In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the sequel to Home Alone 1, the director has successfully given us an insight into the adventures of naughty, mischievous Kevin (Macaulay Culkin). Kevin is 10 years old and notorious for getting himself into scrapes, thereby annoying the members of his family. It is this one fault of his which causes him to be deprived of love from the other members of his family except perhaps his mother.
The movie is set during Christmas. The entire McAlister family (around 10 members) is preparing for a vacation to Florida. It is only when they get their baggage checked at Florida that they realize they have left behind one very valuable piece of luggage – their very own Kevin. Kevin meanwhile emerges out of an airplane and realizes that he is not in Florida but in New York. The whole of Home Alone 2 showcases the adventures of Kevin while he tries to find a way to get back to his loved ones.
There are numerous hilarious moments in the movie like Kevin and his brother Buzz giving chewing gum as a tip to the hotel executive, Kevin’s encounter with the woman surrounded by pigeons, the various exploits of the ‘sticky bandits,’ and Kevin’s successful fooling of the hotel staff into believing that his father is in the hotel room.
What appears to stand out most in the movie is the theme of love. Kevin appears to be a boy deprived of love, even the love of his own family. Despite his mischievous nature, he emerges as a character with a big heart and as one who truly cares for people. When he visits the toy shop, he is so overwhelmed by the charitable disposition of the owner that he contributes a hefty sum of money for the deprived children. Another instance of love in Home Alone 2 is when Kevin attempts to talk to and understand the lady with the pigeons. At first, he is scared of her and runs away but later has second thoughts and understands that in reality, she is a woman with a big heart. In her, Kevin sees the friend he never had. He gives her the other turtle dove – a sign of their eternal friendship. Another great example of love shown in the movie is the love of Kevin’s mother for him. It is her true love for him that helps her seek him out in the totally confusing streets of New York.
When you watch Home Alone 2, you’ll see Kevin learning that one good deed is enough to erase a lifetime of bad deeds. Before the movie is over, Kevin does do one good deed – he catches hold of the bad guys and makes sure they go to jail.
Home Alone 2 is on the whole, a thoroughly enjoyable movie replete with humor, adventure and moral values. It conveys the true spirit of Christmas which is, about loving, giving and sharing. Though the movie was released in 1992, I’m sure that even now, people will enjoy the movie. So why not get a DVD from your local store and enjoy.
