IMDb > Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Home Alone (1990) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 16)
Home Alone (1990) -- An eight year-old, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars.
Home Alone (1990) -- A burglar is tricked into thinking that a person inside a home has been murdered.
Home Alone (1990) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   70,510 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 265% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
John Hughes (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Home Alone on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 November 1990 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A Family Comedy Without The Family. more
Plot:
An eight year-old, who is accidentally left behind while his family flies to France for Christmas, has to defend his home against idiotic burglars. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(252 articles)
Review: Law Abiding Citizen - Stupid and nasty
 (From t5m.com. 3 December 2009, 3:08 AM, PST)

Shelf Life: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
 (From Cinematical. 2 December 2009, 6:02 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal! more (213 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
103 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
From 1993 to 1997, NBC aired 'Home Alone' during the 8/7c time slot on Thanksgiving evening as part of their holiday promotion. more
Goofs:
Continuity: The plane that takes off from Chicago is a DC-10, but the plane that touches down in Paris is a Boeing 757. Likewise, the plane that lifts off from Paris is an MD-80 (of which the range is inadequate for a flight from CDG to any US airport), while the one that lands back in the United States is a DC-10. more
Quotes:
Kate McCallister: Kevin, get upstairs right now.
Kevin McCallister: Why?
Jeff McCallister: Kevin, you're such a disease.
Kevin McCallister: Shut up.
Peter McCallister: Kevin, upstairs.
Kate McCallister: Say good night, Kevin.
Kevin McCallister: "Good night, Kevin."
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Bo! in the USA: (#1.2)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
Star Of Bethlehem more

FAQ

How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
How many brothers and sisters does Kevin have?
Why did the McCallisters oversleep when they knew they had to get up at 8 a.m. in order to make the flight?
more
24 out of 26 people found the following comment useful.
Merry Christmas Ya Filthy Animal!, 14 December 2006
7/10
Author: Shawn Watson (gator_macready@yahoo.com) from The Underverse

In the Eighties, John Hughes churned out a handful of movies and scored many, many hits. Quite rightly, as most of them were seriously funny - I'm DEFINITELY not referring to Curly Sue, so relax! In one particular scene from Uncle Buck, Macaulay Culkin interrogates a babysitter through the letterbox to make sure she's not a baddie. This inspired Hughes to write a whole new movie. Who would have known that this and its sequel would go on to become two of the biggest hits of all time? Both Hughes and Chris Columbus seem to prefer setting their movies during the holiday season (Gremlins, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Christmas Vacation) and manage to pull them off without too much sentiment, or sickening amounts of gooey love.

There are two reasons why Home Alone was such a big success. The first is that it's about a kid who outsmarts grown-ups, something that happens every day, only there's a worldwide conspiracy of silence. This movie yells it out loud and clear. The second is John Williams's magical score, which elevates the movie way above slapstick family fare to something more serious and regarded. It was nominated for an Academy Award, along with the Christmas carol Somewhere In My Memory, but lost to John Barry's Dances with Wolves. Damn! In a mad rush to the airport one morning, the MacCallister family forget one little thing...Kevin (Culkin). He is an eight-year-old kid who wants nothing better than a peaceful Christmas and some time to himself. It's hard for him to get this when living in a house with seven other people(the exact same house from Planes, Trains And Automobiles, don't you know0. With the rest of the MacCallisters in Paris, Kevin runs wild doing whatever he wants, eating whatever he wants and watching whatever TV show he wants.

But there's one major problem. The Wet Bandits, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), are on the prowl and have knocked off every other house in Kevin's street. His is next. And seeing that he's man-of-the-house now, he HAS to defend it.

Using whatever tools are at his disposal (rusty nails, blow torches, Micro Machines) he sets up a labyrinth of booby traps, so that the Wets can't break in. Their idiot-proof determination proves to be their downfall, as they are tortured and torn-up upon entering Kevin's domain.

Although this is not the only point of the film, there is an important message that family is what really matters to a child, or to anyone, and having them home for the holidays is better than wandering a huge house all by yourself.

There are some movies that work best at Christmas and this is one of them. I'm not saying that in a couple of decades it will be the new It's A Wonderful Life, but it will be remembered fondly at the very least.

Don't be a Scrooge. It's Christmastime. Go rush to check out Home Alone.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (213 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Home Alone (1990)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A black Kid TheQuietWon
Filming locations chasd-2
Gold Tooth Fred_82
This movie is better than 'A Christmas Story'... NYJetsAFL
$122.50.....What would you tip the pizza guy? smokey15454456
Whats your favorite line? Kryogenics
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York 3 Ninjas Blue Streak Adventure Scouts Honor Clifford
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.