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Which Home Alone Movie is the Best?
Even the modern sequels are pretty good, but when it comes to which Home Alone movie is best, there are only two choices. This is the definitive debate.
For many, Christmas officially begins the moment the opening credits of a Home Alone movie roll. The franchise, which famously transformed Macaulay Culkin into a global superstar, perfectly blends slapstick comedy with genuine holiday heart. Yet there are a lot of movies in the franchise, so which film is the best of all?
Home Alone & Home Alone 2: After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without their son Kevin, he is left home alone on Christmas.
Home Alone: Click To Buy from $6.99
Home Alone 2: Click to Buy from $11.99
While the series has produced numerous installments, the conversation around which movie is best always boils down to a single question. Is it the original, Home Alone (1990), or the bigger, flashier sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)? Both are classics, but they offer distinct holiday experiences that define their individual greatness.
Case for the Original: The Heart and Necessity
The 1990 original, directed by Chris Columbus and written by John Hughes, is often considered untouchable, and for good reason. It’s a masterpiece of simple, high-stakes storytelling rooted in emotional reality.
1. The Power of Originality
Home Alone introduced us to the concept. A sprawling, wealthy suburban house, a neglected 8-year-old named Kevin McCallister, and two hilariously inept burglars, the Wet Bandits (Joe Pesci as Harry and Daniel Stern as Marv). The film invented the blueprint, making every scene from the initial discovery that the family is gone to the first trip to the grocery store, feel fresh and vital.
2. Grounded Stakes and Emotional Core
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This movie is fundamentally about a child learning self-sufficiency and realizing the value of family. Kevin is genuinely terrified, and his defense of the house feels necessary. His isolation is palpable, and the relationship with his mysterious neighbor, Old Man Marley, provides a crucial, heartwarming subplot about forgiveness and connection. The traps, while funny, are relatively grounded and believable (icy steps, a hot doorknob). The film’s emotional center, the rush of relief and love when the family reunites, is what truly defines a classic Christmas film.
Case for the Sequel: The Spectacle and Wish Fulfillment
Just two years later, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York didn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it simply put the wheel on a much, much larger vehicle. It took every element that worked in the first movie and amplified it by a factor of ten.
Home Alone & Home Alone 2: After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without their son Kevin, he is left home alone on Christmas.
Home Alone: Click To Buy from $6.99
Home Alone 2: Click to Buy from $11.99
1. The Ultimate Holiday Setting
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The sequel elevates the concept from a single house to the entire island of Manhattan. Getting lost in New York City during Christmas is the ultimate childhood fantasy. Kevin finds himself living in luxury at the Plaza Hotel, ordering room service, and taking a limo to FAO Schwarz. It’s pure, indulgent wish fulfillment set against the backdrop of the world’s most festive city. The movie is arguably the most opulent and visually stunning Christmas film ever made.
2. Bigger, Better (and More Cartoonish) Traps
The sequel replaces the suburban house with the iconic, cavernous, and under-renovation Brownstone. This new setting allows for traps of absurd scale and severity. Tossing bricks from the rooftop, electrocuting Marv with 10,000 volts, and drenching the Sticky Bandits in paint cans from several stories up. The violence is more over-the-top, leaning into cartoon physics that audiences found even funnier. It makes for a bigger, sillier experience, and it revels in it.
3. Iconic Characters and Moments
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The dynamic between Harry and Marv is perfected here, with their dialogue and increasingly painful injuries reaching comedic peaks. The film also introduces the memorable and kind Pigeon Lady in Central Park, who serves the same lonely mentor role as Old Man Marley, proving the sequel still has a soul beneath all the sparkle.
The Verdict: Originality vs. Spectacle
Ultimately, the choice comes down to what you prioritize in a Christmas movie. How do you enjoy the holiday?
- If you crave genuine heart, relatable family dynamics, and a story of necessity, the original Home Alone is the undisputed champion. It’s a perfect film with a perfectly calibrated mix of suspense and sentimentality.
- If you prefer grand holiday scale, laugh-out-loud physical comedy, and the pure fantasy of a Christmas trip to New York, Home Alone 2 delivers the ultimate spectacle.
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Most fans agree that Home Alone (1990) is the better film, but Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) often makes for the better, more indulgent Christmas re-watch. Which version of Kevin’s chaos do you put at the top of your list?
Alone: This film, distributed by Breaking Glass Pictures, explores the dark trauma of domestic abuse amid the very real horror of being stalked in isolation. The debut film from directors Dan Salem and Mandi Mellen, its described as an homage to films like Halloween and The Invisible Man, with a villain always cloaked in shadows, leaving the audience unsure of what is real.
Stream the Movie: Click To Stream Now
Home Alone & Home Alone 2: After the McCallisters mistakenly leave for the airport without their son Kevin, he is left home alone on Christmas.
Home Alone: Click To Buy from $6.99
Home Alone 2: Click to Buy from $11.99
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Other great reviews on BuzzChomp:
Horror Movies – Halloween; The Shining; Scream; The Blair Witch Project; Saw; I Know What You Did Last Summer; I Still Know What You Did Last Summer; Jaws; Jaws 2; Jaws 3-D; The Exorcist
Christmas Movies – Home Alone; Christmas Vacation; A Christmas Story; Elf; The Santa Clause; The Grinch; Bad Santa; Its A Wonderful Life
Classic Movies – When Harry Met Sally; Jurassic Park; Back To The Future; Back To The Future Part 2; Back To The Future Part 3; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Star Wars Movies – Star Wars Episode 1; Star Wars Episode 2; Star Wars Episode 3; Star Wars Episode 4; Star Wars Episode 5; Star Wars Episode 6; Star Wars Episode 7; Star Wars Episode 8; Star Wars Episode 9
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