight to Chicago but they are again all booked. Kate refuses to accept the situation, and she is overheard by Gus Polinski, the lead member of a traveling polka band, who offers to let her travel with them to Chicago on their way to Milwaukee, which she happily accepts.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin overhears Harry and Marv discussing plans for breaking into his house that night. Kevin goes to church and watches a choir perform. Marley sits beside Kevin and the pair talk; he learns that Marley is actually a nice person and the rumors about him are false. He tells Kevin he is watching the choir because his granddaughter is in it, and he never gets to see her because he and his son have not spoken in years after they had an argument; Kevin suggests he reconcile with his son.

Kevin returns home and rigs the house with numerous booby traps. Harry and Marv break in, springing the traps and suffer burns, impalement, and a lost tooth. While the duo closes in on Kevin, he calls the police and escapes the house into a neighboring vacant home. Harry and Marv manage to catch him and discuss how they will get their revenge. Marley sneaks up behind the duo and knocks them out with a snow shovel. Shortly after, Harry and Marv are arrested and connected to the multiple other robberies because of Marv's flooding habit.

On Christmas Day, Kevin is disappointed to find that his family is still gone. He then hears Kate enter the house and call for him; they reconcile. Immediately after, the rest of the McCallisters arrive, having flown directly from Paris to Chicago. Kevin keeps silent about his encounter with Harry and Marv, although Peter finds Harry's missing gold tooth. Kevin and Buzz forgive each other for their earlier argument. Kevin then observes Marley reuniting with his son and his family. Marley notices Kevin and the pair acknowledge each other. Buzz suddenly calls out, "Kevin, what did you do to my room?" at which point Kevin runs off.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992): The night before their flight to Miami for Christmas, the McCallister family gathers at the Winnetka, Illinois home of Peter and Kate McCallister. Their ten-year-old son Kevin sees Florida as contradictory to Christmas because of the lack of Christmas trees. During the school Christmas concert, Kevin's older brother Buzz humiliates him during his solo, causing Kevin to retaliate. Kevin refuses to apologize for his actions and, still angry with the family's decision to go to Florida, he storms up to the third floor bedroom of the house. During the night, Peter unknowingly resets the alarm clock and causes the family to oversleep. In the confusion and rush to reach the airport on time, Kevin gets onto a flight to New York City, carrying Peter's bag containing his wallet and a large amount of money; the family does not realize it until after they land in Florida. In New York, Kevin tours the city and tricks the staff at the Plaza Hotel into giving him a room with Peter's credit card. During a visit to Central Park, Kevin is scared by the appearance of a woman tending to pigeons.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin tours the city in a limousine and visits a toy store where he meets its philanthropic owner, Mr. Duncan. Kevin learns that the proceeds from Christmas sales will be donated to a children's hospital. Duncan gives Kevin a pair of ceramic turtledoves as a gift, instructing him to give one to another person as a sign of eternal friendship. After encountering the Wet Bandits (now called the Sticky Bandits) Harry and Marv, Kevin is chased to the hotel. The hotel's concierge Mr. Hector confronts Kevin about the credit card which has been reported stolen. Kevin flees after evading Mr. Hector, but is captured by the Wet Bandits. They discuss plans for robbing the toy store that night, before Kevin manages to escape.

The McCallisters travel to New York after locating the stolen credit card and Kate searches the city for Kevin. Meanwhile, Kevin goes to his Uncle Rob's townhouse. After arriving, he finds the house vacant and undergoing renovations while Uncle Rob and his family are in Paris. In Central Park, he comes across the pigeon lady. When Kevin gets his foot caught while running away, she frees him. The pair observe a local orchestra performance together and Kevin learns how her life has fallen apart and how she dealt with it by taking care of the pigeons in the park. Kevin vows to the pigeon lady that he will be her friend.

Kevin later returns to the townhouse and rigs it with numerous booby traps. Kevin arrives at the toy store during Harry and Marv's break in, throws a brick through the window to set off the store's alarm, and leads the pair to the townhouse, triggering numerous traps. When the Wet Bandits close on Kevin, he flees the townhouse and calls the police. Harry and Marv catch Kevin and take him to Central Park, intent on killing him in isolation. Harry pulls out a malfunctioning revolver, and is just about to shoot Kevin, but the pigeon lady incapacitates the bandits with her pigeons and Kevin sets off fireworks he had bought earlier to signal the police. Harry and Marv are arrested. While at the toy store, Mr. Duncan finds a note from Kevin attached to the brick apologizing for the window and explaining the situation.

