Movie Family Therapy: HOME ALONE
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- Опубликовано: 14 янв 2025
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How do family crises actually help? Is Home Alone just Deadpool for kids!?
Licensed therapist Jonathan Decker and filmmaker Alan Seawright are celebrating the holidays by doing a movie family therapy on Home Alone! They’re talking about family crises, forgiveness, and vulnerability. Jonathan talks about what family scapegoating is and why Kevin is the scapegoat. And he therapizes Kate McCallister as a mom in crisis. Alan praises the impeccable characters actors that make Home Alone so memorable, and he couldn’t go without mentioning the magical power of a John Williams score.
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Written by: Megan Seawright, Jonathan Decker, and Alan Seawright
Produced by: Jonathan Decker, Megan Seawright, Alan Seawright, and Corinne Demyanovich
Edited by: Nathan Judd
Director of Photography: Bradley Olsen
English Transcription by: Anna Preis
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Did Cully Colman play human casper . His mom was in beetlejuice
Can you please do the Good Place, the Haunting of the Hill House and Across the Spider-Verse? @CinemaTherapyShow
Since we're Henry McCaulkin, maybe "The Good Son"?
Ughhh why are you guys still promoting this company, I am at a point when I click away if I see an ad for it, please stop!
Considering how obnoxious his family is, it’s pretty amazing how nice of a kid Kevin is when he’s alone. The family quite literally brings out the worst in him
Honestly people bring out different sides of others
It’s almost like being away from them and their emotional abuse helped him heal
All he wanted was to be treated right, and that's why he goes all out when he sees injustice happen to him or to others.
He was always on the defensive around them.
Kevin is only a nice kid when he’s away from his toxic family. He’s always been a nice kid, but his family makes him act like a jerk because that’s how their family is.
It’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. They treat Kevin like he’s going to cause issues and then when he does they point the finger. This family has always infuriated me.
YEP YEP YEP. There it is.
It’s even proven to be false at the end when the family returns and even without Kevin they are all still yelling and arguing with each other showing that despite their claims he was never the true source behind their conflicts
@@FenDweller13Absolutely!
@@FenDweller13 Absolutely. I never thought of that
In my family the older kids are meant to be a good example for the younger ones. Buzz’s bad attitude, in my opinion, is the head of the snake in terms of all the other kids’ behavior toward each other. My parents would have raked that punk over the coals.
The part when Kevin said "Everyone in this family hates me!" And the mom responded with "Then maybe you should ask Santa for a new family." I thought to myself that was the most horrible response.
On the mom's side of it she was like "If that's how you feel then you should ask Santa for a new family", but on Kevin's side he thought that his mom agreed that everyone in the family hates him just as he complained about.
She didn't even learn from that mistake in the second movie.
The actress said in an interview that when she said "then say it again, maybe it'll happen" it killed her because she could never say that to such a beutiful child.
To be fair, the whole family does hate him.
Wait a minute, Kevin IS asking Santa for a new family. C'mon woman, you can't keep deflecting, you are Santa Claus.
That response disgusted me
Something I just realized is how in the first movie, when Buzz ate Kevin’s pizza, and Kevin gets sent upstairs. There’s no scene of anyone bringing him food or anything
Which means Kevin literally didn’t eat that night
Yikes I never thought about that
Oh God😢
I think about this every time I see it, it’s so unfair 😭
Honestly, I never noticed that because I sometimes don't eat all day. Even as a kid. And not because I couldn't or was being punished, but because I just forget sometimes. I'm not always hungry. For me, I have to smell something cooking or cooked to become hungry. And if I decide i don't like anything that's available, I just won't eat and be perfectly okay with it. I might snack. But often, I just don't.
Being sent to bed without dinner was a VERY common punishment at the time. Being hungry for a few extra hours won't hurt him. What's really F'ed up is that they PLANNED for him to share a bed with a known bedwetter long before the invention of pull-ups for big kids. He wasn't in trouble then, they just did not care if he got peed on.
If you notice in the ending the uncle's half of the family: him his wife, their kids, they're not there.They stayed in paris
I don’t think I have ever noticed that before! You’re right though. It adds to how bad the Uncle is.
I wonder how they paid for it since Kevin's dad is the one who was originally footing the bill.
@@mavnalysse In the beginning of the movie, Kevin's mom explains that it's Kevin's dad's brother (the one in Paris) who paid for the trip. It's in the sequel that it is mentioned that Kevin's dad is the one paying for the trip to Florida.
I wouldn't leave either. Why should my vacation be ruined because my brother can't keep track of his children. It's not like my family going with would have made a difference anyways...
@Bookhardtsbooks I didn't say anything about any of that.I just pointed it out because I noticed it for the first time
The framing of Kevin learning his family "disappeared" is so well made. We see how he's initially scared and confused only to be gradually reminded that they treated him horribly.
Notice Kevin's thoughts too, and rewatch the scenes where those lines were said. You'll notice how they're much more exaggerated, or not even said at all. As this is to show things from Kevin's perspective. Therefore, in his mind, they’re all the bad guys and he’s the innocent one.
Which lines exactly, @@osmanyousif7849?
@@osmanyousif7849 to be fair the whole family is awful to Kevin. He’s a child, if he learns bad things from his family that’s not on him.
@@nationalinstituteofcheese3012 they’re all wrong lol, they’re jerks but he’s still a manipulative brat
@@osmanyousif7849 Kevin didn't exaggerate by much.
The first time I watched this after becoming a parent, I thought "This family is horrible! The parents are horrible!"
"They're all irredeemable monsters!!!"
"Ohhhh uhhhh! What took you so long?"
@@AbMaSyncIdiot! *flick*
When I was younger I thought Kevin was the problem and the family were all innocent. Now I realize it’s almost the other way around.
@@AbMaSync "IDIOT!"
*flicks you away*
Me watching this when I was 5 years old in 1990: "Kevin's family are all awful people."
Me watching this when I was 38 last year in 2023: "Kevin's family are all awful people."
One of my favorite details in this movie is Marley's hand.
When Kevin sees him at the store, it's bloody which symbolizes that Marley's relationship with his son is wounded. In the church scene, he has a band aid on, symbolizing that Kevin has helped Marley begin to heal, and at the end of the movie when Marley hugs his grandaughter his hand (and by extension his relationship with his son) is completely healed
That's a neat story telling element catch
That’s a very observant thought. I never even imagined that.
@@megabladechronicles962 Neat, I never realised that, I'll have to watch the film again to pick up on this detail.
That's an interesting take. The only interpretation I heard before was that in the store scene, the hand is bloody on the palm, and in the church scene, he has a band aid on the back of the hand, so that must mean the hand was actually pierced through. Pierced hand, church setting, and talking about reconciliation. Also made sense.
(Though that would mean his hand had more miraculous healing power than the ear of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.)
Very profound
Considering that Kevin's the scapegoat, and that he's just a kid, it makes sense that he would develop a sense of sarcasm and a disrespectful attitude. He always gets blamed for when things go wrong (and subsequently gets in trouble), so I can imagine him saying to himself (even if only subconsciously) 'Why not give push-back? I'm already in trouble, I might as well earn it. And it won't make a difference whether I behave or act out, I receive the same result." Plus, being punished when he doesn't deserve it probably desensitizes him to punishment when he does deserve it. If he's disciplined in both cases, how can he tell them apart?
Good analysis
@@lucidfangirl1030 Thank you!
Plus, as somebody who grew up in a household that was mean and sarcastic, it took me until I was a full adult that had been removed from my family for a while, that the sarcastic way of speaking to each other and mean spirited teasing and mockery isn't actually normal. I watch my younger siblings who haven't escaped yet only know how to start conversations chiding or making fun of people. If every dialogue is sarcastic and mean, and every conversation is talking about somebody else, you don't even know that normal people don't do that. Kevin doesn't know the sarcasm is rude and mean because everybody around him talks and behaves the same way.
