Home Sweet Home Alone review: A decent reboot of Home Alone film with Archie Yates but could have been more fun

3.5/5

Story:

The holiday season can be chaotic and if a flight booking goes wrong, it can lead to several hazards. The film Home Sweet Home Alone is the sixth instalment of the Home Alone film franchise. The story revolves around a 10-year-old boy Max, played by Archie Yates, who is granted the wish to be alone at home when he misses going away with his family for a holiday in Japan. A couple breaks into his house while his family are away, looking for a doll that they think Max has stolen. It then follows how he defends himself from the couple. 

Directed by Dan Mazer, the sixth instalment in the Home Alone franchise features Archie Yates as the troublemaker kid, Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Pete Holmes, Ally Maki and Chris Parnell.

Review:

The film Home Sweet Home Alone by Disney seems to have captured the essence of the original movie, showcasing how a home alone kid can be a backbreaking (literally) task to deal with. However, the film gives a spin-off with a slightly different narrative. The film does not have thieves breaking into the house but just a pair of desperate parents who are trying to save their home, trying to find an ancestral doll that they think the troublemaker kid has stolen. The doll could fetch them great money and help them keep the house. The parents Pam and Jeff, played by Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney, break into the house of the Mercer family when they leave for Japan for a holiday, leaving their son Max alone at home unintentionally. 

Archie Yates, as the home alone kid, does a decent job but not as great as Macaulay Culkin who played the role in the first instalment of the Home Alone film franchise. Yates seems to lack that fun while setting all the traps. He draws up a plan as he learns that his house is going to be broken into. It is not impulsive as it was like in the original film where Kevin is shown gathering ideas when he sees the household things that he could use.   

The film has quite a few funny dialogues and scenes which will give you good laughs. The sarcastic dialogues of frustrated Blake, Max's father, played by Pete Holmes after they realise that they have forgotten the kid at home are quite funny. But the makers could have put such great talented comedy actors to great use. The scenes where the couple falls prey to Max's traps will give a few giggles but they are short and does not form a major part of the movie like in the first film. The couple tries to talk to Max and sort things out and when he finally listens to them, it all turned out to be some ugly misunderstanding.  

The film shares a lesson or two towards the end on the importance of parents and family but it sounds preachy with Yates' dialogues. It concludes with Pam saying home is where the heart is and home is probably just another word for family. 

The narrative is well-paced. The climax scene with both the families celebrating Christmas together after a year, all happy and cheerful, was quite thoughtful and unexpected. The cinematography and direction are good. The subtle tone of the film is impeccable implying impending danger.

The film overall makes for a good and enjoyable watch, sans the comparisons with the 1990 movie Home Alone featuring Macaulay Culkin as the troublemaker kid Kevin.

Verdict:

Home Sweet Home Alone makes for a good watch with the family this holiday season. It is incomparable to the original film but manages to capture the spirit of Christmas and all the chaos around the holiday. Perhaps, you would enjoy it more if you do not make comparisons.