Home Alone 2: Lost in New York hasn’t been seen as frequently as the first film, but it’s still a regular. In some ways, the second film is better than the first. The traps are crazy over the top, but that doesn’t make them less entertaining. The success of the first allowed them to have better supporting actors in small roles, like Tim Curry as the hotel manager. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a Must See Christmas movie.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a rehash of the first film, but really works.
Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) ends up alone in New York City just one year after being left alone at home on Christmas. By coincidence, the burglars he thwarted escape from prison and flee to New York City with plans of another heist to get them back on top. Kevin’s family frantically tries to get to him from Miami and things all spiral out of Kevin’s control.
I’m going to assume people have seen this movie from here on out. Spoilers will be forthcoming so read on at your own risk. The traps Kevin sets for Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern) are murderous. The first film had some that could severely injure the burglars, but it gets crazy in Lost in New York. He throws bricks off a roof, electrocutes Marv, and almost blows Harry up. Despite the potential damage that the traps could have done, they’re presented with a Looney Toons type quality that makes them comedic. You might flinch in sympathy for the two idiot burglars, but it’s still pretty funny.
Tim Curry is a highlight in this film
The hotel element features a lot of great moments in the movie including a Donald Trump cameo. The best, of course, is the staff featuring Tim Curry and Rob Schneider. Curry is suspicious of the young man in his lobby without adult supervision. His suspicion leads him to entering the McCallister room late at night and one of the funny exchanges in the film. Then again, some of the funniest moments involve Curry including when he gets slapped towards the end of the film. The hotel is almost as entertaining as the traps.
Like the first film, there is the older stranger that Kevin initially fears, but later befriends that ultimately becomes the Deus Ex Old Stranger. They show up as the final trap that Kevin hadn’t planned, but ultimately finishes off the beaten and humiliated bad guys. Their connection is also heartfelt and shows Kevin as wise beyond his years. It’s sweet, but a bit cliché.
If you liked the first, but maybe never saw the second or didn’t like it then it’s time to revisit it. Home Alone 2 holds up after all these years. Of course, seeing the President-elect tell a kid where the lobby is makes it kind of relevant. The movie is a rehash of the first film, but I like the first film enough that a second one isn’t bad. It is a different type of story, as noted in my review of Home Alone it’s an out of the bottle story. This film feels more like Dude with a Problem or Fool Triumphant than anything else. I recommend it especially this time of year.
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