Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)

Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)

 4/10

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.