When Disney purchased Fox it was clear that two of the big reasons for doing so were bolstering the content that would be available on Disney+, and leveraging successful franchises from the 20th Century Fox catalog for said streaming service. Now we have one of the first projects specifically built to do both things in Home Sweet Home Alone, a reboot of the now classic holiday movie starring Macaulay Culkin. The reviews are in and...it’s not great.
I’m not sure anybody was necessarily expecting a new Home Alone reboot to become a holiday classic alongside the original, but that seems unlikely based on the critical response to the film. CinemaBlend’s own Sarah El-Mahmoud gave Home Sweet Home Alone a lukewarm 2.5 star review, saying that the movie is exactly what you think it is, for good or ill. She continues…
Overall, Home Sweet Home Alone hits just about every beat from the original Home Alone, except this time there are some references that update the premise for the 21st century.
As part of that 21st century update, Home Sweet Home Alone does change things up a bit. The “robbers” and the kid they are up against have very different stories this time around. And while there’s clearly an attempt to make them three dimensional characters, it ultimately isn’t successful according to the AV Club review, which says…
An argument can be made for not parsing the social messaging of films like this one too deeply, as the creative team probably didn’t. But Home Sweet Home Alone does merit such criticism, if only because there’s really not much else going on.
Updates aside, Home Sweet Home Alone is just a remake of the original film, though technically its story exists in universe with the original, which itself saw numerous sequels that were essentially remakes as well. If what you’re actually looking for is more of the same, then perhaps you’ll enjoy the new film. Indiewire agrees that the new elements that the movie tries to add are where the story gets confused, and the parts that are taken directly from the original actually work best. Of course, if that’s the case, the original Home Alone is already on Disney+...
Funnily enough, the elements that most liberally pull from the original Home Alone are somehow the most rewarding on offer in Home Sweet Home Alone, but will likely lead audiences to simply watch that one instead.
None of this is to say that there aren't those that found something to enjoy in Home Sweet Home Alone. Slashfilm’s review found the ways that the movie flipped the script interesting enough. While fans of the original movie will likely find this remake lacking, if you’re somebody who doesn’t like the first film, there’s perhaps enough here to make this one worth checking out...
Home Sweet Home Alone, which ostensibly has the same premise as the 1990 original, but subverts the premise in ways that end up making it almost perversely enjoyable.
So if you’re a fan of Home Alone, it seems quite clear that this new entry doesn’t measure up, but there is enough that’s different that maybe worth a look, especially if Home Alone isn’t on your holiday watchlist. Home Sweet Home Alone hits Disney+ on Disney+ Day, November 12.