Meanwhile, Kate remembers Kevin's fondness for Christmas trees. Kevin makes a wish at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. Kate finds him there and the two reconcile. On Christmas Day, a truckload of gifts arrive at the McCallister's hotel room from the toy store. Kevin and Buzz make peace and Buzz allows him to open up the first present. Kevin was about to open the present; however, he goes to Central Park to give the pigeon lady the second turtledove. At the hotel, Buzz receives the bill for Kevin's stay from Cedric, and sees that the bill costs $967.43. Kevin then hears Peter scream out, "KEVIN! YOU SPENT $967 ON ROOM SERVICE?!". At that point, he runs off in horror.

Home Alone 3 (1997): Peter Beaupre, Alice Rivens^[1], Burton Jernigan, and Earl Unger, four internationally wanted criminals working for a North Korean terrorist group. have stolen a US$10 million missile cloaking computer chip The thieves put it inside a toy remote control car to sneak it past security at San Francisco International Airport. However, a luggage mix-up occurs, causing Mrs. Hess to inadvertently take the thieves' bag with the remote control car in it while heading home to Chicago. The four thieves arrive in Chicago and systematically search every house in Mrs. Hess' suburban neighborhood to find the chip. Meanwhile, eight-year-old Alex Pruitt is given the remote control car by Mrs. Hess for shoveling snow, but soon becomes ill with the chickenpox and Alex must stay home. While at home, Alex is using his telescope in which he discovers Beaupre in one the houses and the others on look out for the chip. Alex calls the Chicago Police Department, but Beaupre flees before they arrive. When the police are still unable to locate the thieves after they are called yet again, they consider Alex's call a hoax. Alex mounts a camera on his remote control car and attempt to film some footage of the thieves, who are searching in every house to find the chip. Alex eventually films Beaupre, but the remote control car is discovered before it can get away and Beaupre takes the tape, leaving Alex without evidence. Wondering what the thieves want with a remote control car, Alex opens it and discovers the stolen chip and immediately calls Chicago's Air Force Recruitment Center and informs them about the chip while asking if they can forward the information about the chip to someone.

The thieves conclude that Alex has been watching them and decide to pursue him. As a snowstorm hits Chicago, the thieves block off the road to the house, and Alice duct tapes Mrs. Hess to a porch chair in her garage and leaves the door open. By this point, Alex has armed his house with more violent booby traps and prepares to set them off with his pet rat, Doris, and the loudmouthed parrot of his brother, Stan. After several break-in attempts, the thieves begin to pursue Alex. Alex runs to the attic and goes into the dumbwaiter down to the basement, and runs outside and calls to Alice, Jernigan and Unger. The thieves sees Alex and notice a trampoline below them. Jernigan and Unger jump to pursue Alex, but the trampoline gives way and they fall into a frozen pool. Alice wriggles her way into the dumbwaiter chute, but falls down to the basement after Alex removed the bottom. Alex rescues Hess and is cornered by Beaupre, but manages to scare him off with a fake gun. Meanwhile, the Federal Bureau of Investigation goes to Alex's siblings' school after being tipped off by the recruitment center. Alex's family brings the agents to their house, where the police arrest Alice, Jernigan, and Unger. However, Beaupre flees to the snow fort in the backyard. The parrot drives the remote control car into the snow fort and threatens to light fireworks which are lined around the inside. Beaupre offers a cracker, but the parrot demands two. Since he only has one, the parrot then lights the fireworks, and flees. Beaupre is arrested.

In the epilogue, Alex and his family celebrate with his father returning home. Hess, who befriends Alex after he successfully rescues her, is there along with the FBI and the police while Alex's house is being repaired. In the final scene of the film while the thieves are having their mugshot photos taken, they were said to have caught by Alex's chickenpox. 

Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002): At the McCallisters' house, Peter (Jason Beghe) is about to get divorced from Kate (Clare Carey) and announces that he's living with his new and rich girlfriend Natalie (Joanna Going) at her mansion. He tells his three children Buzz (Gideon Jacobs), Megan (Chelsea Russo), and Kevin (Mike Weinberg) that they are hosting the visit of a royal family and invites everyone to spend Christmas with him and Natalie. After initially refusing, Kevin takes his father up on his offer after being tormented by Buzz. Kate is disappointed that Kevin is with his father.

