In terms of eliciting any actual emotions, the film grossly overestimates the effectiveness of its own arc. At some point the sound guy apparently tried to get fired, because in the back half of the film there are random cartoonish sound effects (tree falling, bells ringing, jet engines flying past) on just about everything that could tenuously warrant it. It doesn’t help that all of the actors have invented a new level of terrible to work on and almost every line of dialogue is charmlessly utilitarian. Night Shyamalan, but it’s at least competent in its misdirection.ĭespite that mildly interesting twist, the plot is repetitive and craftless and lacks the kind of set pieces that really make these films work. We’re invited to believe that Prescott is working with them (spoiler: it’s quite obvious that he isn’t) but kids might be fooled by the revelation of who is. Marv and Vera break in and are dispatched several times before the Prince they want to kidnap has even arrived, which just seems like poor planning to me. We’re not 30 minutes into the film when the entire house has been flooded at least once. Still, this one gets to some action a lot quicker than most.
But the fun (‘fun’) really starts when Marv – last seen in Home Alone 2 nursing severe head trauma – begins to stake out the house with the intention of kidnapping the Prince when he arrives. He runs around his toy-filled, seizure-inducing bedroom shouting “THIS IS SO COOL” and gets to know the home help (Weirdo Butler Prescott and Grandma-esque Housekeeper Molly). While his dad and Natalie go about their high-powered jobs, Kevin settles into the unreasonably large mansion. Peter and Natalie want the kids to come stay with them at Christmas so that they can get to know their future step-mom (the couple are engaged) but they’ll have to stay alongside their incoming charity guests: the Royal Family of Not Specified. A slinky young one with a eyes like a shark, a high-powered job running charity fundraising events, and a house big enough for a herd of elephants to really stretch out in. If I had to guess I’d say the breaking point was a surprise baby with John Candy’s face.īut don’t feel bad for Kevin’s probably-cuckolded father, because he’s got a new wife.
Kevin’s mother suggests that his dad got “stuck in a rut”, which sounds unnecessarily graphic to me. It’s never made entirely clear what happened. Kevin’s carefree blonde mop has turned a maudlin brown.
Yes, the McCallisters – once a paradigm of wholesome (though antagonistic) American family togetherness – have been shattered by divorce. But it’s also not important, because things have gone sour in the HACU. Did they use the money from the sale of their last house to pay for extensive costmetic surgery? Or does this take place in a parallel universe? It’s hard to say. And also all their faces have completely changed. They’re living in a different house, for a start. But hold on a second! Things look a little different. For this film we’re back with the McCallisters. Good news for anyone who hated Alex Pruitt (i.e. Home Alone 4: Taking Back The House (2002)
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