Home Alone – A Child Power Fantasy
By: Corey Lack
So, I recently took to rewatching Home Alone, a movie from 1990, one year prior to my own birth, but still one of my favorite movies as a kid. As an adult, I can certainly see where a lot of people might have issues with this movie, between the plot and the characters, but as someone that grew up watching it as a kid, I’m able to overlook it very easily.
For those unfamiliar with the movie, let’s go over the plot. The story features an eight-year-old boy of a very well-off family having a spat with his family and many older siblings and cousins the night before the large family goes on a vacation to Paris, France for the holidays. Through coincidental methods, Kevin is left behind while his family travels out of the country. Kevin isn’t alone, however, as two infamous burglars are planning to rob the entire neighborhood while everyone is out of town for the holidays. The movie culminates in Kevin using his wits and traps that would make Jigsaw proud in order to take on the so-called “Wet Bandits.”
Yes, the plot is a little ridiculous and the injuries inflicted on the villains are cartoonish, but that’s kinda the whole point. This movie is childish and it is not attempting to be otherwise. It’s written to do two things. First, deliver the power fantasy for children where they see that even they can take on adult bad guys when given the chance. Second, to deliver a moral about the importance of family.
A few of the jokes don’t age well and people may understandably have issues with a lot of the writing, specifically the interactions between Kevin and the rest of his family, but I still believe it is a fun movie and one that can be enjoyed even by adults. I’d give it 7 knocked over statues out of 10.
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I am a graduate student at Northern Kentucky University. I like writing fantasy and science fiction, playing video games, and watching movies.