Kevin enjoys his time at Natalie's mansion with his new bedroom, latest gadgets and his life. In the next morning, Natalie and Peter go out for a bit while Kevin stays at the mansion with Natalie's butler Mr. Prescott (Erick Avari) and maid Molly (Barbara Babcock). While Prescott makes Kevin a milkshake, he goes into the security room and gets caught by Prescott who gives Kevin another chance. With Natalie and Peter still away, Kevin notices his old nemesis Marv (French Stewart), a remaining member of the Wet Bandits and new sidekick and wife Vera (Missi Pyle) outside the house. Kevin tries to get Mr. Prescott to answer the intercom, but for some reason Prescott does not answer. He then spies on them and drive them away by flooding the house, but Peter and Natalie arrive while Kevin is cleaning up and don`t believe Kevin's explanation especially since Prescott claims to have seen nothing. While driving, Marv tells Vera about his encounters with Kevin and states that they have someone on the inside to help them in their plot. Kevin then attempts to use the security camera footage to prove himself, but discovers that the camera had been turned off and is caught by Prescott (who Kevin now believes to be Marv and Vera's ally). Molly then appears and gets Kevin out of trouble. Peter and Natalie then realize they gave Kevin a hard time and decide to make him feel better, so the three of them decide to decorate the tree together.

The next morning Peter and Kevin wake up and realize their tree was replaced because of Natalie. Kate, Buzz and Megan then decided to visit Kevin. Kate meets Natalie in person and Kevin shows the entire house to Buzz and Megan. At a party for the royal family while Peter and Natalie have gone to pick them up, Kevin notices Marv and Vera dressed up as caterers. Mr. Prescott warns Kevin about the night so he then tricks Mr. Prescott into going into the freezer room and he ends up locked in and frozen in ice. Kevin then spies on Marv and Vera in his bedroom and hears them planning about kidnapping the royals. Unfortunately for them, Kevin makes sure that their plan was a failure and has them fall out and break the window. The royal family are unable to attend the party because their flight was cancelled, so Peter and Natalie instead announce their engagement. Marv and Vera run back into the house and Kevin hits Marv with a frying pan, flips the table and get soup spilled on Marv and Vera. They then chase Kevin, causing him to accidentally ruin the party. Peter is angered at this event, still refusing to believe Kevin about the break-in for he believes that Kevin is trying to end his relationship with Natalie.

Since no one believes him about the heist, Kevin decides to deal with matters himself and sets booby traps for Marv and Vera. The next morning, Peter and Natalie go get the royals and Kevin is left back at the house. Marv and Vera wake up and head to the house. Kevin tricks and locks Mr. Prescott in the basement, but then he discovers Marv and Vera's real ally is actually Molly who also turns out to be Marv's mother as well. Kevin gets locked in the basement with Mr. Prescott where he learns that he only ignored the intercom because he hates his job and that during the times Natalie is away he takes secret breaks which if caught would lead Natalie to order him with more work hours. He lied to Natalie about watching the monitors to cover up his secret well-deserved breaks and not to help Marv and Vera. After apologizing to Mr. Prescott for misjudging him (and vice-versa), Kevin tries to call Buzz using Prescott's phone but he just jeers and hangs up on him. He then tries to call his mom but they get disconnected and when calling the house Kate is told by a lying Molly that Kevin is with Peter. When Kate calls Peter about Kevin, he denies this causing both Kate and Peter to become suspicious.

During these calls, Kevin loses power on Prescott's phone and with help from Prescott manages to escape through the dumbwaiter. He then unleashes his traps on Marv and Vera. Molly hears the commotion and tries to stop Kevin resulting in Kevin trapping her in the elevator. At the airport, Peter's suspicions about the confusion about Kevin gets him worried about Kevin and leaves Natalie to get the royal prince as he goes back to Natalie's mansion to check on him. Back in the basement, Mr. Prescott then manages to escape through the dumbwaiter as well wanting to see if Kevin is alright. Just on the road, Kate, Buzz and Megan are on their way to save Kevin as well since Kate also was suspicious. Marv heads to the bedroom and ends up getting caught and stuck under the bookshelf. Kevin then plays a recording of Marv, making it sound like he's insulting Vera, which causes them argue. Marv then gets hit by Kevin's electric aircraft making him fall and rumble down the stairs. Marv and Vera are then tricked by Kevin with a secret wall switch, end up swinging from a chandelier, and they fall and are knocked unconscious. When smugly wishing them a merry Christmas, Molly had escaped from the elevator and grabs Kevin threatening him with a pan, but Mr. Prescott knocks her out with a serving tray. Then, he and Kevin call the police just as Peter, Kate, Buzz and Megan arrive.

