Home Alone Director Discusses The Film’s Legacy And Shares Sweet Thoughts On Macaulay And Kieran Culkin
Christmas is over, but I’m not judging anybody who may still be watching Home Alone while nursing a holiday hangover. It’s one of the best Christmas movies of all time, so who wouldn’t want to give it one last stream with their Disney+ subscription before the next holiday season? The movie has an outstanding legacy, but director Chris Columbus‘ latest comments are a reminder of how it tanked with critics early on.
Columbus, who served as a producer on this year’s holiday hit Nosferatu, spoke to THR about his lengthy career, which obviously includes his much-beloved movie Home Alone. When the filmmaker was asked about actor Macaulay Culkin hosting a screening tour with the film across the U.S., which I was lucky enough to attend, he talked about what the family comedy’s legacy meant to him personally, given how it was initially received. In his words:
Yeah, it’s heartwarming to see that he’s hosting these screenings and embracing it. He’s got a family of his own now, and he realizes the impact that Home Alone has on kids and families. The fact that Home Alone has this longevity is really important, and it means a lot to me because, at the time, the movie was not critically well-received. It just happened to be successful enough that it ran for [seven] months. It was number one until February 3 [1991]. But it’s really meaningful to me that the movie is continuing to play 34 years later.
While critics might’ve knocked points off Home Alone for no explanation behind how Kevin’s father afforded a giant house, or several other oddball details, theater-goers clearly loved it. So much that the initial film’s box office success was enough to spur a number of sequels, although only Home Alone 2: Lost In New York is celebrated on the same level, given it’s the only follow-up that lured Culkin back.
All things considered, there are a lot of things about Home Alone 2 that don’t make sense, especially when it comes to the parents’ sense of responsibility. So it’s fair to say the original reigns supreme in a lot of hearts and minds and box office receipts.
Chris Columbus takes pride in the longevity of Home Alone‘s popularity over the years, and had only positive things to say about not only Macaulay Culkin’s skills, but also those of his younger brother Kieran, who portrayed Fuller McAllister decades before achieving his Emmy win for Succession. According to Columbus:
It’s also meaningful for me that Kieran Culkin has become such a great actor. He was also in both Home Alone pictures, and I thought his performance in A Real Pain was phenomenal. I would still like to see Mack act more often. I haven’t spoken to him in a while, but I read that he’s doing [Fallout season two]. So it would be great to see him embrace acting again because he’s really great.
Here at CinemaBlend, we also had great things to say about Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain, and it’s clear that on the heels of Succession, the actor’s Hollywood ascent is only getting more pronounced. Ironically, the younger brother hasn’t yet shown his own children Home Alone, but has a valid reason for doing so.
Hopefully Chris Columbus is justified in his excitement for Macaulay Culkin joining Fallout Season 2, which many others are equally pumped about. Given the kookiness of that universe and how it’s a world where an extensive knowledge of booby-trapping would come in handy, I have to wonder if his character will get at least one cheeky nod to Home Alone. Let me just see The Ghoul get blindsided on a stairwell by a swinging paint. That’s all I’m asking for.
2024 was another huge year for Home Alone, especially with the aforementioned tour by Macaulay Culkin actually celebrating the movie with others in person. Here’s hoping that story stays the same in 2025, possibly with other actors joining in on the fun and sharing their fond memories of this holiday classic.
As mentioned, Home Alone is available to stream on Disney+ right now. I’ve seen it so many times I could probably play it in my brain at this point, but I think I’ll give it one last stream before the new year anyway.
