Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
Starring
Ellie Kemper
Rob Delaney
Archie Yates
Aisling Bea
Directed by Dan
Mazer
The best way to
approach this movie is with an open mind. There’s no way it’s anywhere near as
entertaining as the 1990s John Hughes Home Alone, but it gets some points for attempting
something new. The problem is that the attempt is so lacking in entertainment
that it feels like there was no point in trying at all.
Acting-wise, the
adults in this movie seem determined to make it the next go-to Christmas film.
The new child actor stepping into this movie’s version of Kevin McCallister is Archie Yates, who plays Max Mercer, a kid left
behind by his mother, Carol (Aisling Bea).
The setup for
leaving Max behind is similar to what we know from the original: the family,
joined by their extended relatives, plans a group getaway. But here’s where the
movie completely lost me—the sheer negligence of Carol should honestly be a
crime in all countries.
In the original,
Kevin is left behind because he was being a pain and was sent to sleep in the
attic. The next morning, one of his cousins is tasked with counting the kids
and mistakenly counts a neighbor kid as Kevin, making everyone think all the
kids are accounted for.
In this version,
Carol flies to Japan without even telling Max, let alone leaving a message for
her husband. Then her husband also flies to Japan, leaving Max behind. This is
pure negligence from both parents.
As the movie
begins, we meet a financially struggling couple, Jeff and Pam McKenzie (played
by Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper). Carol takes Max to their house during an open
house showing so he can use the toilet. It’s here that Max and Jeff meet. Max
spots a doll he likes, but Jeff, noticing Max’s interest, firmly tells him the
doll isn’t for sale or for him to touch.
Later, Jeff
checks the doll’s value online and discovers it’s worth over $200,000—a sum
that could save them from their financial troubles. However, when Jeff goes to
retrieve the doll, it’s missing, and he immediately suspects that Max took it.
Jeff traces Max
to his home, notices the family leaving for their trip, and decides to return
with Pam when the house is empty. When they do, Max, thinking they’ve come to
kidnap him, decides to protect his home.
As I mentioned
earlier, the movie takes a new spin on the Home Alone formula, but it just
isn’t funny. Worse, the pranks feel more mean-spirited than the original’s
chaotic charm. There’s one part where Jeff wakes up with a VR headset on his
face. That prank was heartbreaking—it pushed believability too far. I’ve heard
of people losing their glasses on their heads, but not realizing you’ve got a
VR headset strapped to your face? Come on.
You can catch
this movie on Disney+, but personally, I don’t plan on watching it again
anytime soon.
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