As Peter, Kate, Buzz and Megan arrive, Kevin, with Buzz and Megan's help, chases Marv and Vera out of the house and checkmates them, Peter then apologizes to Kevin for not believing him. The royal family and Natalie arrive at the house and Natalie is confused when she sees Molly getting arrested for her crimes alongside Marv and Vera. An FBI agent reveals that Molly confessed inside to have masterminded the plot to abduct the royal family. Everyone has a good Christmas as Peter breaks up with Natalie, Mr. Prescott resigns, and it is a good Christmas for the McCallisters.

Home Alone 5: The Holiday Heist (2012): The Baxter family move from California to Maine and settle into their new house during the Christmas season. 10-year-old Finn Baxter (Christian Martyn) and his older sister, Alexis Baxter (Jodelle Ferland), are technophiles, who isolate themselves from their parents Curtis Baxter (Doug Murray) and Catherine Baxter (Ellie Harvie) and the outside world. Encouraged by his dad to socialize, Finn befriends his neighbor, Mason (Peter DaCunha), who informs him about the legend of a smothered gangster whose ghost haunts the Baxters' new home, leaving Finn paranoid.

While the family leaves their home to go shopping the next day, a group of thieves named Sinclair (Malcolm McDowell), Jessica (Debi Mazar) and their new safecracker Hughes (Eddie Steeples) carry out their plan to break in and steal an old, long lost Edvard Munch painting valued at $85 million, unaware the house is now inhabited. They are unable to locate the painting in the basement safe, as the Baxters return home, and the thieves quickly flee. At night, Curtis and Catherine leave for a Christmas party held by Catherine's new boss, Mr. Carson (Edward Asner). Finn and Alexis stay behind; however, Finn is barred from video gaming and Alexis can only use her phone for emergency calls.

That night after having seen the party invitation earlier, the thieves plan to return, thinking the house will be cleared of the whole family. Sinclair confides in Jessica and Hughes that the painting they seek is The Widow, a portrait of his great-grandmother and her family that was stolen decades ago. Meanwhile, Finn adventures in the house and eventually breaks the rules by playing video games. Searching for new batteries for his controller, he drops one that rolls down into the basement. Finn has Alexis accompany him in the basement to retrieve it and they find the safe unlocked and a secret room behind it, which hosts the painting Sinclair is looking for. Frightened by the portrait, Finn flees and Alexis triggers a trap and she ends up locked in the room.

As an ongoing snowstorm worsens, Curtis and Catherine are forced to stay at the Christmas party, worrying about their kids at home. With Alexis locked behind the safe, Finn goes to shop for supplies at a hardware store to break her out, only affording string that is useless. After stumbling across Sinclair, he overhears their plan to target his house for burglary. Rushing home, Finn tells his online video game friend and young college student, Simon (Bill Turnbull) about the situation, but Simon initially dismisses it, believing Finn is talking about a game. Finn sets up numerous booby traps around the house, and the thieves trigger them off one by one. Soon enough, Curtis and Catherine are able to drive home. Using Finn's gamertag and his parents' credit card details, a concerned Simon contacts them to warn about the danger their kids are in, but they falsely believe he is guilty of kidnapping them and call the police.

Back at the house, Finn runs out of booby traps and is captured by the burglars. They lock Finn in their van and Jessica guards him, while the other two crooks go to open the safe. Mason, however, saves Finn by throwing snowballs at Jessica, eventually knocking her out. The burglars gain entry to the safe, finding the painting and Alexis, who threatens to destroy it. Finn escapes and executes plan B by freeing Alexis, while triggering a trap that locks Sinclair and Hughes in the basement. With Jessica encased in a snowman, the police arrive to arrest all the burglars. The family receives four museum passes and $30,000 as a reward for capturing the criminals, and as an apology, Finn's parents send Simon a plane ticket to return home and spend Christmas with his family.

On Christmas morning, Finn receives a snowboard and an expansion pack to his video game for Christmas. Finn decides to take a break from video games and go snowboarding with his friend Mason. The final scene has the criminals have their mug shots taken at the police station as a police officer splices a copy of the mug shots into a portrait mug shot.