When the trailer for this Disney+ original film was released earlier this year, I went through a range of emotions. First anger. ‘How dare you remake one of my favorite childhood holiday classics?!’ Then curiosity. ‘Oh, I like this cast. Hey, it’s the kid (no, the other kid) from JOJO RABBIT!’ Quickly I settled on acceptance. ‘There were already a bunch of HOME ALONE sequels that didn’t have Macauley Culkin, and now this can be for a new generation of kids.’
So I cautiously went into HOME SWEET HOME ALONE with low expectations and wasn’t completely let down. I’d love to say I was pleasantly surprised and that it’s very charming and won be over, but it didn’t quite do that either. First things first, there’s absolutely no reason for this sequel to exist. And while it is a sequel and not a direct remake, a lot of it feels directly lifted from the original and far superior HOME ALONE.
Since we now live in the age of instantaneous communication with cell phones and the internet, the film needs to take some liberties to knock these things out so when Archie Yates as Max gets left “home alone,” an actual challenge exists for his family to get back to him. Inept criminals like Harry & Marv are out, traded in for a regular middle-class couple who make some VERY bad decisions.
People who grew up on HOME ALONE will probably feel 🤮 about this movie. I was very tempted to go that route on my review. This is a soft 😊 for sure. Yates is incredibly likable as the lead, and when I’m able to take a step back and realize this film isn’t made for me – it’s made for the kids of 2021, I warmed up to it a bit more. So parents out there, do me a solid and show your kids the original HOME ALONE and HOME ALONE 2 before you get to this, okay?
HOME SWEET HOME ALONE is streaming on Disney+.