Definitely feel that - I developed kind of a wry and dark sense of humor because being a girl in a misogynistic environment, basically anything that wasn’t complete submission and bubbliness was wrong. So I basically just said fuck it and would try to get a rise out of people.
That's a great take
Kevin was never a jerk to his mom. He was tired of being the scapegoat. Let’s not blame a child for the adults’ behavior. If her feelings are hurt, she’s realizing he’s right.
No, he was being a jerk. It's just that he was being so for an entirely understandable reason of everybody always piling everything on him. The problem is that responding to heightened emotion with heightened emotion rarely ever works.
@@noelleholiday61 He was merely responding, which means they were jerks and he was not.
He called her a dummy.
@@admirallily She was scolding him unjustly, dismissing his self-defense, not defending him from the abusive uncle and siblings, dragging him upstairs by his arm...
@@admirallilya mom like that isn’t exactly a smarty.
Honestly Kevin is only so sarcastic and snarky in that scene because not only was his entire family insulting and excluding him, buzz right before was actively antagonizing him, and then blaming him for stuff that was not his fault.
YEP, its a defense mechanism, his verbal prickliness is no different than the litteral prickles of a hedgehog or porcupine
@@nonnativenarnianand the scene with his mother sending him to attiac is mother is just as sarcastic so it modeled behavior too
He’s also probably cranky because he hasn’t eaten and isn’t going to eat because his pizza got stolen.
And it’s not like the mom or dad did an absolutely THING to support or look out for him
YES!!
I feel like the old man in the church is the "real Santa Claus" of the story. Kevin meets a fake Santa in one scene, and even acknowledges that he's a fake Santa, then encounters this old man with a white beard who gives him exactly what he needed (and who saves his life at the end).
He then goes through the same thing with a bird feeding woman in New York in the second movie. He's initially afraid of her, he eventually warms up to her, and as fate would have it, she saves him from the same two bandits that tried to "do away with him".
Mr Marley is my favorite character in Home Alone.
@grahamdamberger7130 the pigeon lady is my favorite character in Home Alone 2.
The wound on his hand is a deliberate reference to Jesus. The old man with a white beard helping children Santa Claus angle is just as deliberate.
The very first time I saw this movie I thought the old man was Santa...I was 7 so it made sense
The most profound thing about the church scene is Kevin is taking a complex and complicated adult problem and breaking it down with his childlike innocence. As adults, we say that it’s not that simple, but the truth is we just make it complicated. I love it when TV shows and movies allow adults to learn and grow from the child’s perspective. We might already know it in our heads, but there’s something about hearing it from a child and wanting that kind of optimism and assurance.
Same, I love that! Well put!
A child's brain thinks in a different way than an adult's brain does. Both can engage in logical thinking, but they do it in ways that sometimes make it difficult to translate between each other. As we grow older, we transition to adult logic and forget how to think logically as a child does.
Kevin’s a really compassionate kid. To his whole family he may come off as a jerk, but he’s really selfless and kind. When he gets over his fear of Marley and the Pigeon Lady and learns what truly good people they are, he offers advice and talks to them and is genuinely a nice kid. And he risks his life (especially in the second movie) to help people he cares about (his family and the sick kids in the hospital). I wish Kevin’s family got to see the compassionate person Kevin in, cause he’s a real sweet and courageous kid.
I want Kevin as my therapist now 😄
Exactly, I love how Marly's like "I'm scared to talk to my son, I don't know if we can reconcile" and Kevin's like "yeah, I was scared of my basement, but when I turned on the light, I wasn't scared" and it works so beautifully
My dad gripes about the dad in this movie every time we watch this. When Uncle Franks calls Kevin a "little jerk" he always grumbles that if it were his brother saying that to me or my sisters he would kick his brother out right then and there. (Thankfully his brother Would Never).
Completely agree, you don't insult children when they act out (except for a playful 'brat' in less serious situations), you correct their behavior. My parents would NEVER have tolerated something like that.
Same, my mom would quietly rant about his tone and wouldn’t hesitate to lash out if any of my relatives spoke that way to me and my other siblings (Anger issues runs deep with my mom and she’d never tolerate that level of disrespect). It’s nice to know that many sane parents criticize Kevin’s god-awful family
One dynamic that isn't brought up much is that the uncle was paying for the trip to Paris for everyone. It's possible the dad held his tongue so as not to cause conflict with the golden goose. Not that that's right, just saying he might have said something in other circumstances.
@@jwhite-1471 I thought so too, but when I rewatched the other night, it turns out it's not Frank who's paying for it- it's his and Peter's brother (Heather's dad) who we never see. Kate mentions to Harry that this brother and his wife got transferred to Paris for work earlier in the year, but their daughter wanted to finish her senior year at home. The trip out to Paris was supposed to be Brother #3's thank you to Peter and Kate for letting Heather live with them, and Frank somehow weaseled an invite for himself and HIS children as well.
@@jwhite-1471It was Uncle Rob who paid for the trip to Paris; Uncle Frank is a stingy cheapskate. In the sequel Uncle Frank harshly scolded Kevin for his negativity and bad attitude during the family meeting following the fiasco at the Christmas pageant; calling him a little sourpuss and warning him to not wreck the trip because his dad Peter is paying a considerable amount of money for the trip to Miami.
Here's where the Mom failed. When Kevin and his Mom are at the attic stairs, Kevin DOES apologize to her, and it DOES sound sincere....if a bit manipulative. Rather than accepting this apology from her son, and maybe having the adults take responsibility for their part of the mess, and focusing on preparing for their vacation, and doing what you said and coming back to talk to Kevin when they both calm down, she eggs Kevin on EVEN MORE, telling him to ask Santa for a new family, rather than denying that everyone in the family HATES Kevin....and then, she banishes Kevin to the attic ALONE....until the next day....and then they all forget about him when they leave for Paris the next morning. I understand she is the Mom and she has to get 15 people ready to go on an international vacation....but then, they also threw away Kevin's ticket. The thing that troubles me is, we NEVER see Kevin's bedroom in that house. He always sleeps in his parents' bed....making me wonder DOES HE even have a bedroom of his own?
This is well put. And as a parent myself, I wouldn’t leave that driveway until I see every single one of MY children’s faces in birth order so I would know that I’m not forgetting any.
@@CowboysBunny8 My sister said the same thing....ESPECIALLY to have eyes on the YOUNGEST child in the group. When we go out as a family, we make sure that the children are holding hands with an adult.That would have been the first thing I did when getting on the plane....do a second head count to ensure everyone in my family had made it on board. They were halfway to Paris before they even realized Kevin was missing.
@@CeltycSparrow young ones are always known for going missing just in general because they run off and play or just don’t pay attention. I have a 9 year old that is constantly running back and forth from our house to the neighbors just while we’re buckling our others in the car or getting them out. So for an 8 year old who they perceive as “trouble” it would make more sense to figure out where he is at all times even if they didn’t think he was missing at the time.
I don’t think his apology was sincere, but I also don’t think it was manipulative. We’re taught from a young age that sorry is the magic word to fix everything bad we did. The family is telling Kevin he did something bad and is being bad and being 8, he responds how he’s been taught. “I’m sorry.” The mother’s respond is to make a mocking face and tell him “nice try.” What he hears is “nice try, but you can’t fix this.” So of course he goes back to his default setting- defensive mode. And the mom’s response to that is “well maybe you should ask for a new family.”
