HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK 🤩

HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK is a 1992 film directed by Chris Columbus and the sequel to HOME ALONE. The film follows young Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) as he’s separated from his family during Christmas and has to defend himself against Harry (Joe Pesci in his peak year, MY COUSIN VINNY and HOME ALONE 2 might be the best 1992 double feature list) and Marv (Daniel Stern)… again! 

HOME ALONE 2 might be the most definitive example of when a sequel is better than its predecessor. Whenever a debate breaks out comparing the two films, I will always be the biggest defender of Kevin in the Big Apple. 

I saw HOME ALONE when I was quite young, and since then, it’s been one of my all-time favorites. I still, to this day, believe it to be one of the funniest movies ever made. The scene with Tim Curry and the hotel staff listening to Kevin’s TV tape is just comedy gold, and I don’t think any other movie I have seen has come close to topping the way that altered my brain as a child. Usually, sequels fall short of finding a concept that matches the success of the first one. However, HOME ALONE 2 does it flawlessly. The general concept is still the same, but instead of Kevin being familiar with his house, he’s battling the duo in an abandoned house in New York City. Instead of his family knowing he is at home, the group has no clue where in the world he is. Plus, the decision to add additional foes that he must outwit adds that extra layer of perfection. 

The cast gives just as solid performances as they do the first time, as if they never left the world of the McCalister house. Macaulay Culkin is still devious yet loveable as Kevin, and as much as you want to hate Kate McCallister, at the end of the day, it’s Catherine O’Hara! Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern turn their use of physical comedy up ten notches. Brenda Fricker is as delightful as the pigeon lady, and this “Guardian Angel” character gets much more fleshed out in the sequel. She is a huge part of what makes the story so good and why the comedy punches so hard when balanced with those raw, tear-jerking moments. Tim Curry gives one of his best performances and never misses his mark. Everything about his delivery is absolute perfection, and makes you laugh with every syllable that comes out of his mouth. Rob Schneider, Dana Ivey, and Fred Kause do an excellent job rounding out the rest of the Peanuts Gallery. Also, if HOME ALONE 2 does anything right, it’s giving Mr. Kieran Culkin at least one more second of screen time. 

The film is filled with so many good bits and incredibly quotable moments that my family regularly brings up throughout the year. The script is so good that it makes you suspend disbelief for a few moments just to have good old fun. If you asked me for the definitive Christmas aesthetic feel, this is likely to take that top spot. It’s nostalgia-ridden and reminds me of the last day of elementary school before Winter break, looking at Christmas Eve lights and having a cup of hot cocoa on a freezing night. It’s everything great about the Big Apple in the peak 90’s season. It is dark reds, greens, big hair, pearl earrings, and dancing to Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree at your family’s Christmas party. It is 2 hours of pure fun and comfort that you can watch repeatedly and still laugh just as hard as you did the first time.

My closing remarks are:

• I did not know that the song Uncle Frank sings in the shower was real. I heard it one day this year and my world shifted. This is not just a song written for the film? It is “Cool Jerk” by The Capitols and I highly recommend listening to it, it’s actually quite good! 
• Uncle Frank and Buzz are maybe the worst villains in cinema history. I think they are more despicable than the sticky bandits. 
• John Mulaney was very right, it is indeed a grid system. The streets are numbered, so how DO you get lost in New York? 

It’s available on Disney+.