Home Alone 2

Just when you think those silly McCallisters couldn't possibly lose their ten-year-old son again, they make sure not to. Instead they go and lose their 11-year-old son a year later. But this time is not like the previous year, when little Kevin was merely left "home alone" and had to fend off two criminals with the help of a creepy old man and his shovel. This Christmas Kevin is lost in the Big Apple, and finds himself in another sticky situation, and gets himself out of it in a similar situation.

Before I get into the actual plot of Home Alone 2, let's take a look at the story lines for the first two Home Alone movies.
Story line in black, Home Alone in blue, Home Alone 2 in red:

Boy:Kevin McCallister,Kevin McCallister

Loses parents:Left at home,Got on wrong plane

Two dumb criminals:Marv and Harry,Marv and Harry

Older person who boy befriends:Marley:neighbor,Pigeon Lady

Boy's amazing resourcefulness:Rigs house,Rigs Uncle’s house

New friend saves day:Marley hits criminals with shovel,Pigeon Lady throws seed

Boy's reunion with family: Mom comes through front door,Family comes to NYC

The story lines are quite similar, but I guess if I wrote a movie that grossed over $264 million the first time around I probably wouldn't change too much of the story either.

What I love most about this movie is the sheer incompetence of everyone involved. A boy gets on a different plane than his parents- okay I can buy it. But that same boy navigates his way through New York City and is able to book a hotel?- okay fine I can still buy it. One thing I'm not buying is Macaulay Culkin's ability to come up with these elaborate lies, then have Tim Curry, Rob Schneider and the rest of the staff believe him. I can't knock on it too much because I find myself still laughing at this scene every time I watch- is it possible for a group of adults to be this dumb? I hope so.

My favorite thing to do when watching this movie is count the times Harry and Marv would have died if these things actually happened to them. I always seem to lose count somewhere around nine. Marv gets hit in the face four separate times by bricks tossed from a three-story building. Don't worry, he's still good to go.

But the best scene involving Marv and certain death situations has to be when he tries to wash his face off. Daniel Stern can really hit those high notes.

Is it bad that I find myself laughing as I watch those clips? Probably.

The best relationship in cinematic history may be Kevin's sudden friendship with the Pigeon Lady. She is incredibly creepy, yet also a person you would like to catch a movie with. I'm not quite sure how she lives inside Carnegie Hall without anyone knowing, but I'm not asking questions there. Of course, Kevin can see through her odd lifestyle and most likely her hair-raising odor, and just accept her for the good person she is. Every 11-year-old should talk to more strangers!

This movie may be more absurd the more I look into it, but it also ages like a fine wine. With comedy like this how could anyone find Home Alone 2 anything less than genius.