Kevin does have a bedroom of his own, he chooses not to sleep in there because he was forced to share his room with his cousin, who is a bedwetter.
A reminder for those who've gone low or no contact with someone abusive... The pressure to reconcile because "it's Christmas" does not apply here. Sometimes the best thing you can do for Christmas is to gift yourself protection against relationships that aren't safe or healthy.
Very true. I do think it's a nice message that Jono has at the end, but for those that are waiting to hear that "I'm sorry", it's a different situation entirely.
@@DFTBA221B I spent a long...long time waiting to hear "I'm sorry" from my abuser. Too long. Not anymore.
@@ryanmcintyre3616 I never got one, except in a letter he left behind in the event of his death. I read it after his death, but it was a coward's apology to do it in written form, let's be honest.
@@DFTBA221Bexactly. As the family scapegoat, with a mother who would never say she is sorry, it's not always like a film
Thank you, I needed this reminder
Catherine O'Hara and Macaulay Culkin are still close to this day, with her stating that he still calls her "Mom." She was even present when he received his Hollywood Star on the Walk of Fame.
I view Home Alone as a prequel to Schitt’s Creek.
That’s awesome
That's so heart-warming
That's really wholesome
Aw. That's so sweet. I'm so glad they have that relationship.
I always appreciate the lengths this one went to, to rationalize how Kevin got left behind. The ticket in the trash, the late start, the neighbor kid being included in the head count, everything they did, somehow foiled by external circumstances. Very clever.
That's why it's annoying when people dismiss nonsensical behavior from characters saying "They had to do it that way because if they didn't the movie would have been over in 10 minutes." That's lazy writing. The writers could have just had Kevin's alarm clock not go off and left it at that, and people would have excused it as necessary for the plot to happen, but instead they put in the work to construct a complex but plausible series of events that made it make sense that Kevin was left behind.
I watch a lot of "air crash investigation"-type shows and they talk a lot about what's called the Swiss Cheese Model, in which you have slices of swiss cheese that more often than not don't have any holes align (so you can't go "through" them without hitting the solid part of the next slice of cheese) but SOMETIMES a hole in each slice will line up perfectly with each other and you can "go through" that hole in each slice without anything stopping you, IOW if one thing doesn't occur the incident won't happen (or at least is much less likely to). This is the Swiss Cheese Model of this movie, i.e. if any one of those hadn't happened Kevin very likely wouldn't have gotten left behind.
Don't forget that Heather counts herself twice.
@@BubblegumLightsaber I like watching air crash investigation shows too!
@@Murph_gaming No, she doesn't. She counts a neighborhood kid wearing a similar beanie and with his back to her, rummaging around in their luggage. She doesn't see him leave, assumed he was Kevin, and assumes that the extra kid is in the other van.
Please do the second movie and talk about Buzz's so called "apology" at the beginning that got literal applause from the family for something HE caused. Always blew my mind how this was acceptable
"Beat that, you little trout sniffer."
The McAllisters are terrible enough in Home Alone but in Home Alone 2 especially they’re just the worst.
Omg that scene pissed me the hell off, boggled my mind on how easily they forgave Buzz’s “apology” and even expected Kevin to do the same when Buzz literally started the whole mess because he cannot even go a few seconds without bothering Kevin.
It’s the writing. When Buzz humiliates Kevin during his solo at the school pageant, the whole crowd, including adults, laughs. That would never happen. The joke wasn’t even funny.
However I must add that Jeff (the second eldest McAllister brother) glared daggers at Buzz knowing that he was lying through his teeth.
I see "I'm sorry" not as deliberate manipulation, but as adaptive behavior because the whole family has destroyed his self worth and it's probably the only way any of his needs ever get met. Signed, a scapegoat
Until now, I never noticed that Kevin had tears in his eyes when he saw Old Man Marley reconnect with his family. Perfect ending!
It’s beautiful! Also his red headed granddaughter was singing in the choir so the family must have lived in town or at least nearby
I know!!!!
Re-watching this movie now as I'm older and know psychology better than before makes me feel so bad for Kevin. He's not only a scapegoat, but he is also constantly in a defence mode, and I relate to this so much as someone who lived in an abusive home with irresponsible adults who were too proud to apologize or accept their faults.
When you live with those who constantly attack you - verbally or physically - and you feel vulnerable/unsafe, you automatically enter "fight, flight, freeze or fawn" response. Kevin seems to choose to fight and its almost ironic that the fight response is also what drives him to defend his home.
His aggression is usually passive, hidden behind snarkiness and suppression, but eventually it can easily spill into full-on aggression, like when he attacks Buzz. No one helps him alleviate the stress, and instead only push him more into that defence mode. It's a vicious cycle that will continue for as long as the person is in a place where they constantly feel the need to defend themselves.
This has to be traumatic, especially for someone so young.
This put into words something I still deal with as an adult. I wasn’t a scapegoat and I wasn’t in nearly as awful a situation as Kevin, but the Y-Chromosome Donor was, not a great person. It led to so much tension over years. And as the oldest, I took the brunt of it. I even (verbally) snapped a few times, leading to him becoming Physical. I’m glad it was to me and not my mother or siblings. I still hate that he held so much power over us all though, especially after he gave me a black eye once while it was just me and him in the house, and I had to lie to my mother, bosses, and coworkers that I fell while cleaning, because he would have likely done far worse if I didn’t, but additionally he “put on good boy shoes” for a while since I easily could have spilled the beans and had that over him in return.
I’m still defensive, but I do my best to avoid bottling now thanks to some friends that let me vent when I’m upset, and I’ve moved out on my own. My mother is divorcing my Y-Chromosome Donor, and while he attempted to make contact with me, the moment my mother and youngest sibling had the Law protecting them, I stopped talking to him since I didn’t have to worry about him retaliating towards them. While I have heard he’s FINALLY going to therapy like my other sibling told him last year he needed, and he’s trying to deal with his alcoholic tendencies, I’m not talking to him unless I truly feel safe and comfortable doing so. I am never putting myself to be under his control again.
Agree 100%!!!
@@phobiawitch835 I'm really glad that things are better for you now, and I'm proud of you that you've become so perceptive and knowledgeable about these things that can make yourself and others healthier. Like all skills, this takes practice and you're doing a great job.
Well stated. And we see Kevin fawn with the "I'm sorry" when he realized that she was gonna really send him upstairs. But even if it comes from a place of manipulation, it could start a conversation with Mom saying thank you for that and I'm sorry for whatever, but you will still have the consequence. (Which should NOT be going to bed without food all night and no conversation and won't be in the morning cuz they will be going to airport and France). Calm down time for both is good, (and dinner) and a talk and I find value in having the child help clean up the mess they made...or maybe another mess cuz you can't leave the milk that long. But seriously, all Kevin did was shove his brother which made milk spill. My kid did that last week which spilled my coffee and had to clean up the table and change tablecloth and everything. No yelling, no name calling. It's def tense situations with everyone in that house and the stress of that and money and Uncle Frank being a freeloader and Mom probably doing too much.
If any adult had called me or my sister a "little jerk", my mom would've made sure you never found the body.
That’s nothing compared to what he calls him in the second movie, lol.
😂😅
Can you picture calling a nine year old a “Nosy little pervert?”
My mom would’ve been the one calling me a little jerk.
I could not imagine calling my nieces jerks for any reason (even if they are acting like jerks). My brother and maybe even my more even tempered sister in law would throw hands.
@@PodyTheCirateA parent may call their kid a jerk in the heat of the moment (not saying it’s okay), but there’s a huge difference between that and allowing an another adult to call you kid that.
@@karrihart1 that is definitely one way of looking at it.
