Christmas Classics: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Directed by Chris Columbus

Written by John Hughes

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker, Catherine O’Hara

One year after being left home alone, Kevin McCallister (Culkin) is headed to Florida with his family. When he winds up on the wrong flight, Kevin is off to New York. Now he’s taking in the sights of this massive city and ducking the newly escaped Wet Bandits (Pesci, Stern).

This is a fun follow-up to the 1990 hit film Home Alone. This one was directed by Chris Columbus (Mrs. Doubtfire), and written by John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). The cast brought back Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone), Joe Pesci (My Cousin Vinny), Daniel Stern (Rookie of the Year), and Catherine O’Hara (Wyatt Earp). Also featured in this one are Tim Curry (Annie) and Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot).

Like most sequels, this one isn’t quite as charming as the original. Still, this is a fun family film that offers a nice mix of new comedy and repeated gags from the first one. This time the film seems to stretch the premise a lot, allowing for a number of great moments that work nicely in the big city setting. The setup is also great, avoiding a repeat of the first movie. The dialogue in this movie is much like the first, making room for all of the sentimentality and light humor you could want. The addition of some lesser antagonists also makes this a bit more of an adventure. Overall, this is a really fun story that still works well after more than 20 years.

The acting in this one is pretty fun. Macaulay Culkin does a great job bringing Kevin McCallister back to life. In addition, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are back for more fun as his bumbling adversaries. Tim Curry adds himself to the list of antagonists with a great performance as well. In a fun role, Brenda Fricker plays her unique role wonderfully. Catherine O’Hara is also great as the worried and loving mother. Overall, this film features a number of great performances from the majority of the cast. Like the writing, this acting seems geared to bring out the sentimentality of the season.

The physical setups are really good in this one. Like the first film, the comedy mainly revolves around physical gags and wild situations. The action is funny and entertaining. The movie also takes advantage of the numerous landmarks throughout New York City. To go along with the great visuals, this one has a wonderful score, written by John Williams (Star Wars).

This is a fun movie that the whole family can enjoy during the holidays. I would definitely suggest this to anyone who loved the first movie. While this isn’t quite the classic that the first one was, this still holds up nicely. I would also recommend this to anyone who loves Christmas movies in general. I give this one 3.8 out of 5 stars.

Rating: PG

Running Time: 120 Minutes