I watched "Home Alone" a few days ago and was amazed at the skills and things the main character, Kevin, can do and how relevant the movie's message is. I think his experiences are an excellent example of what Christmas/the holiday season should be, and specifically, I think Kevin's character is well-done and well-rounded. The movie does an excellent job of using this family to exemplify the feelings of togetherness.
As the movie starts, I found it surprising that the mother forgot one of her children before heading out for vacation. They should've at least done a double-check for sure, but I guess that sends a message about how not all families are perfect. I imagine having five children is a handful, even with two parents, so I'll give them some credit there. Given my experience in being 1 of 4 children, I can attest to how hard it would be to balance everything. My parents had to get a full-time, live-in nanny for us while we were still a family of 5.
After the rest of the family leaves, we see Kevin doing what any home-alone 11-year-old would do, such as overeating, jumping on the bed, and watching the TV. He seems like an ordinary kid, that is, up until he notices the burglars who start to break in. As soon as they break in, we see Kevin become a clever prankster who seems to be trained by the Boy Scouts. I liked how Kevin set up the whole house as a pulley/tripwire system where the slightest move set up every trap. My favorite trap that Kevin set up was the bucket he filled with chemicals that fell onto one of the burglars heads and caught on fire. I thought he was ingenious for coming up with these traps, and I know I'd never been supposed to do these as a kid.
Going back to the more significant theme of the movie, we see Kevin do things in the absence of his family, which shows how much he misses them, like when he decides to go to church to be around the company and pray for his family to return. I think it's remarkable that Kevin also thinks to get groceries for the whole family because, one, I'd never think to do that and two, I wouldn't even know what to get. As this movie progresses, Kevin seems to grow slowly and realize that Christmas is more than the presents but is about being with people you care about, and he learns not to be so self-centered.
In conclusion, I was amazed by Kevin's level of ingenuity. This movie, in particular, is one of my favorite movies to watch during the holidays because it has a good Christmas message, and I like watching Kevin outsmart adults. And a side note: I feel like this tells you what not to do if you are trying to break into a person’s house.
"Home Alone" is a trilogy. The second is a continuation of the story from the first one, and the only difference is that the family loses Kevin at the airport. Then, even a third, but that has different characters. However, my headcanon for a sequel would be that Kevin grows up and owns a business about personal defense and home security. What are your thoughts on this movie?