I watched the first two “Home Alone” movies over Christmas. They’re great fun. But I worry that if the movies had been made today instead of in the 1990s, they might be sanitized in favor of political correctness. Here are three elements from each of the two movies that I fear wouldn’t make it into a 2018 production.
1) The gunfire sound in the “filthy animal” pranks
Early on in the first movie, Macaulay Culkin’s character, Kevin McCallister orders a pizza. But he senses an opportunity to play a little prank. Kevin uses dialogue from a fictional movie to threaten and then simulate a gun attack on the driver. The driver is shown stumbling through the snow in desperate fear for his life. The scene is replicated in “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” by a simulated gun attack on the staff of The Plaza hotel. The scenes are extremely amusing and should be uncontroversial for the fact that the gunfire is only sound from a movie. But I worry that producers today would hesitate in face of anti-gun activists. As an extension, I also worry that the producers would leave out the scene in the first movie in which Kevin shoots the two burglars, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), with his BB rifle. Before you get to point 2, watch the two scenes below.
2) The use of animals
In the first movie, Kevin uses a tarantula or similar spider to scare Marv. Following this, Marv then attacks Harry in an effort to kill the spider. In the second movie, Harry smacks Central Park dwelling pigeons with a newspaper. Both scenes are eccentric but amusing. But while neither the tarantula nor the pigeons appear to be injured, I wonder whether today the producers would fear PETA-related fury that they are representing animals as threats. Or that the animals have been mistreated.
3) The Christian undertones
Both movies give central emphasis to Christian values of family and faith. In the first movie we see Kevin praying and attending church in pursuit of solace and support. Neither is it coincidental that Kevin, and his neighbor in the first movie, the scary old man, overcome their previous mistrust to discuss their negative plight’s while in the church. The old man is alienated from his son, and Kevin is separated from his family. But at the end of the movie, the old man saves Kevin from the burglars. At the same time, Kevin’s advice leads the man towards redemption with his family.
In “Home Alone 2,” the old man’s role is taken by a homeless lady. But the themes of redemption and kindness to strangers sustain. And at the end of the movie Kevin travels to a Christmas tree guarded by angels. There, he prays to be reunited with his family. His prayers are immediately answered.
Now perhaps I’m wrong, but I suspect that producers would abandon or at least weaken these undertones were they to make “Home Alone” today. I believe that the producers would fear their overt, positive referencing of Christianity might engender criticism from activist groups who believe Christianity is not sufficiently morally inclusive etc.
Ultimately, however, my concern here is not that the producers would wish to remove these various themes. It’s that our contemporary culture’s silent chilling of free thought might drive producers to avoid any possible controversy. Recognizing the humor and morality of these various scenes, I’m glad that the “Home Alone” movies were made in better times.
