Home Alone 1 & 2 Synopsis (Spoilers) and Analysis: The Illusions and Loneliness Embraced by Children

Home Alone is a film directed by Chris Columbus, released in 1990. In 1992, the sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York was released (directed again by Chris Columbus).

I believe it is an unforgettable masterpiece for people of a certain generation (that is, my generation), and it was a favorite movie of mine that I watched over and over again when I was in elementary school.

Currently, the Home Alone series exists up to “Home Alone 5” as numbered titles, and a sixth installment, Home Sweet Home Alone, exists as a Disney+ original.

However, what remains in my memories are Home Alone and Home Alone 2, starring Macaulay Culkin.

In this article, I would like to discuss why the Macaulay Culkin-led Home Alone films, which I watched repeatedly as a child, were so entertaining.

This process involves two sides: recalling “how I felt as a child” and “what I think now as a middle-aged man,” and I will be discussing them in a mixed manner.

First, let’s start by looking back at the synopsis of each film.

Below, since I will be revealing the ending in the synopsis, if you dislike spoilers, please read only partway and watch the actual movie.

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “家族という疎外と福音 映画「ホーム・アローン」1・２作目のあらすじ(ネタバレ)とその考察-子供が抱く幻想と孤独-”.

Home Alone (1st Movie) Full Synopsis to the Ending (Spoilers Ahead)

Summary of Key Points and Character Map

Character Map

From here, let’s look at the synopsis of the movie Home Alone in a little more detail.

[Origin] McCallister Family to Paris

The protagonist of the story is 8-year-old Kevin McCallister. His house was in a state of chaos with packing, as they were scheduled to depart for Paris (his uncle’s house) the next day for Christmas vacation. Moreover, another uncle’s family had joined them, bringing a total of 15 people together.

That night, Kevin gets into a fight with his brother Buzz over a trivial matter. The cause was undoubtedly Buzz, but Kevin was unilaterally blamed by the whole family and had to sleep alone in the attic that night.

The next morning, the McCallister family, having spectacularly overslept, leaves Kevin in the attic and departs for the airport. They board the plane to Paris.

Although they finally managed to calm down on the plane, his mother, Kate, realizes that she has left Kevin behind.

[Development] Birth of a Kingdom

In the house devoid of family, Kevin wakes up alone. Although confused that no one is there, Kevin, who had wished to Santa the previous night that “everyone would just disappear” because of the incident, is overjoyed that his wish has come true. Without feeling lonely about being alone, he fully enjoyed life in his home, which had become his own kingdom.

However, 8-year-old Kevin realizes something important. Now that his family is gone, he must handle cooking, laundry, and food procurement all by himself.

Knowing the location of Buzz’s life savings, Kevin uses it as funds to buy daily necessities. He begins his daily “life.” However, when misappropriating Buzz’s stash, he ended up “damaging” his room a little.

Meanwhile, the McCallister family, having arrived in Paris, contacts the police to check on Kevin’s safety, but due to a series of coincidences, they remain unsure of Kevin’s condition.

Although she had just arrived in Paris, Kate decides to return to America.

Spoilers ahead (Repelling the Burglars ~ Ending). Click to read

[Twist] Repelling the Burglars

Kevin’s kingdom was in a solid state, but two burglars, Harry and Marv, had their eyes on it.

Harry knew from prior investigation that the McCallister home would be empty for Christmas vacation, but due to Kevin’s quick thinking, the two were thwarted from entering the McCallister home three times.

However, it is finally revealed that Kevin is all alone.

Harry and Marv plot to break into the McCallister home again. Kevin, learning that the time would be 9 PM, set up various traps in his home to repel the two.

Those traps were the very embodiment of a “child’s dream,” and he successfully repelled Harry and Marv. The two were arrested by the police.

That night, Kevin wishes to Santa again. To bring his family back.

[Conclusion] Christmas Miracle

On Christmas morning, his mother Kate appears before Kevin as he wakes up. While most transportation was booked for the Christmas holidays, Kate frantically made her way back for Kevin.

The other family members also appear there. In the end, not only Kate but the rest of the family had also returned for Kevin.

What the family saw was the figure of Kevin, who had grown in a short period. Buzz, who hadn’t seen him since the fight, also praised Kevin jokingly, saying, “It’s pretty cool you didn’t burn the house down.”

However… Buzz realizes that his room has been messed up by Kevin, and Kevin ends up getting severely scolded.

In Home Alone, there is a character named Old Man Marley. Kevin feared him because Buzz taught him that he was the “South Bend Shovel Slayer,” but along with Kevin’s personal growth, his perspective changes, and he eventually learns that Old Man Marley is just an old man with some family issues.

Furthermore, thanks to the simple advice of Kevin, a child, Old Man Marley is ultimately able to regain his connection with his estranged family, and he also helps in the final confrontation with Harry and Marv.

Correcting the distortion in his perception of others through Old Man Marley also represents Kevin’s human growth.