As a kid watching this: This family is terrible, but hey, maybe when I’m an adult my mind will change
Me as a 20 year old: this family (besides Kevin, the icon that he is) is absolutely horrendous
You've made my point perfectly that only makes itself crystal clear in "Home Alone 2:" it is Kevin's FAMILY that is toxic. He is actually the only one with merit amongst them. They're all unloving jerks, even the mother, who only grandstands with dramatic martyrdom when the problem is too big to ignore. His antics are a cry for help! If his parents bothered to care in the first place there would be no need to beg/barter her way from France to Chicago in the first or wander the streets of New York City in the second.
“Grandstands with martyrdom” - you just summarized my mother.
Mother is overworked and stressed out of her mind . Father is useless, he is the main problem
@@aleksandrac9335The Father allows his brother to mistreat his son
@@aleksandrac9335both of the parents are problems, they don't enforce anything & just allow the toxicity..
@@aleksandrac9335 no everyone exept the kids are the problem, the father is detached and a wet mop, the mother is very quick to insult, jump to conclusions and blame, poor communication the whole time, and the extended family is just a bunch of horrible people who shouldn't have or be around kids, and this is another reason why the mother and father are a problem they refuse to remove the uncle who is horrible to Kevin from their lives he's a bum who verbally attacks their child multiple times, if any of my uncles or aunty's treated me how Kevin's uncle treated him they would be flat on the ass outside and never allowed back in again.
This might be the first character examination I've ever seen of Kevin McAlister that hasn't labled him as a psychopathic monster. Once you ignore the hunger games like traps it truly is a lovely family film.
I've never really understood that mindset. Marv and Harry were deliberately trying to break into a house they knew was occupied by an eight year old who was all alone. There was no version of that plan that was ever going to end well whether or not he went Die Hard on them.
@@bemusedbandersnatch2069it’s more that the framing feels less like slapstick and more like actual PAIN. I never liked the movie as a kid because all the traps are actually vicious. Like they leave evidence.
It’s funny to me that people view Kevin’s behavior as “psychopathic,” when he’s basically just any eight-year-old kid, although a particularly precocious one. I think people on the internet just aren’t familiar with how gleefully destructive children can be.
@@roguebarbarian9133
Yeah, but most children would stop at the Hot Wheels and spiders and not include flamethrowers or nail-floors in their traps.
Here he goes easy on the Wet Bandits when you consider what he puts them through in part 2.
Kevin was to his family why Bruno was in Encanto. It’s relatable unhealthy family dynamics. I always felt sorry for little Kevin.
exactly.
scape goat.
when he says his little 'sorry'- i dont think hes trying to be manipulative.
i think hes trying to deal with all the adult stuff thats been thrown on him. hes taking the responsibility that he shouldn't have to.
But there's a big difference: Bruno decided to take on that role by his own free will by hiding from his family and only did that when he was 40 years old.
So he was an adult unlike Kevin and has even been described as having been the "golden child" when he was a kid until the villagers turned against him.
Except for that his attempt to cheer Pepa up on her wedding day failed, it is never stated that Bruno's family talked negatively about him before he "left" them.
And nobody in Julieta's side said anything negative about him even after that...
@@Furienna he left because his mother blamed him for everything
Man, I need to watch Encanto.
@@rachaelknudsen8801 lol its cool, in a lin manuel miranda way.
but not so 90s kevin, apart from this
This ending is beautiful until you realize that in the 2nd movie, no one learns anything, and it just starts all over again.
The sequel, like many was peimarily a cash grab seeking to make money off the first movies success, but the first movie didn't expect to have a sequel, so feel free to view as the standalone experience it was originally designed as
Progress isn't a straight line, people learn, people forget, people relearn, people fight their habits
@@ladygeneveve3805 It might have been a cash grab, but it was a fun and satisfying cash grab. Modern film makers should take note. Also, the circumstances reset because the parents never disciplined Buzz for being a creep, it was easier for them to punish Kevin for reacting than to deal with the bullying he was reacting to.
in my family Kevin would have had to hold his parent's hands when on a roadtrip until he went to college! xD
Honestly the fact that this wasn’t some magical ending where everything was perfect from this day on and everyone never fell back into their old ways is WHAT makes the second movie so believable. Lol falling into old habits and having to relearn lessons, especially older people and teens stuck in their ways, makes a lot of sense.
I haven't finished the video yet, because halfway through the video I started crying as I realized that I am my family's scapegoat. Not in the sense that everything that goes wrong is my fault, but in the sense that everything I think or do is wrong. I'm just one big wrong that can't do anything right for the life of me.
I'll come back and finish this video later, but I don't think I can watch Home Alone ever again with this new perspective in mind.
Wow I'm really sorry that caused you to feel so hurt. Hope you're able to process that information.
Grew up the family scapegoat in a physically and emotionally abusive family (mostly my stepdad). They floundered when I left and still try to fall into using me as the scapegoat when I'm around. One day while being screamed at while there for Easter I realized "wait, I dont need to just sit and take it anymore" and so I got up, packed my stuff, and went home. My stepdad seemed so confused and though he mocked me and screamed at me a bit me, he mostly seemed like he hadn't ever considered that I would start just leaving now that I'm free. It's so nice not living a life on glass anymore and finally being free
One thing that I always hated was when Kate McAllister calls the police to check on Kevin, she NEVER specifies that he's an 8 year old. Yes, the cops are incompetent, but no one would ever think that someone would leave an 8 year old by themselves and it's probably why they didnt take her seriously. They probably assumed it was a teenager who was left alone at the house
I've always hated that!
She does eventually say he's 8, but they've already written her off. Plus, she doesn't explain she's in a foreign country, which is understandable with her panic, but a key detail left out.
If she did, she would also get cps called on her
@@unsightedmelodies6801she did tell them she was in Paris, but the department was obviously preoccupied with holiday preparations and donuts that they didn't bother to listen. I know when I was 8, my family always told me to never open the door, especially when home alone. I was instructed to always ask a parent before opening the door and making sure one is nearby, and to not even open if it was someone I knew or insisting it was an emergency. I absolutely wouldn't have opened to a pounding on the door after being scared of dangerous adults lurking around the house.
While that's true, I think is was done on purpose. It would be understandable that in the panic she's in, she wouldn't think of all the relevant details that are absolutely clear to HER, but not to the person on the other line. It's a bit like people calling the fire department, saying: "You have to come, our house is burning down! What do you mean, where? At our house!"
It's actually important that she didn't give the necessary information to justify the police's lazy reactions and also for the policeman who goes to their house and knocks on the door to NOT think "Well, maybe a scared 8 year old wouldn't open the door, I have to check differently." The whole movie delivers a long line of tiny falling dominoes that all have to fall into place to make the premise somewhat believable, and I guess this is just one more.
The fact that Kevin can give such solid advice to lonely adults and show genuine compassion to others outside his family? I don’t think he’s a sociopath. I think he has a lack of impulse control from adhd more than exasperated by the routine scapegoating/emotional abuse and neglect he receives from literally everyone except his mother by the end of the first movie and into the second-she’s literally the only one he even has the emotional energy for by the end. He lashes out with his sarcasm, sure. And let’s be real, the Deathtraps for the Wet/Sticky Bandits is intentionally 3 Stooges Cartoonish. But if he senses others just as isolated and misunderstood as he is, or having a greater need than him, he shows up with a kinda heartbreaking level of emotional maturity for how stunted he is within his own family unit
I can understand that
And also when you have to deal with A-holes in your family you tend to learn how to deal with them in a certain way and to throw it right back at them.
