Home Sweet Home Alone written by the Hobbit on November12th, 2021. This post contains affiliate links, you can find out more on our policies page or in the disclaimer at the bottom of the blog.
Know Before You Watch Home Sweet Home Alone
Movie: Home Sweet Home Alone
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Childrens
Length: 93 minutes
Age suggested: 10+
Release Date: November 12th, 2021
Themes: Family, home
Warnings: Lots of physical comedy – but really nothing objectionable
Quick Summary of Home Sweet Home Alone
The McKenzie’s are trying to sell their house. During an open house, a rich kid, Max, briefly sees an old doll that, we discover, is worth thousands of dollars. When the doll goes missing the McKenzie’s assume Max took it. Trying to retrieve it, they discover Max is home alone – he has been accidently left as his family went to Japan. Various hijinks ensue as multiple misunderstandings lead to Max trying to keep the McKenzie’s out of the house.
Keep reading for our Home Sweet Home Alone parent review and whether you should stream this version or the original.
Home Sweet Home Alone Review:
(Contains Spoilers)
There have been multiple attempts to redo the original Home Alone – this is the 6th version by my count and since it is a classic film that is no surprise. So, we get another attempt. The premise? No villains – due to a series of misunderstandings we have two adults facing off against a kid protecting his house. The McKenzie’s think Max Mercer took a valuable doll. Max thinks the McKenzie’s are trying to kidnap him. All of this is set up by the McKenzie’s needing to sell their house. They find that a valuable old doll could save them. But it appears Max took the doll – and Max has been left alone (Max, annoyed with all of the noise at home, escapes to the garage and falls asleep – and is thus left when all other family members leave for Japan).
The idea has potential. Multiple threads had potential. The problem? You really don’t like any of the characters. And, at least partially because of this, it just is not funny. Lying seems to be second nature to both adult McKenzie’s. They are devastated by the thought of moving – and place a lot more value on real estate than they do the concept of family. Max is a spoiled brat (and it appears he picked at least some of that up from his mom). While the premise is that Max learns to value family, you don’t really see that. There are opportunities – but they are dropped.
There are multiple plot threads that are introduced and dropped. Not sure if this is writing or editing. One of these that is interesting involves a local policeman who is called to the Mercer’s. Officer Buzz McCallister arrives, and it is indeed Kevin’s brother from the original Home Alone. We find out that Kevin is now designing security systems. They definitely could have done more with this thread.
One other nice note is that the music from the original pops up in several places. And of course all “live happily ever after”.
–Why Skip Home Sweet Home Alone-
It’s obviously a well budgeted and cast movie, but it’s just not a good remake. It misses the heart of the story. And while the original likely is not as family friendly as you remember it being- the original is a better streaming option than this sixth iteration of this movie.
Movies entertain, and they also teach. In Home Sweet Home Alone we are continually being told that the ends justifies the means (if you have a philosophical bent, utilitarianism). It is one thing to have a scared eight year old trying to outwit thieves. It is completely different to have adults wreak havoc to pursue money (for what they think is an honorable purpose). Perhaps this tells us more than we would like to know about the world we are in – an increasing number of Americans think violence is acceptable if done in pursuit of the “right” goal. Even in churches, utilitarian thought has become common. So far, the movie has received generally negative reviews – which is a bit of an optimistic sign.
None of the characters really show any growth. They are not really nice at the beginning – and not really nice at the end. It is a good cast but they are underutilized.
Here are a couple of funny quotes from the movie:
Hunter: Uh, this is garbage. I don’t know why they are always trying to remake the classics. Never as good as the originals
Mike Mercer: I just stepped on a Lego. It’s the most painful thing in the world.
Home Sweet Home Alone Discussion Ideas
- Did Max really learn anything?
- How could the McKenzie’s have done things differently?
- What’s the most unlikely thing in your house that could secretly be worth hundreds of dollars?
- What was the funniest scene?
- If you had to set up a trap with stuff in your house, what would you use?
Thanks for reading our Home Sweet Home Alone. Before you go, check out these other posts:
–Family Friendly Disney+ Suggestions
–25+ Christmas Movies to Stream
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