Home Alone 2 Full Synopsis to the Ending (Spoilers Ahead)

Summary of Key Points and Character Map

Character Map

From here, let’s look at the synopsis of the movie Home Alone 2 in a little more detail.

[Origin] From Despair in Florida to New York

One year after Home Alone. The McCallister family was once again in a state of chaos preparing for a Christmas vacation trip to Florida (Miami).

However, that night involved not just packing but also a school Christmas concert. There, an incident occurs between Buzz and Kevin again.

Just like a year ago, Buzz created the trigger, but Kevin ended up being unilaterally blamed again. Amidst this, Kevin voluntarily chooses to sleep in the attic.

The next morning, they overslept again, but this time they head to the airport without leaving Kevin behind.

However, this time he gets separated inside the airport, and while the other family members head to Florida, Kevin boards a plane to New York.

And so, the family arriving in Florida realizes that Kevin is missing.

[Development] Wonderful New York

Kevin, having arrived in New York, realizes he messed up, but since he didn’t think well of the Florida trip in the first place, he decided to exploit the situation and enjoy New York.

Coincidentally, Kevin had his father’s backpack containing his wallet and credit card.

Kevin plots to stay at the Plaza Hotel, successfully deceiving the hotel staff and securing a room using his father’s credit card.

Touring New York in a limousine, Kevin enjoys the situation to the fullest.

Meanwhile, his parents consulted the police and were tracking Kevin’s whereabouts, but the police officer, learning that Kevin had the credit card, devised a plan to track the card’s usage history.

As a result, a “theft report” was issued for the credit card, but the hotel staff, noticing this fact, cornered Kevin as a “thief,” and Kevin, having fled, ends up wandering New York as a result.

Spoilers ahead (Repelling the Burglars ~ Ending). Click to read

[Twist] Reunion with Nemesis, and the Second Great Christmas War

Whether to call it coincidence or a miracle, the burglars Harry and Marv, who broke into the McCallister home a year ago and were defeated by Kevin, had successfully escaped from prison and came to New York at the same time as Kevin.

The target the two set this time was “Duncan’s Toy Chest.” It was a plan devised by Harry as a place that would have plenty of cash because banks are closed while earning the most during the Christmas season.

The two catch Kevin fleeing from the Plaza Hotel. While thinking of revenge for a year ago, the foolish Marv talks about their plan for this time.

Kevin was in a critical situation, but he manages to escape from the two somehow.

At that time, the fact that Kevin used the credit card at the Plaza Hotel and what occurred at the hotel was conveyed to the McCallister family, and the family heads to New York.

The family arriving in New York secures a room at the Plaza Hotel citing the hotel’s blunder, but his mother Kate runs around New York at night looking for Kevin alone.

Meanwhile, Kevin wandering New York decides to confront Harry and Marv again. Knowing that all the Christmas proceeds of “Duncan’s Toy Chest” would be used for underprivileged children, Kevin wanted to stop their crime no matter what.

Kevin lured the two, who had broken into “Duncan’s Toy Chest,” to his uncle’s house (resident in Paris since the time of the first movie; the house in New York was under renovation).

Of course, all sorts of traps were set there, and eventually, Harry and Marv ended up being caught by the police.

Kevin finished the big job, but he became alone again in the big city of New York.

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[Conclusion] Christmas Miracle

Kevin, all alone, was in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. And he wishes for the same thing as a year ago. To let him see his family.

Kate appears there.

Kate knew that he would be by the Christmas tree that Kevin loves.

If only Kevin is found, it was a wonderful New York trip that unexpectedly fell into the family’s lap. They enjoyed their days at the Plaza Hotel.

At that moment which seemed like a happy ending, a receipt for room service worth 967 dollars that Kevin had used up to that point arrives in the room (at the time of release, 1 dollar was about 126 yen, so he used about 120,000 yen). In the end, Kevin gets severely scolded by his father.

In Home Alone 2, the Pigeon Lady appears as an existence corresponding to Old Man Marley.

While Old Man Marley was a fear given by Buzz, the fear of the Pigeon Lady was completely generated from Kevin’s inner self, and she served as an existence representing the “prejudice” within Kevin.

Not only do they reconcile in the end, but the two become lifelong friends.

At first glance, what is happening is the same as the first movie, but there is a difference in whether the initial fear was given externally or was internal, depicting Kevin’s human growth properly from a different perspective.

Analysis of Home Alone

Absurdity and Loneliness that Draw You into the Story

Trying hard to recall my childhood, what attracted me most in Home Alone 1 and 2 was probably the “absurdity” Kevin suffers at the start of the movie and the accompanying “loneliness.”

Perhaps the fact that I have an older brother was also a cause, but the figure of Buzz who eats the pizza without permission and shows no remorse, and the reprimand for the incident where Buzz’s prank was the root cause, created intense sympathy and self-projection towards Kevin. Why doesn’t anyone understand? Despite there being so many people, Kevin was lonely at “home.”