"3 Stooges cartoonish" is a good way of describing the violence. I LOVED the films as a kid for the trap sequences and was genuinely surprised to discover they had brought the film poor critical reception. Just like Looney tunes I never actually considered attempting any of that stuff.
That was what Jackass was for.
@@RobKaiser_SQuestyep, same. My brother and I watched the films regardless of time of year just for the catharsis of the traps. Neither of us went on to enact violence on others, either. We knew bricks from a 3 storey building would kill someone, yet also Understood that this was all within the bounds of Movie Logic (if anything, we always wondered why the Bandits didn’t just…walk away. Other than adult male ego about being humiliated by a scrawny kid outsmarting them.)
No impulse control is normal for a 8 year old. They are still learning thay
What I love about the first two films is how Kevin has a profound impact on two hurting adults lives because they listened to him. Kevin's family largely ignores him and ignores or devalues what he has to say... Then this little kid shows up and is friendly with lonely older people and they don't brush him off as an annoyance like his family does and they truly listen to Kevin's profound advice.
Not only is it a good message to kids that adults are capable of listening but it reminds us adults to actually listen to kids.
I also like how Kevin must feel like an angel came to those adults in the form of a child to say something that will change the direction of their lives. Kevin preforms a few Christmas miracles by reconnecting a family, giving a woman the courage to love again and he selflessly puts himself in danger to protect the money meant to go to sick kids in the hospital.
But I think it's also hilarious how the little psycho may also be perceived as an angel in disguise lol
It helps too that just like Kevin, Marley and the pigeon lady were outcasts, and in Marley’s case he was an outcast within his own family. Kevin was able to bond with them because he genuinely understood what they were going through
"But I think it's also hilarious how the little psycho may also be perceived as an angel in disguise lol"
Angel of Death
@@catbatrat1760only for Marv and Harry.
One thing I noticed in a recent viewing, what happened could have turned out much worse for Kevin.
If he had got up and in the car, the whole trip would have been called off with his ticket lost. He would never have had the family bored in Paris or his protecting the house to redeem the situation. He would have been blamed again, further isolated and there's nothing like a crowded house to feel extremely alone.
The scene in the church between Kevin and his neighbour... I cry every time I watch it.... including during your video. My father loved me. I know that for a fact. But, he had a vision for how my life should be based on how he would have lived it if he was me. He was short, I am tall. He struggled in sports, but I was naturally gifted. He always saw me as very handsome. So, he had this perfect world for me, but he never once asked if that vision was what I wanted. And this included my choice of girlfriends and the woman I ended up marrying.
My wife never lived up to what he thought was my ideal mate. And any time they interacted, he made borderline snarks, hurtful comments and sold it as "just teasing".
One year, I blew up at him and he still refused to hear what I was saying, because he was never wrong. I stormed out of my parents' house and we didn't speak for two years. I did send him a long and very emotional letter, but never got a response.
After the two years, I went to their house to stay since we would all be attending a family funeral. He would say we reconciled. I would say we just didn't talk about our issue, we acted like nothing was wrong.
Two months later, my dad died and things were never resolved. It's been 12 years and I'm finally getting over that... sorta.
But, the letter I wrote? I found it in a slot my parents kept their mail in. My mom put it there. It was unopened. I asked my mom and she said that when he saw it, he made a face and left it on the table. So, she put it there hoping he would one day read it.
This scene at least offers hope for reconciling with those we love. And the effort is never wasted. One of the reasons I can say I am recovering is I did try. But, true reconciliation is a two way street. And sometimes all you can say is "I tried".
Wow..sorry your dad never got a chance to see your letter, but hopefully he knows you loved him either way, just as your father must have loved you(he just prolly has a differentor hard time showing it)..sorry you never got dat reconciliation dat you wanted, but be proud you atleast tried to🥹🫂..May he Rest in Paradise 🙏🏻🕊
You can’t control what the other person does. Don’t be down on the outcome. You did what you could do.
Also, your father not letting you live your own life is not loving you but loving a vision of what he wants. Yes he wanted what he thought was best for you but he never saw you as you separated from his wishes.
I’m sorry. I completely understand. I had to totally rebel against my mother who did and does the same thing to me. She’s still quite awful and I’m in my mid 40s. I tried to be close to her after my dad passed but she is just someone I can’t trust. Her morals and mine do not align. It is what it is. But at least I tried.
The moment where Marv screams because of the spider is so memorable that my parents recognized it from a completely different room 😂
Fun fact! The scream was dubbed in! They didn’t want to spook the spider so he had to scream silently. I’m pretty sure it bit him anyway…
@@takkycat Not true, the actor said he really screamed because of his fear of spiders lol.
That is the most relatable scream in the history of film
@@RedRoseSeptember22I really don’t get the concept of arachnophobia. I mean… sure, some spiders are lethally venomous to humans, but most spiders are pretty much harmless to humans. Tarantulas are one of the harmless species of spiders.
It’s like with snakes. Some snakes can kill you if they bite you or squeeze you, but most snakes are harmless.
That is the funniest scene in the whole movie! I have borderline extreme arachniphobia.
One big critique I have of this movie as an adult is Kevin’s mom response to, “Everybody in this family hates me.” Why, instead of asking why he feels that way or assuring him no one hates him, would she instead take it as if he’s trying to be smart or antagonizing and say, “Well if you feel that way, you should wish that we weren’t your family”? As a mom, I would never make my child believe, even for a second, that our family hated them, and especially not me.
She was too stressed to be the adult in the conversation.
Reminds me of what my dad said when I called him and my family out for mistreatment, my dad said “well then move out!”
@ I’m sorry you had to go through that. Clearly he was avoiding responsibility.
@ thanks. I should have included that we’ve since made up
@ That’s good. I’m glad to hear that.☺️
Watching this movie as a kid, I felt bad for Kevin. Watching this as an young adult, I felt bad for Kevin
Same 😢
Honestly, the way Kevin's mom responded to him saying everyone in the family hates him is pretty much how any adult in my family would have responded to me saying something like that as a kid, and it didn't occur to me until I saw this video that that's not the right way to handle that.
Family scapegoat here. Gotta say...this movie ALWAYS hit for me because nothing I did was ever right or enough. Granted my situation was full on emotional and physical abuse ontop of it but I am finally healing away from them.
But I always felt so bad for Kevin because I knew exactly how he felt.
Same
I think the real question for the family is “is Kevin a sarcastic jerk because the rest of the family treats him like crap or does the rest of the family treat him like crap because he’s a sarcastic jerk?”. I think there’s a serious case for Kevin needing to be put into protective custody from his abusive family; even Jonathan acknowledged that the parents completely abandoned Kevin when the rest of the family dogpiles him with complaints and insults.
I lean towards the former. Kevin proves to be a genuinely nice kid when he’s alone, it’s his family that brings the worst out of him
@@megabladechronicles962 True, just don't cross him like the burglars did. Kevin's a good kid, but boy can he be ruthless!
The parents allow it to happen
It's true. Even though he was disrespectful to Kate at the start and it wasn't his place to teach Buzz a lesson, it's unfair that Buzz gets no consequences for picking on him and causing this whole situation in the first place. But, only Kevin gets disciplined and it makes me mad.
@@megabladechronicles962 Yeah, Kevin is genuinely a very nice, good-hearted kid when he needs to be and when he's not been riles up by Buzz or any of his other older siblings. We see how nice he is when he gives advice to Marley in the church and also, in Home Alone 2, he gives advice to the homeless lady and is even able to admit that he gets into trouble.
Just don't cross him like Buzz or like Harry and Marv 😠😠
I’m glad this is being talked about, seriously Kevin was always verbally abused by his family.
