It may end up looking better than both the 4th and 5th adaptation (yes there are 6 of these movies now), but Home Sweet Home Alone lacks any charisma, wit, or charm that made the original films so enjoyable and ends up feeling like an incredibly pointless and quite dated forced reboot comedy. The first thing that sticks out to me so clearly about this film is how painfully unfunny it is. Almost every minute of this film they try so hard to make each joke work and nothing ever lands, and instead your stuck watching the awkwardness unfold slower and slower until you can hardly stand to take it anymore. The actors are thankfully better than the last two adaptations, with some big names to star, however that doesn't mean they are by any means good in their roles- and again feels like the film missed a major opportunity. So many huge comedic stars, you think you would be able to get one laugh out of them, but sadly not. Pete Holmes and Ellie Kemper deserve better than this. The film is decently filmed, hardly feeling stale or fake like the forced Christmas atmosphere of the last two flicks, but despite the snowy setting and some decent shots- there is little to be joyful about in this miserable adaptation. The script and story is down right diabolical at times, hurtful, and just sad to watch. Not to mention lead child actor Archie Yates is justb a total brat and honestly makes me wonder who the hell we were supposed to root for throughout this film. In the end, Home Sweet Home Alone takes the franchise up a very slight notch, but it is obviously no where close to as good as the first 2 films, or even the third. Its forced sense of humor and misuse of talent should be a learning point for many Hollywood films here on- simply on how to not make a star-studded comedy. It's about as disappointing as they come, and as forgettable and frustrating as a film can possibly be.
My Rating: 1.5/10.
