Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Review Date: December 20th, 2022

Hi everyone. It’s been a while since I had last done a Movie Review. Since Christmas is just around the corner, I will be doing a review on Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) today. It’s almost as good as the 1st 1. So let’s get down to the review for today.

CAST:

Macaulay Culkin - Kevin McCallister

Joe Pesci - Harry Lyme

Daniel Stern - Marv Merchants

Catherine O’Hara - Kate McCallister

John Heard - Peter McCallister

Tim Curry - Mr. Hector

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!!

⚠️

1 year after the events of Home Alone (1990), the McCallister family is preparing to spend Christmas in Miami, & gathers at Peter & Kate's Chicago home. Their youngest son, Kevin, views Florida as contradictory to Christmas, due to its tropical climate, & lack of Christmas trees.

At a school play, during Kevin's solo, his older brother Buzz pranks him. Then, Kevin gets revenge, by pushing him. Which causes the entire choir to fall, ruining the play.

Back at home, Buzz makes a fake apology, which the family accepts, berating Kevin when he says that he fought back for Buzz humiliating him. Kevin insults his family for believing Buzz's lies, & for spending Christmas in a tropical climate, & storms off to the attic, wishing to have his own vacation alone.

The next morning, the family oversleeps once again, & must rush to the airport. This Time, Kevin is with them. But he becomes separated from them while carrying Peter's bag, & accidentally boards a flight to New York City.

From the moment he arrives, he decides to tour the city. But he becomes frightened by a homeless woman tending to pigeons in Central Park. He uses Peter's credit card to check in at the Plaza Hotel, not knowing that the Wet Bandits have also reached the city after escaping from prison.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin visits a toy store whose kindly owner named…

Mr. Duncan

plans to donate the day's sale proceeds to a children's hospital. After Kevin makes a donation, Mr. Duncan gives him a pair of ceramic turtledoves in thanks, instructing him to give 1 to another person as a gesture of permanent friendship.

The concierge at the Plaza confronts Kevin about his use of Peter's credit card, now reported as…

STOLEN!

Shortly after, Kevin flees the hotel. But is caught by the Wet Bandits. Marv mentions his & Harry's plan to rob the store before Kevin escapes in an encounter with a passerby.

Earlier, upon landing in Miami, the McCallister family discover that Kevin is missing, & file a police report. After the police trace Peter's credit card, the family flies immediately to New York.

Meanwhile, Kevin goes to his uncle's townhouse, only to find it empty, & on renovations. Then, in Central Park, Kevin encounters, & eventually befriends the pigeon lady, who takes him to Carnegie Hall. She explains how her life fell apart when her spouse left her. Kevin encourages her to trust people again. After considering her advice that he perform a good deed to make up for his misdeeds, & recalling Mr. Duncan's intent to donate to the hospital, he decides to prevent Harry & Marv from robbing the store.

Kevin equips the townhouse with booby traps, catches Harry & Marv in the process of robbing the store, & breaks its front window to set off the burglar alarm. After taking their picture, he lures them to the townhouse where they repeatedly injure themselves in the traps. Here’s a video on some of the traps that are used in the Sequel:

Kevin evades both Harry & Marv, calls the police from a pay phone to alert them to the pair's presence, & flees toward Central Park. Harry and Marv catch him after he slips on ice, & prepare to kill him. But the pigeon lady throws a bucket of birdseed onto them, attracting a massive flock of pigeons, & defeating the pair until the police arrive to arrest them.

Kevin slips away, leaving photographic, & tape-recorded evidence against Harry & Marv, & Mr. Duncan recovers the donation money, & finds a note from Kevin explaining why he broke the window. The family arrives in New York, & Kate, remembering Kevin's fondness for Christmas trees, finds him making a wish at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.

On Christmas morning, a truckload of free gifts arrives at the McCallisters' hotel room, sent from a grateful Mr. Duncan for foiling the robbery. Kevin reconciles with his family, & goes to Central Park to give one of his turtledoves to the pigeon lady, cementing their friendship. But Kevin didn’t realize that he spent $967.43 on Room Service.

THE END

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) is almost as good as the 1st 1. However, Kevin is 8 in the 1st 1, & 10 in the 2nd 1 for some reason. Probably an error. But Kevin should be 9 this movie.

OVERALL: 8.5/10 | End of Review

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