He definitely was
20:45 a lot of people point to the fact the Mom barely got there ahead of the rest of the family because they took a flight she didn’t want to wait for as a plot hole, but imagine what would have happened if she had sat and waited? The whole journey she takes in the movie is to show she cares about and loves Kevin, a moral that would have been lost if she had just said “even if I jump flights all the way back I only get there a little ahead of the morning flight, I’ll just wait it out with the rest of you”
She thought she could get there faster thats the point
I think if she had stayed and waited with them she would have been stir crazy. Anything the family did to try to pass the time she would have snapped at them for. She needed to feel that she was actively doing something.
I like how the wound on the neighbor changes over the course of the movie. It goes from bloody wound, to having a band-aid at the church, to completely healed when he is giving the hug at the end of the movie. Nice metaphor for Kevin's emotions over the course of the movie.
As someone who had to go no-contact for safety/mental health reasons and maintain that distance because the person is still very toxic, I appreciate you two making so clear that reconciliation is not more important than safety
The neighbor that saves Kevin in the end of the first movie is the one positive person in his life
Yea what a kind man Marley was!
Him as well as the pigeon lady and the toy shop owner from the second movie.
I've always disliked the family. Is Kevin a perfect little angel? No, hes 8 and he acts like an 8 year old.
Yeah it seems like (ideally) no one is modeling that behavior for him because they're all very busy with their own worries. I think if Kevin were a girl he would've been the "good kid" at school 😂
@@austincdeboys can be good kids and plenty of girls are seen as bad even if they’re not but they expect more from girls
@@oooh19 yes, exactly!
Yes he’s acting like an 8 year old because he’s an 8 year old kid
And the family punishes him for his (developmentally appropriate) behavior but the adults and teenagers behave like a-holes and it's tolerated.
The poor child genuinely believes he can wish his family away again.
But it's probably very wholesome that he may never find out he's wrong, he doesn't try to wish them away.
He does comment in the second movie that it’s a good thing he has his own ticket, so it seems he did learn what happened.
@@jaynnnewell4722It makes me think of when kids first go off to school or move out on their own, how one has to find one's self before rejoining the party.
The church scene, with his lovely voice, being so honest, I always loved it
"You can be a little old for a lot of things, but you're never too old to be afraid." That's such a wise thing and I honestly kinda love that it comes from this movie. It's like Die Hard and putting yourself aside to truly apologise, it's such an incredibly mature mindset and because it comes from a fun film I feel like it's more likely to stick.
The family watching "It's a Wonderful Life" holds more significance when you compare the stories. Like George Bailey, Kevin makes a wish that turns out to not be so great, and in the end, he appreciates his family more. Old Man Marley is basically who he'd become if he never reconciled with his family.
Of course the character named Marley is a cautionary tale for the main character - that's what Marley was in A Christmas Carol.
The fact that they are watching it in French underscores the lack of communion in the family, and also, their desire to be home where things make sense, even if they aren't perfect.
I can see it
@rachaelknudsen8801 yes! And then they watch it in Spanish in the second movie, showing how they're repeating their patterns
That church scene was fantastic. The simplistic innocent wisdom of youth sitting down and talking with a more rigid jaded seasoned outlook of old age if that's a good way to describe it. Kevin and Marley had a genuine down-to-earth dialogue while Kevin still sounded like a kid and Marley humoring him a bit. It was very mature. Shows that the youth and the elderly can both learn from each other.
Also, thanks to Alan (fellow John Williams Enjoyer) for giving me a new word to add to my vocabulary compendium, 'avuncular'. I'll find a way to use that.
Strictly speaking, "avuncular" doesn't mean "fatherly"; it means "uncle-ly" - an older male who isn't directly responsible, but has some personal connection/authority.
@rmsgrey I appreciate that, I looked it up myself as well for accuracy sake.
@@rmsgrey Yeah, I love how it literally has 'uncle' in the middle of it.
I remember last year when nostalgia critic did his review on this movie. He commented on the flack the family gets because they’re so mean but he said “ it helps if you’ve known a big family” saying that things in a big family can be stressful especially when it’s the holidays. According to legal eagle, the McAllister parents would be facing some serious legal problems.
It's a bit different with this family because they are nasty to each other *all the time.* And to poor Kevin the most. If they can't all get along under the same roof, then maybe it's time for a second one or a third.
@ they are horrid. Frank is really toxic. He has to be the worst of Peter’s brothers and I have to wonder why he gets invited to these destination Christmases. And Buzz? He’s the oldest. Shouldn’t he be made accountable? If not for being a Class A troll, then for the fact he’s in a position of influence as many first born are
It's also worth bearing in mind that we're seeing them at their very worst - everyone's amped up because of the upcoming holiday, all their routines have been disrupted, so everyone's bumping into everyone else, and the normally responsible adults are stressed because of all the planning and organising they've had to do.
On a normal day, they wouldn't have the extra 8 bodies, and they'd be following their routines that let them work around each other more smoothly, and people wouldn't be so excited...
@@michellecrocker2485it’s refreshing seeing the oldest not get in trouble simply because they’re the oldest but Buzz was a bully and bullies should be punished many times they’re not like even in a workplace or classroom or other setting
I’m from a big family (I have 5 siblings) and I am horrified every single time I watch home alone by how toxic and nasty Kevin’s family is. They are horrible people, and horrible parents to let their children treat eachother so badly.
Yeah, as kids we're all like "yay Kevin beat up the robbers, yay mommy's back," and as adults we're all like "the old man is hugging his son and granddaughterrr!!! ;___; ". Frikkin hour and a half movie and it's the 30-second payoff to a 5-minute scene from halfway through that slays us. Geddemmit John Williams! He really is at least 80% of the impact in every movie he scores, and the world will mourn when we lose him.
There's also symbolism about familial tension and reconciliation in Old Man Marley's hand wound. When Kevin sees him at the convenience store, his hand is bleeding pretty badly and is heavily bandaged. Then when Kevin sees him again, the wound is concealed by a band-aid and not as graphic as before. In the final scene when he waves to Kevin, he uses his formerly wounded hand, perfectly healed. It represents his wounded relationship with his son and granddaughter.
Watching Kevin as a child I remember thinking how cool and capable he seemed. Now as an adult I recently saw clips and just thought to myself wow, he really was just a baby. I always loved Home Alone growing up and its taking on new meaning for me as an adult nearing having children myself. Excited to finish this video fellas, Happy Holidays!!
Adults often underestimate children
@ lol speak for yourself dude. I still think Kevin is just as cool and capable as an adult. The gravity and weight of how actually young and vulnerable he was when left alone with no contact or reassurance never hit me until I myself was no longer a child, plus working in childcare and understanding how many kids Kevin’s age are it really puts a different spin on things vs my past viewings. It’s heavy, scary and sad, and as capable as Kevin was it’s a situation he never should have been put in. Children are resilient and capable asf in many situations, doesn’t mean it’s okay or fair they have to be though my friend. That’s not an underestimate, it’s empathy.
2:25 The real villains of the first 2 Home Alones aren't Harry and Marv. It's Kevin's family.
Harry and Marv are thieves. They are trying to steal the treasures the families in the neighborhood have stored up on earth. Kevin, the scape goat, takes it upon himself to protect the house and to grow up a little. God bless John Hughes, the writer of the script.
More specifically, his uncle.
@@Passions5555 Who in 1 script was the mastermind behind the robbery and let Harry and Marv into the house because Frank was jealous of his brother Peter. So in that script he was even worse and nearly got his nephew killed.
@@Xehanort10this makes so much sense! We have a theory in my family that the dad and uncle are in the mob. The marriage is arranged. The kids may or may not be adopted to keep up the image. The wet bandits are just a couple of low level guys sent to send a message cuz the dad has screwed up somehow- also the cops are on the payroll.
