“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so the old adage says. Two years after the original, Chris Columbus, John Hughes et al released the sequel to the superb Home Alone.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York followed the same kind of theme, but was set in the Big Apple, one of the most magical Christmas cities in the world.
It’s a widely held opinion that movie sequels are never as good as the original. In most instances, this is correct, but occasionally something will come along to at least threaten that belief. This is one such movie. Taking over $350million at the box office, this was a roaring success.
The plot – unspoilt
Set one year after the original film, the McCallister’s are heading to Florida for some winter sun over Christmas. Young Kevin believes that Christmas in the sun goes against tradition due to the lack of Christmas trees.
Having been humiliated by older brother Buzz at his school pageant, Kevin pushes him over and in the process ruins the pageant. Once again he is in the family’s bad books the night before their big trip, and once again a storm puts the alarms off.
Just as the film threatens to follow the exact same path as the original, Kevin does make the taxi to the airport. However, he becomes separated from his rushing parents and siblings in the terminal and winds up on his own in New York City.
Also in the Big Apple are crooks Harry and Marv, played by Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern. Just escaped from prison, the pair are looking to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve which will cost a kids charity money. Kevin gets wind of this, and once again sets off to spoil their big night.
Rating
We cannot separate Home Alone and Home Alone 2 in terms of quality, I love them both. Watching them back-to-back on a cold December’s night is perfect. Home Alone 2 possibly went slightly beyond the original in terms of festiveness by introducing New York City, complete with the stunning tree at the Rockefeller Center.