Home Alone: It Is Still the Perfect Christmas Movie 30 Years Later

"Home Alone" is a movie that warrants multiple viewings, even when the plot is familiar. Each time you watch it, there's an irresistible urge to pause and savor the moments. This timeless film has brought laughter to generations of fans and remains a holiday classic that continues to captivate audiences.

The plot is well-known: during Christmas vacation, an 8-year-old boy named Kevin is accidentally left at home by his parents. He uses all his wits and tricks to deal with two burglars who try to break into the house and he protects it. The highlight of the story is how two clumsy thieves are "bullied" by an 8-year-old kid, with a mix of pain and laughter, making it a perfect family comedy.

But many people don't know that this global family comedy film that earned $477 million nearly missed the chance for the big screen. The screenwriter John Hughes, a famous Hollywood writer with a high output, has written successful youth dramas. He had too many projects in progress and was too busy to be the director himself. To promote promising newcomers, John Hughes gave one of his scripts to a junior director and negotiated a production cost of $10 million with Warner Bros. This script, "Home Alone", was a small-budget film compared to the budgeted $48 million "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". Because of the limited budget, the film crew started saving from the beginning and hired mostly novice industry professionals who couldn't produce outstanding work.

The director of the film admitted that he was scared at that time because he had only shot some pre-visualizations before, and he didn't have a clue how to tell a complete story. During the shooting, he still set up a backup camera so that he could use it as a backup if he accidentally dropped any shots.

During its release, Joe Pesci, portraying one of the burglars, stood out as the most renowned actor in the film, while comedian John Candy made a guest appearance. A substantial portion of the budget was allocated to constructing sets. The indoor fight sequences depicted in the film were filmed within a gymnasium setting. Moreover, to circumvent potential leakage issues, the scene where the burglars flood their room was shot directly in a swimming pool.

However, even though the producer was resourceful and frugal, the film still exceeded its original budget. After careful consideration, Warner Bros decided to cancel the film's production and dismiss all staff members. But just as soon as this news was announced, 20th Century Fox announced that they would become the new owner of "Home Alone" - they had already quietly negotiated with the screenwriter John Hughes about their plan to take over the film. As soon as Warner Bros let go of the team, they received an offer from 20th Century Fox within seconds.

From that point on, the entire cast seemed to have received the blessings of God Himself.

Whenever there were obstacles during filming, unexpected help would come their way. For instance, in the pivotal snowy scene towards the story's conclusion, meant to enhance the Christmas theme, the weather was clear without a hint of snowfall. As the crew fretted over the expense of creating artificial snow, heavy snow suddenly began to fall. Quickly adapting to the situation, the crew promptly adjusted their plans and worked intensively to capture the scene.

Similarly, during the casting process for another thief role, the actor initially selected was replaced by Daniel Stern, who had initially turned down the part due to a lack of chemistry with Joe Pesci. Having previously worked together, upon reuniting, their rapport was immediate and exceptional. Hence, in cinematic history, there's an iconic portrayal of a small-time thief who famously shrieked in agony due to his spider-webbed face.

In the latter phases of production, the original composer for the film's score unexpectedly withdrew. Despite this setback, the director held onto a fanciful notion, dreaming of having someone of John Williams' caliber, who was renowned in the industry for his exceptional work on films like "Jaws," "E.T.," "Star Wars," and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which were all elevated by his musical compositions. Given the constrained budget, the idea of securing such a maestro seemed implausible. However, to everyone's surprise, after John Williams viewed the rough cut version of "Home Alone," he promptly agreed to compose the score.

Ultimately, a Hollywood movie's success hinges on its reception by the audience. By conventional standards, "Home Alone" shouldn't have garnered popularity. It lacked a star-studded cast and a large-scale production, plus its release coincided with Stallone's "Rocky V."

Following its release, professional film critics criticized "Home Alone" relentlessly. Initial projections suggested that breaking even would be fortunate, let alone turning a profit. However, miraculously, the film continued to dominate the box office for weeks. During the Christmas holiday season, it received fervent adoration from children and ultimately clinched the top spot in the annual box office, resulting in substantial profitability for 20th Century Fox.

The success of "Home Alone" also brought more job opportunities for all the crew members. The lead actor McCallum became the highest-paid child star in the United States overnight, he even made an appearance in Michael Jackson's music video.

Capitalizing on the success, a sequel titled "Home Alone 2" was swiftly filmed. Subsequently, the director, Chris Columbus, who initially gained prominence through "Home Alone," went on to helm numerous classic family films. He notably ventured into the world of "Harry Potter," directing the first two instalments and playing a pivotal role in introducing audiences to Hogwarts.

The lead actor and director never imagined that because of this movie, the stunt community would later refer to the action of slipping on their backs while trying to keep their balance as "tricks falling like a child".

Joe Pesci, who frequently curses in gangster movies, replaced his swear words with a loud, chaotic roar for young audiences, creating unexpected laughter.

The iconic moment of Macaulay’s "yelling", which originally did not appear in the script, has now become a classic moment in film history.

It can be said that with each challenge overcome, creative inspiration, and divine assistance, "Home Alone" became an essential Christmas movie. However, what made it resonate with global audiences was not just its cartoonish humor. Everyone involved in the production recalls this film as saying, "It's a really great story."

Beyond its comedic elements, "Home Alone" intricately weaves a narrative about the growth of a mischievous child. At the start, Kevin is portrayed as an unwanted troublemaker, disregarded and unliked by his family. His actions and words consistently go awry, and he appears timid and judgmental, fearful of his "scary" neighbour, whom he avoids. Kevin's greatest desire is for his entire family to vanish. However, when this wish unexpectedly materializes, Kevin discovers that the independence and freedom he yearned for were overshadowed by a profound sense of isolation and loneliness.

At only 8, he no longer believed in Santa Claus, but he still solemnly passed on a message to Santa: he didn't want any gifts, just hoping that he could help his family find their way back. The most touching scene in the film was when Kevin met the neighbour’s grandfather in the church. He thought the neighbour’s grandfather was the "serial killer" of the legend, but he was surprised that the other party was actually very friendly - his timidity was just a product of others' coloured glasses. An old and young person confided in each other about their troubles. It seems that every family has its own difficult book to read, but the root of their troubles were all because they did not express their love to their families correctly, and then feared to be the one who took the initiative to break the deadlock.

And at this time, Kevin is no longer the trouble-making brat, but instead reveals a sensitive and wise side. He spoke in the simplest words of the truth that adults are obsessed with-the more frightened you are, the more steps you have to take, no matter what the outcome is, at least you will no longer be afraid of it. Kevin's words were both encouraging his neighbour to be brave and reconcile with his family, and encouraging himself that it was time to take a serious attitude and defend his home.

In terms of the plot alone, "Home Alone" is the least "Christmas" movie ever made. The protagonist Kevin did not wait for a joyful holiday reunion with his family; instead, he was left at home by himself; he also did not wait for Santa Claus and gifts, but had to deal with two burglars who broke into his house.

But from another perspective, "Home Alone" is also the most "Christmas" movie. In his loneliness, Kevin deeply experienced what family and love, forgiveness and tolerance are all about, which is precisely the most memorable theme of the film-how to think like a child and shoulder responsibilities like an adult.