Anyway, the nasty uncle script should have stayed.
Uncle Frank even encouraged Buzz to humiliate Kevin during a school concert and he laughed along with the others in the audience in part 2. What a disgusting person 😨😠
Every time my family watches this movie and we hit the uncle's "look what you did you little jerk", my mom goes "and that is how he'd get indefinitely banned from my household".
Your mom deserves an award
@Anna-c4d3x heck yeah. When I go home for the holidays I'm getting her so much chocolate
My dad said something similar.
Your mom’s a G❤.
🇳🇬🇳🇫🇵🇰
A light bulb went off for me when they talked about the scapegoat of the family. I have to reflect on this because I maybe treating my brother that way!!! Thanks for this explanation! And this is why I love this channel!!!
"They've decided one person is to blame all the problems on so they can get along."
Never made the connection before that Kevin and Loki have the same plotline. Even if they don't do the mischief, they get blamed for it. And when they do do the mischief, it's got an over-the-top flare.
I'm kicking myself over how well this fits.
I don't think the actor playing the old man gets enough credit (Roberts Blossom); he and Candy were perfect additions who elevated the entire movie.
I loved how relatable the sibling dynamics were, with Kevin's siblings constantly teasing him, yet they are shown to miss him in a deleted scene. Also, when Kevin is flashing back to mean things that his family said to him, he recalls Buzz threatening to feed him to his tarantula, which he never actually did on screen. However, this could be something that Buzz told Kevin before the movie.
I remember the 90s respect adults no matter what mentality. I am glad we now see how toxic that upbringing can be.
Yeah I only respect adults if they respect me. Why should I respect someone who treats me like shit?
I switched gears so fast when I stopped hearing "respect your elders" and started hearing "respect isn't given, its earned"
This is so triggering, as the family scapegoat… I never realized how bad it really was. But now I know why I liked this movie as a kid. I related to Kevin a lot
This movie always reminds me of my Grandad. He was born on the 24th of December and loved Christmast all his life. We always watched this movie together and laught so hard. Now that he's no longer with us, I still watch it every year and remenber all the great moments we had watching it together ❤
I’m so glad you did Home Alone but I feel like this needed to be a multi-part series. Emotional abuse, parental stress, sibling bullying, violent (psychopathic?) behavior in children, reconciliation…there’s a lot to work with here!
16:20 I love this scene because it shows that kids, in some ways, are wiser than we are because they're able to be. They don't have the burden of expectations and experiences quite to the extent that they will when they reach adulthood, so they can look at situations more clearly. I also love the reveal, in general, that Marley isn't scary. He's a sweet elderly man with a lot of regrets but has anxiety about taking the steps to lighten his emotional load. It's moments like this that make the movie a classic to me.
“Everyone hones in on anything that reaffirms [Kevin being the source of unpleasantness] and ignores anything that doesn’t.”
Reminds me of Mirabel’s feelings towards her family in ENCANTO, except she’s less sarcastic and more helpful and cheerleading but still gets stepped on because her door ceremony ended with her not getting a superpower and thus being ostracized from her family for at least a decade.
Mirabel was a ...*door* mat 😎
@@darkecofreak23 But I don't see how Mirabel was ostracized from her family since she lived with them and got a lot of love from her parents and Luisa and Antonio.
@@Furienna The rest of the family was awful to her though, esp Isabella and Abuela.
@@lordfreerealestate8302 But when did Pepa or Félix or Dolores or Camilo do anything to her?
Abuela and Isabela had their own struggles and reconciled with Mirabel in the end.
This is my second comment. The first time I saw Home Alone was the first weekend it opened in theaters. I will always remember the uproarious laughter of the kids in the audience during that matinee showing. They were so delighted! I usually think of Home Alone as the wishes of every child. Every child feels punished unfairly at times, bullied by a sibling at times, afraid of the unknown. And every 8 year old longs to do things on his own, eat a lot of ice cream, run around the house without being told not to. Kevin also shows he can manage things and fight the bad guys. This film has a way of making kids feel seen and inpowered. And knowing you will still be loved even if at times you act like a little jerk.
I saw it as a kid and didn't like it at all. I thought his family was terrible and felt terrible about him being so isolated socially that he didn't have any safe adults to turn to. The complete lack of social connection throughout the whole film made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
Should be top comment
I also love that this movie shows how smart and responsible kids actually are and can be. Kids can step up and be accountable, they can be trusted. They don't always have to be coddled.
As a child my mom had us fast forward through the beginning of the movie because she didn’t like how mean the family was and how Kevin talked to his parents
Kevin was mean back but it’s understandable
We have the same rule in my house. The family is unbearable and I still wish he would have been adopted by the old neighbor or the guy who owns the toy store in the second movie.
@@krystlebauer224this is a crazy take
@@krystlebauer224 It's only two decades later that we realized how much of a piece of human garbage Donald Trump is.
Your mother probably loved you a lot and didn’t want you exposed to traumatizing nonsense. Despite the fact this movie has younger actors, the content is actually very adult. Whimsical in a childlike way by using toys to defend against intruders, but still overall a movie adults can appreciate better. Unless you’re a child in an abusive home, who needs a hero to look up to to survive your circumstances, this movie is not for children in healthy homes really. Your mom probably instinctively recognized that on some level and didn’t want to expose you to something you were too young for. Good for her!
And to contradict what you guys have said regarding the father: Any father that looks at his son with pure disgust and loathing like Kevin's father did is unfit to be a father. That wasn't just a failure to protect him. That was a complete failure as a father and he should be equally chastised for it.
Yes, he is worse than the mom imo
When did he look at him with disgust?
@@oooh19 go back to when the scene happens and you will see it
Kevin’s dad was just completely worthless as a dad throughout the entire movie
@ yea agreed not a great dad plus he’s so angry about the room service bill 💵 in the sequel but no issue paying for uncle Frank and his children and wife to go on a vacation
For those where it's unsafe to contact the people you miss: You're doing great and are more at ease without them. Take a deep breath in and out and be grateful for your ability to reach this point. You should be very proud of knowing your limits and what you deserve. Also Happy Holidays and be sure to treat yourself if this triggered you (it sure did for me lol)
I was just starting to weep and my eyes landed on this comment. Thank you so much for it. I really needed it.
This! There's always so much pressure to reconcile "because it's Christmas," but sometimes the best thing you can do for Christmas is to gift yourself safety.
Maybe I will celebrate by jumping on the bed, eating whatever I want, and watching shows. Thanks to moving away, I made my family disappear.
I remember thinking both the uncle and Buzz were the worst offenders. Now as an adult I can see why Kevin’s parents siding with the bullies by not even listening to him is pretty bad. Even if his family is awful, I still love the two movies, the nostalgia factor is big, but the way Kevin helps his neighbor and the pigeon lady have always been my favorite parts, followed by the slapstick the wet bandits go through 😂
I referenced that last scene ❤when the physiotherapist asked me what I hoped to get out of family therapy with my parents. In the end, it didn't work out and he told us we were wise to have estranged ourselves. But this movie gave me the hope I needed as a kid.
I always found Kevin relatable when watching Home Alone
loving the suit jono
It makes an appearance on the channel once a year! 😁
I pointed this out to my mom, as an oldest child, theres no way in hell that the youngest wouldnt be catered to their every whim.
If my youngest sister wanted cheese pizza, that's all there'd be.
I also agree about Mr. McAllister, he should have stepped up.
I remember one time my incredibly rude aunt, criticizing my sister that she was late to dinner because she out at a friend's birthday brunch. Saying she was irresponsible and selfish.
