The original Home Alone movie is a Christmas classic and one that is brought out every year at this time. People like to settle down and get cozy while watching the television together, with this being seen as one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time. Following Kevin, as he is left home alone accidentally by his family, the young child must quickly think on his feet as his home becomes the location of an attempted burglary, which is where the real fun begins.
This is a hilarious movie that is perfect for Christmas time, but the argument will certainly be made by many as to whether or not it actually is the greatest Christmas film of all time, and within this list, we will provide arguments for both sides.
The Best: Kevin McCallister
Simply put, Kevin McCallister is one of the best characters in the history of film, with everyone knowing who he is and everyone being able to list off a few of his most memorable quotes from Home Alone, it is impossible not to love the cheeky child. When it comes to Christmas movies, there are few characters more well-known than Kevin, and the performance that Macauley Culkin puts in is up there with the very best child acting performances of all time.
Kevin is the lead character of the movie, and he does an amazing job, he makes audiences find him adorable, yet hilarious and the warmth his character provides is exactly what a Christmas film is all about.
It’s Not: Product Placement
Home Alone features that much product placement that it may as well have acted as one big commercial at the time, featuring an alarming rate of products, from Pepsi to American Airlines, Playboy, Adidas and tons more.
While every movie ends up utilizing some product placement, Home Alone does take it to a totally different level, especially for a Christmas movie which is meant to be fun and not focused on shoving products down the faces of the audience. This doesn’t make it a bad movie, but it is one reason why it can’t be seen as the ultimate Christmas movie, as it does become glaringly obvious after a while.
The Best: The Music
Music is key to any great movie, whether it is Christmas related or not and when you have John Williams providing the score to a film, you know that something special is going to be created. That is the case with Home Alone as Williams provides an incredible soundtrack to everything that happens.
While the soundtrack does feature some classic Christmas songs throughout, it is his festive score that really helps set it apart from other Christmas movies. From the use of bells and chimes, everything that happens in his score just screams Christmas, and when you compare it to the music from other Christmas movies, this is certainly one of the best.
It’s Not: The Family Leaves Kevin
Christmas movies are supposed to be all about family, and it is a little hard to claim Home Alone is the best at that when the family literally leaves one of their children home alone!
While many Christmas movies have examples of parents who aren’t exactly brilliant or caring, Home Alone does take it to an entirely different level with the fact they leave him stranded, and it is pretty hard to look past that fact. Even though it provides the entire plot of the movie, that doesn’t mean it is a great one for a family Christmas film in comparison to other movies that are focused on the holiday period.
The Best: The Bandits
The pair of Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) absolutely steal the scene when they are onscreen with their overacting of all the physical stunts that they have to go through in the movie as they hit various different traps that are set up around the house.
While they are meant to be seen as the ultimate bad guys, they have quickly become fan favorites in the eyes of most people, simply because they are so unintentionally funny, throughout the whole movie. While they are certainly the worst burglars of all time, that doesn’t stop them from trying, with each attempt and subsequent failure seemingly getting funnier as they progress.
It’s Not: Evil Characters
While the pair of bandits do help make the movie hilarious, at the same time it doesn’t really scream Christmas or a feel-good atmosphere to be focusing the movie on two people attempting to rob a family home during the festive period. When you compare it to other popular Christmas films, Home Alone has far more evil characters than others, as it isn’t just the burglars that are evil in this film, since various members of Kevin’s family aren’t great either.
While you can argue it is just the family dynamic and that lots of siblings are always going to create arguments, the fact that other Christmas movies feature slightly less horrible characters doesn’t help Home Alone’s case to be number one.
The Best: It Isn’t Too Serious
When it gets to Christmas time and the family is sat around the television, you just want to watch something easy and relaxing that allows you to have a conversation with people in the room and doesn’t dictate that you focus on everything that happens.
While that isn’t to say it is a poor movie or one that you can totally ignore, as that isn’t the case at all. It is nice to be able to relax while you watch a film at that time of year and not take things too seriously. That vibe is something that a lot of Christmas films tend to have, but it does feel like Home Alone does it the best.
It’s Not: Uncle Frank
While Uncle Frank is intentionally annoying and creepy in Home Alone, that doesn’t mean that it is a good thing, as it just tends to grate on you after a while, as he really is a horrible character throughout the entire movie.
A bully and incredibly strange, his scene calling Kevin a “little jerk” is one that many don’t enjoy, and while the movie can’t be packed with happy characters who all love each other, it would be nicer to see an Uncle who at least cares about his family. Frank McCallister has no redeeming qualities about himself, and because of that, he does drag the movie down a little in comparison to other great Christmas films, which don’t feature someone quite as annoying.
The Best: It’s Good For All The Family
Another problem many Christmas movies have is that they cater to children and younger audiences too much, which is all good and well, but it alienates a large portion of the population, as people of all ages want to enjoy a festive film at this time of the year.
Thankfully, because of the nature of Home Alone, it really is perfect for everyone. The traps and practical comedy moments will entertain everyone, with the one-liners and quick, witty comebacks being well served for the adults. It is a brilliant movie for the entire family and that is what a good Christmas film should be, which is why Home Alone is seen as the greatest in the opinion of many fans.
It’s Not: The Focus Is Comedy
The key to a great Christmas movie is ensuring that it provides a wholesome family feel that is centered around the festive period itself, and while Home Alone is set at Christmas and certainly has references to the holiday, but it is certainly not the focal point of the movie. Home Alone is essentially a comedy, with the sole purpose of it being to make audiences laugh as much as possible, rather, which it certainly does well, but it does tend to overtake from the Christmas aspect.
When you compare it to other Christmas movies such as Elf or Polar Express, which are firmly focused on Christmas itself, Home Alone does stand out due to it being a comedy, and that’s why it can’t be classed as the absolute best Christmas film.
