Home Alone parents guide

Home Alone Parent Guide

I think we forgot something...

Overall C

When the McCallister family heads to France for a Christmas vacation, they accidentally leave their son (Macaulay Culkin) behind. So what does an 8-year-old do when he discovers he's home alone?

Release date November 16, 1990

Violence C
Sexual Content B+
Profanity B-
Substance Use A-

Why is Home Alone rated PG? The MPAA rated Home Alone PG

Run Time: 103 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

Most of us can relate to that nagging feeling of having forgotten something, especially on those crazy days when everything seems to be going wrong. Kate McCallister (Catherine O’Hara) is experiencing that sort of anxiety on a flight to Paris, as she and her family are on their way to a Christmas vacation with relatives. Perhaps the silly worry is just a result of having to scramble to catch their plane that morning because all fifteen members of the traveling party slept in thanks to a power failure that took out the electricity and the phone lines. Or maybe it’s because of the stressful evening of packing the night before, where parents, children, aunts, uncles and cousins lost their tempers amidst looking for suitcases and toiletries. Her son Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) was being particularly pesky. And that’s when Kate remembers what she’s forgotten – Kevin.

Meanwhile back in the suburbs of Chicago, Kevin awakes to discover he is home alone. Unlike his mother, he isn’t terribly surprised. During last night’s commotion he and his mom exchanged some angry words, which culminated in the eight-year-old kid declaring he wished he didn’t have a family and hoped he’d never see them again. Consequently, Kevin just assumes their disappearance has something to do with the magic of the season.

Although Kate is horrified at the thought of her child having no protective supervision, Kevin is delighted with his new freedom. While the frantic mother starts phoning for help the moment her plane touches down, the boy leisurely eats junk food, watches rubbish TV and raids his older brother’s (Devin Ratray) bedroom looking for cash (where he also finds a copy of a Playboy magazine).

Unknown to either party, a couple of thieves (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) have been casing their neighborhood, planning to take advantage of the many homes left vacant during the holidays. Kevin eventually becomes aware of their evil designs, but instead of calling the police, he decides to protect the house himself.

Most of the screenplay is made up of the silly antics of the bumbling burglars facing off against various booby-traps set by the rapscallion. Many of these resemble the sort of thing you’d expect to see in a Looney Tunes Cartoon – except in this case they are depicted in live action. I confess I have never found animated violence to be very funny, but it is even less comical to see real people being hit with cans of paint, hot irons and crowbars, or being set on fire, or falling down icy stairs and stepping on broken glass and nails. (Oh, and there is also an escaped pet tarantula.) Just like in the aforementioned animations, no one really gets hurt (which is certainly not a realistic portrayal) yet I suspect many little ones will still be frightened by the idea of dangerous intruders trying to break into the sanctuary of home.

Still, in an effort to infuse this rather mean-spirited plot with some redeeming graces, there are a couple of gentler side stories included. One depicts some kind strangers who offer to help Mom get back to her boy. The other involves a much-maligned neighbor of the McCallister’s. The old man (Roberts Blossom) is rumored to have murdered his family, yet when Kevin meets him in a church on Christmas Eve, he discovers the sad soul’s real secret. Then the two exchange advice that bolsters the courage each of them to face their personal fears.

Whether or not these small moments make up for the plentiful name-calling, sibling squabbling, neglectful parenting, violent actions and reckless stunts, ultimately will be a matter of individual digression. Yet one thing is for sure. You will want to discuss with your children what they should do if they were ever to find themselves in this circumstance—because the last thing you’ll want is for him or her to follow the example of this little scallywag.

Directed by Chris Columbus. Starring Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O'Hara. Running time: 103 minutes. Theatrical release November 16, 1990. Updated

Home Alone
Rating & Content Info

Why is Home Alone rated PG? Home Alone is rated PG by the MPAA

Violence:
Family members (including adults and children) call each other derogatory names and treat one another unkindly and neglectfully. A parent argues with a child and punishes him by sending him to bed early in an isolated bedroom. A pet tarantula escapes and scares various characters. A vehicle is driven recklessly. Burglary is depicted with houses break-ins and intentional property damage. Adults swipe property from an airline meal. A child’s imagination causes him to be frightened and make poor choices. Police officers are depicted as inept and dishonest. A child watches a movie where characters swear and a man is shot with a machine gun. A character engages in silly stunts, like sledding down a set of stairs, or using a homemade zip-line. A character turns various household items (paint cans, flat iron, Christmas ordainments) into weapons, as well as using a BB gun and firecrackers. Characters are hit, burned, tripped and injured. Adult characters verbally threaten a child with harm and death. A corpse is mentioned along with the mental distress of child left unattended in a funeral home.

Sexual Content:
Bed-wetting is discussed. A pornographic magazine is shown (no nudity seen) and naked women are mentioned. . A freshly bathed boy is seen with a towel wrapped around his waist.

Language:
Frequent name-calling includes insults and slang terms. Mild and moderate profanity is used infrequently.

Alcohol / Drug Use:
A man dressed as Santa smokes a cigarette. Drinking is implied in a party scene.

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Home Alone Parents' Guide

What should a child do if he or she is accidentally left alone? Does your family have a list of trusted friends or neighbors they could call on? Do they know how to contact the police or other emergency services if necessary? How could you practice these safety procedures with your family? Why doesn’t Kevin do any of these logical things in this movie? What real dangers could he face without adult help and supervision?

Kevin believes “the man of the house can’t be a wimp.” How does this attitude actually put the eight-year-old at risk? What is the difference between trying to prove you can be independent, and being wise enough to know when to ask for assistance?

This film was made before the invention of cell phones. How have these devices helped parents and children to keep in touch with each other? How might that contact have improved the situation depicted here? What are the limitations of phone conversations? Did you also notice the lack of security at the airport when Kevin’s family arrived late to catch their plane? How have boarding procedures changed? Why? Do these new policies make you feel more or less safe when travelling?

Why is church a good place to be if you are feeling bad about yourself? What things does Kevin regret? What heartache is the elderly neighbor experiencing? How is fear impacting each of them? How do Kevin and the elderly gentlemen help each other? Are their any acts of kindness that you could do for others who live in your neighborhoods?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of Home Alone movie is October 6, 2015. Here are some details…

Home Video Notes: Home Alone: 25 Anniversary Edition
Release Date: 6 October 2015
Home Alone releases to home video (Blu-ray) in a 25 Anniversary Edition with the following extras:
- Audio Commentary
- Featurettes
- Deleted Scenes
- Blooper Reel

Home Video Notes: Home Alone: Ultimate Collector’s Edition
Release Date: 6 October 2015
On October 6, 2015 20th Century Fox is also releasing the Home Alone franchise in one Ultimate Collector’s Edition. This package includes:
- Home Alone on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital HD
- Home Alone 3 on DVD
- Home Alone: Taking Back the House on DVD
- Home Alone: The Holiday Heist on DVD
Also includes more than 2 hours of special features, collectible ornament, fake spider, Battle Plan and Wanted posters all in a limited-edition paint can package.

Related home video titles:

This movie spawned two sequels, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York City and Home Alone 3.