The movie Home Alone shows a reversal of that loneliness in the situations of “alone at home” and “alone in New York”. It is magnificent as a playwriting.

Well, deceiving the hotel staff of the Plaza Hotel alone in New York has reached the realm of “myth” or “heroic saga,” and the fundamental narrative nature differs between the first and second movies.

Still, there is no doubt that the story of Home Alone stays close to the “absurdity” and “loneliness” felt by children.

That is probably what captured my heart as a child.

The World of Illusions Depicted Cleverly

In Home Alone, the “absurdity” and “loneliness” felt by children are on the basic line, but what is added on top is likely “fear as an illusion.”

The fears depicted in the first and second movies were mainly the following three:

However, regarding Old Man Marley, it was completely Buzz’s lie, and the Pigeon Lady was also just a mere impression.

And what clearly teaches us what the “fear” Kevin felt was, is the stove in the basement.

I also had doors or stairs that were scary for some reason when I was a child. I don’t know why they are scary, but they are just scary.

The stove for Kevin is similar to that, and there is fundamentally no reason why it is scary. If I dare to put that reason into words, I can only say it is a “child’s illusion.”

And Kevin achieves human growth while living all alone and overcomes that “fear as an illusion.”

For Kevin, the stove is just a stove, and Old Man Marley is not a murderer. The Pigeon Lady became a friend.

What attacked Kevin at the start of the story was certainly “absurdity,” but the fear Kevin felt towards the stove, Old Man Marley, and the Pigeon Lady is also exactly “absurdity”.

The story of Home Alone begins with “absurdity” given by others, and by becoming an existence that gives “absurdity” himself and achieving human growth, it becomes a story of overcoming those two “absurdities”.

It is a truly well-made movie.

“Laughter Accompanied by Violence” is Inevitably Funny

We can find the fun of Home Alone in its clever structure, but it is also extremely important that it is a comedy somehow.

Or rather, I feel like my childhood self watched Home Alone because I liked that part.

I wanted to try deceiving people matching the movie audio, and I wanted to trick the hotel staff and live luxuriously.

And the highlight as a comedy was “vs Harry & Marv.” It was quite a circus of mechanisms packed with a child’s dreams.

However, in modern times, the “laughter” depicted in Home Alone might be viewed as a bit problematic. The essence of the problem is that it is accompanied by violence, but the fact that Home Alone is clearly a work for children might be more of a problem.

Just in case, “they are burglars, the ‘bad guys’” is provided as a reason why it is okay for violence to accompany it. Kevin is not performing violence following his anger or desires; it is a kind of “divine punishment” and “self-defense.”

You might think it is “excessive defense,” but the reason “because he is a child” is also prepared there.

But, how should I put it, not those troublesome things, but it was funny, wasn’t it? The figure of Kevin punishing Harry and Marv by every means available.

The way of “laughter” is forced to change, especially on television, but I wonder, can’t you overlook works that have already been born?

Home Alone 2, Which Has No Intention of Making a Third

I am basically supportive regarding the “violent laughter” in Home Alone, but even I might not be able to fully defend Home Alone 2.

You thought so too, didn’t you? If a brick thrown from that height hits you, you will die.

Moreover, Harry throws a brick at Kevin in retaliation.

It is totally a “movie you can’t show to children.”

When I watch “vs Harry & Marv” in Home Alone 2 at this age, I end up thinking “these guys have no intention of making a sequel.”

If a sequel starring Macaulay Culkin had been made, Harry and Marv would definitely be dead. If they don’t die, consistency cannot be maintained.

Moreover, in terms of story perfection, the first movie is higher. Or rather, the second movie is originally unnecessary. This means that the structure of “absurdity thrown by others,” “absurdity one throws at others,” and “overcoming the two absurdities” is depicted magnificently in the first movie, as stated above.

The staff must have been troubled when making the second one because the first one was made too well.

However, the perfection as a kind of “foreshadowing and retrieval” or “well-thought-out plot” does not change in Home Alone 2. Things depicted in the beginning are used in subsequent developments without excess or deficiency.

The only leap in Home Alone 2 is that despite having enough wisdom to deceive the staff of the Plaza Hotel, he does not contact his family in Florida upon arriving in New York.

It is strange for Kevin, who has that much wisdom, to do a New York spending spree using his father’s credit card without permission just for the reason that “I hate a Christmas in Florida without a tree.”

However, Home Alone 2 wouldn’t exist unless that was pushed through, and I think that was fine.

Thinking in that way, the “runaway” occurring in Home Alone 2 as a result is also the fun of this work.

I have discussed various things, but to put it simply, Home Alone is interesting. That is what it means.

▼ Shocking behind-the-scenes stories of the 1st and 2nd movies (famous scenes born from misunderstandings, reasons for Trump’s appearance, etc.) are introduced here.