Dear reader,
most of you will already
know Home Alone from the year 1990 with Macaulay Culkin, one of
the child actors of all time. If no, go watch it. If you missed it
yesterday, there's a repeat this afternoon, much like every
Christmas. (At least this applies to the German television program.)
Kevin begins rather
pitiful. He's the youngest of an extended family and is either
ignored or gets riled up. The older siblings don't even grant him a
piece of cheese pizza! When he gets attention, then it's in a bad
way, at least for the others. While the mother is totally annoyed
with Kevin, sending him to the attic, Kevin wishes some quiet time
from the others before the Christmas days.
When he comes down from
the attic the next day, he finds that his wish was granted. In the
haste of the departure for the holidays in the early morning, the
others totally forgot about him up in the attic and he's home alone.
Naturally this is like an invitation to make just everything he was
never allowed. Eating ice cream as much as he wants, also his beloved
cheese pizza, without sharing it with anybody at all. But things like
doing the laundry, and the washing machine is in the basement,
together with the scary heating boiler and shopping has to be done as
well. Kevin manages being brave and clever. Just like when Kevin
meets an elderly neighbour, he has to pull himself together a bit so
he doesn't ran away in panic. But since he's alone now, he can't
afford avoiding everything and running away.
But his cheese pizza order
already hints that Kevin is by far not a little angle. He scares away
the deliverer away in such a way that he runs away and is actually
scared for his life!
Cleverly wrapped as
a comedy, the viewer hardly notices just how sadistic (yes, sadistic)
Kevin already is with his 8 years. He shows absolutely no compassion,
but is full of creativity and a high rate of malicious glee, when he
protects his home from “wet bandits” Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv
(Daniel Stern) towards the end of the movie. The two burglars against
Kevin are almost like a real-life Tom & Jerry. Like Tom &
Jerry, Kevin's traps against the “wet bandits” are pure comedy
and you better don't think at all about what such injuries would do
in real life. An interesting article with assessment of the injuries
by a doctor can be read at The
Week.
“Home Alone” is a very
strange movie. It shows the experiences of a boy, who days before
Christmas, the celebration of family and love, is simply forgotten by
his own family and has great fun, as he protects his home in the most
brutal ways. If you look at it like this, that's basically a movie in
all points a movie that can ever get you in the mood for celebration
of love and yet... and yet it manages just that every time, at least
for me. Who of you, at the time of screening, is not busy with your
own family, should go and certainly treat yourself with this movie.
Although made for children, it's also a nice entertainment for adults
as well.
Until next blog,
sarah
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