Dad laid into her in a way ive never seen him, yelling that his daughter was incredibly responsible to her family, and that she had no right to speak to her that way.
Aunt shut up after that.
So yeah, the McAllister family is in desperate need of therapy
"If my younger sister wanted cheese pizza, that's all there'd be." 🤣🤣 I felt that. As a middle child, I felt that so much 💀
@TKZells16 I wish my dad was like that. Nope. He be mad at me for crying when his brother teased me because "it's not hurtful." And my dad wonders why I'm cold and emotionless to him.
As a youngest let me say that this isn’t always true. My parents treated my sister and me completely equally as far as I can remember. We took turns picking things (when we got to pick), were defended and punished equally as deserved. If anything I got punished more, because I pushed more lol. If anything it was always my dad’s wants that were catered to, boring and plain as they were. 😂
@@ApostlicNinjaGirl Same. I was the scapegoat and the youngest of two.
I would think there’d be a variety of pizza but yea what about food allergies then what? You’d force your older children to eat something the younger siblings want?
Thanks for the video! After asking for several years to watch this movie for the Christmas season I finally got to see it with the family last year. During the movie I was very much compared to Kevin as being the “brat” and deserving what was coming to him. All in all thanks for letting me be seen in a way.
You're very welcome!
My sister and I were literially just talking about how Home Alone is our favourite Christmas movie. Can't wait to watch this!
Woo! Enjoy movie night!
To answer Cathetine O'Hara's character's question: A horrible, awful mother who openly allows abuse to her son because she is tired. Standing on her high horse all the while not realizing he is the only one that gets shafted by ever other person in the family including the adults
Kevin being Deadpool For Kids is going to be my new head canon from now on. Kevin McCallister grows up, decides to channel his thirst for violence into going after bad guys, and eventually changes his name to Wade Wilson.
Plot twist: He was a scoutmaster at one point while trying to be "fully good" and his love for sex and violence almost got the best of him. He now references this as if it was a different person as a coping mechanism: Scoutmaster Kevin.
The Wet Bandits? They were secretly mutants which is why they didn't die after all of Kevin's traps. They don't have any really good super powers. They can just take abuse without easily dying. (Perhaps a low level healing factor that keeps them from dying but doesn't really prevent long lasting injuries.)
Alan's use of "avuncular" made me look up the definition, and it's my new favorite word! It means "like an uncle", being nice, patient, and generous, especially towards younger people. As an uncle myself, I love it!
That’s a cool word
Uncle Frank really needs a magic mirror. Every time he complains about something, this magic mirror should appear in front of his face so that he can see himself complaining, and maybe that will make him realise that he is contributing to making things worse instead of better!
The thing that gets me is when the mom sees that Kevin put up everyone's stockings and decorated the tree. She sees that he doesn't hate all of them, he missed them so much he hung up everyone's stockings
My best friend and I haven’t spoken for several years. There was no fight or disagreement, instead I was supposed to travel to visit him (we live on opposite ends of the country) but had to cancel my flight the day before due to some issues I was having with my wife. I honestly don’t know why he stopped talking to me after that, but ever since I have been too afraid to call him because of exactly what the old man said to Kevin. That scene hit me so hard I had to pause the video to wipe my eyes. If there ever was a sign saying that I need to try reaching out to my friend again, then this was it. I just hope I can find the courage to make the call today. Thanks for the video guys, it was fantastic as always.
Did you do it yet? 😃♥️
You can do it
I watched this movie last year for the first time after starting therapy and realized that I, like Kevin was the family scapegoat and the movie made me cry. #cryingwithalan
I already made a comment moments ago, but when I watched this the other day and watched the scene where his mom sends Kevin upstairs, their exchange made me think to myself, man, I want Jono to talk about this SO BAD!! The part where she tells him maybe he should ask Santa for a new family was just like... holy shit, mom, you don't say that to your kid!!
Now here you are making a video! Hooray!
...my dads totally said that to me 😅 i was surprised to find this video new, i swore they did this movie already. So glad they are doing it
Given that my mom's said horrible things like that to me, that scene makes me uncomfortable. lol. Completely agree wit you on this!
The part where Uncle Frank mentions forgetting his reading glasses is my mom's favorite line. She always cracks up at that. I always crack up when Kevin makes the pizza delivery guy freak out.
Even as a kid I felt so bad for him. His family were awful to him.
And then when you watch the sequel its even worse because they STILL treat him poorly despite having a great opportunity to learn the error of their way in the first one.
The ending of the movie always felt to me like Kevin validating his family’s belief that he’s a problem by just… not being a problem anymore and making them happy. That doesn’t sit well with me at all. Then again, I could be misinterpreting.
Right? I’d love to see more representations of scapegoating in children’s movies. It can mess with a kid’s head so much because, no matter what they do, whether they fulfill parental demands or not, they are always lacking, in trouble, etc. They grow up thinking they’ll never be worth anything, so why even try? It’s heartbreaking, and in the worse cases, horribly destructive.
@@daniellelarsen9767 I have wished so many times that I could be "perfect" in my parents eyes, so that I could prove to them and myself, that their disapproval was not a reflection of me, but of them. Alas, I cannot be that for them or anyone, so in some small way, I'll never know for sure. This little nagging question of "Am I really the problem?" lingers.
@@daniellelarsen9767 if you want that, about half of the Dickens canon has that, but as for modern movies, Matilda is the one that immediately leaps to mind. A great comeuppance to the villains too!
Last line in the movie: "Kevin! What did you do to my room!?"
Kevin, still a "problem".
@@arturoaguilar6002 That, I’m willing to write off as comic relief, but fair observation.
Wow, last time I was this early Kevin's plane ticket didn't get thrown out yet.
True dat.
My mom's mind was blown when I showed her that detail.
wait, I never noticed!
Dad: We didn't forget him, we just miscounted.
Me: You have NO idea...
This is such a good movie, but I've always felt so sad for Kevin. I never understood why his entire family was so mean to him.
Trust me. All our families are mean to us lol.
Cause they're a big family. It could specifically be cause, to them, he's the most visibly annoying, stubborn and bratty out of all the other kids, who are also just as bad, but hide it better.
I know what you mean
Probably because he’s the youngest. I’m the youngest in my family and my family has always been mean to me
@@AdamZimmerman-c6iim sorry to hear that man
This movie helped me growing up. I was almost 10 when I met my dad's dad for the first time. It was easy for me to accept this new person as my granddad, bc I had seen same kind of thing on screen and symphatized with the old man in the movie. I'm happy we were able to have relationship with him, he passed just couple of years later.
Thanks
Thank you!!
I always felt bad for Kevin, I thought initially it was as we were both youngest children in a big family, but it’s more than that. Whatever mistakes Kevin makes, he’s 8. He doesn’t know better yet, but the adults in his family should. His parents should be noticing how much buzz bullies him and intervening; they also should know better than to lash out at him when he says something hurtful, because again, he’s 8 and they’re not.
Adults really don’t always know better though and honestly even being an adult we definitely say hurtful words when others treat us like that
@@oooh19 What about the sequel when all the adults were watching?
@@jasondyrkacz8270 yea it never made sense that Kate made Kevin apologize to Buzz when she knew that he humiliated Kevin and she saw it happen!
“Kevin, as a therapist is giving advice he needs to take himself” as a therapist, that slapped 😂
New rule, if the movie has John Candy in it you must include at least one clip of him. He was the best, he brings joy, and we could all use a bit more joy
Seconded.
I like the theory of him being an angel
@@GeekyGirl80 I had always heard it as a Fallen angel.
@@redbear6 I've heard both, I think angel works.
I watched this movie with my kids two nights ago. I was crying for little Kevin at the start. Poor little man.