John Hughes and Chris Columbus respectively return as writer and director for "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York." The sequel to 1990's "Home Alone," the film follows the same beats as its predecessors, only this time ten-year-old Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) is not left at home, but finds himself wisped off to New York City without his family.
In a parental improvement from the first movie, Kevin's mom and dad (Cathrine O'Hara and John Herd) remember to bring their youngest when they go to the airport for another holiday vacation. Rushing through the terminal, though, Kevin gets separated from his family and ends up on the wrong flight. While the rest of the McCallisters head down to Florida, Kevin accidentally flies off to LaGuardia Airport in the Big Apple.
Mimicking the first film, once Kevin realizes that he's on his own, he celebrates, traveling all across Manhattan to see the City's greatest sites. Using his Dad's credit card that he conveniently has on him, he checks into the Plaza Hotel, run by a goofy manager portrayed by Tim Curry. Kevin lives the high-life here, ordering room service, renting a limousine, and exploring the city-that-never-sleeps with his signature confidence.
The illusion of perfection soon falls apart, however, as returning antagonists Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daneil Stern) bust themselves out of prison and arrive in New York at the same time and place as Kevin. Back on the prowl, the fugitives plot to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve. It is up to Kevin to stop them.
In a climax that matches the first film's in terms of hilarious slapstick violence, Kevin lures Harry and Marv to his uncle's abandoned Manhattan brownstone. The boy once again defeats the villains with over-the-top booby traps - some of them very similar to those in the original, and some entirely new.
Like those in the original, many of the booby traps should probably leave Harry and Marv paralyzed or dead, but "Home Alone 2" demands a suspension of disbelief. Its pretty unlikely to imagine the McCallisters getting on another plane without Kevin, and it is near-impossible that Harry and Marv would run into Kevin in the middle of America's biggest city. However, paralleling "Home Alone," "Lost In New York" is told from a kid's perspective where certain actions have diluted consequences. Hughes and Columbus have a knack for capturing this youthful vantage point without pandering, creating something warm and fun for all audiences.
Indeed, "Home Alone 2's" conclusion is just as heartfelt as "Home Alone's," and its comedy is just as crisp throughout. As essentially a repeat of the first film, it's not winning any originality points; the characters have not grown in any novel way, but they remain fun, the jokes haven't gotten old, and the message is one we can still appreciate.
In a parental improvement from the first movie, Kevin's mom and dad (Cathrine O'Hara and John Herd) remember to bring their youngest when they go to the airport for another holiday vacation. Rushing through the terminal, though, Kevin gets separated from his family and ends up on the wrong flight. While the rest of the McCallisters head down to Florida, Kevin accidentally flies off to LaGuardia Airport in the Big Apple.
Mimicking the first film, once Kevin realizes that he's on his own, he celebrates, traveling all across Manhattan to see the City's greatest sites. Using his Dad's credit card that he conveniently has on him, he checks into the Plaza Hotel, run by a goofy manager portrayed by Tim Curry. Kevin lives the high-life here, ordering room service, renting a limousine, and exploring the city-that-never-sleeps with his signature confidence.
The illusion of perfection soon falls apart, however, as returning antagonists Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daneil Stern) bust themselves out of prison and arrive in New York at the same time and place as Kevin. Back on the prowl, the fugitives plot to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve. It is up to Kevin to stop them.
In a climax that matches the first film's in terms of hilarious slapstick violence, Kevin lures Harry and Marv to his uncle's abandoned Manhattan brownstone. The boy once again defeats the villains with over-the-top booby traps - some of them very similar to those in the original, and some entirely new.
Like those in the original, many of the booby traps should probably leave Harry and Marv paralyzed or dead, but "Home Alone 2" demands a suspension of disbelief. Its pretty unlikely to imagine the McCallisters getting on another plane without Kevin, and it is near-impossible that Harry and Marv would run into Kevin in the middle of America's biggest city. However, paralleling "Home Alone," "Lost In New York" is told from a kid's perspective where certain actions have diluted consequences. Hughes and Columbus have a knack for capturing this youthful vantage point without pandering, creating something warm and fun for all audiences.
Indeed, "Home Alone 2's" conclusion is just as heartfelt as "Home Alone's," and its comedy is just as crisp throughout. As essentially a repeat of the first film, it's not winning any originality points; the characters have not grown in any novel way, but they remain fun, the jokes haven't gotten old, and the message is one we can still appreciate.