The poster for the film's theatrical release
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is the 1992 sequel to the 1990 film Home Alone, and the second film in the series. It was written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It features Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern. Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Devin Ratray, Kieran Culkin, Gerry Bamman, Tim Curry, Rob Schneider, Dana Ivey, and Brenda Fricker are also featured. Eddie Bracken, Ally Sheedy, Bob Eubanks. and Donald Trump make cameo appearances in it.
The film was filmed in Winnteka and Oak Park, Illinois, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Miami, and New York City (which was Culkin's hometown at the time). Also, it became the second most successful one of 1992, earning over $173 million in revenue in the United States and over $358 million worldwide, but was badly received by critics.
Home Alone 3 followed in 1997, Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House followed in 2002, and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist followed in 2012 - all without Culkin in the lead roles.
Synopsis
A year after the events in the previous film, the McCallisters prepare to spend Christmas in Miami. Kevin, Peter and Kate's youngest son, finds that "there's no Christmas trees" there but palm trees instead, which bugs him.
At the school's Christmas pageant concert, Kevin's oldest brother, Buzz, humiliates him during his solo, causing Kevin to punch him in the stomach, which knocks over the other children and sends one of the cardboard Christmas trees crashing down on the pianist too.
Later, Buzz apologizes to Kevin and the rest of the family, but Kevin refuses to do so, and does not want to accept Buzz's apologies, and also reiterates his disgust with their decision to go to Miami before he storms up to the third floor bedroom, wishing that he had his own money so he could go on his own vacation by himself. When Kate reminds him that he got his wish the year before and that maybe he'll get it again this year, he replies, "I hope so!"
The McCallisters accidentally oversleep on the day of the flight due to Peter accidentally resetting the clock radio. They hastily depart to O'Hare International Airport for the flight to Miami. While Kevin gets batteries for his Talkboy, he follows a man wearing the same color coat as Peter toward a flight to New York City. Once in Miami, the McCallisters realize that Kevin isn't there again and Kate faints.
Kevin gets surprised by the appearance of a lady tending to pigeons before checking into the Plaza Hotel, which he had heard mentioned on a game show the night before, using Peter's credit card from his wallet. He passes by Donald Trump, then-owner of the hotel, who tells him the lobby is "down the hall and to the left".
While there, Kevin tours the city and visits Duncan's Toy Chest, where he meets the philanthropist owner, Mr. Duncan, who tells him that the proceeds from the Christmas sales will go to the Children's Hospital. After donating some money, Mr. Duncan allows Kevin to take a pair of ceramic turtle doves as a gift from the store's Christmas tree before instructing him to give one to another person for friendship. He runs into Marv and Harry, who have escaped from a prison in Chicago in a fish truck during a prison riot to continue their robberies in New York City by changing their name from the "Wet Bandits" to the "Sticky Bandits", before returning to the hotel. However, Mr. Hector, Cedric, the receptionist, and two security guards confront him about the stolen credit card. He hides in another room and uses a gangster movie he watched the night before to trick the staff into making them think that an insane guest with a gun is in the room. He escapes, but runs into the bandits once again; Marv takes his return ticket, noting that it's for a round trip to Miami, and knows that he got on the wrong plane. Harry rips it up so that Kevin can't get back home or to Miami. They tell him that they escaped from prison and, where he uses his Talkboy to record, about their plans of breaking into Duncan's Toy Chest that night, before he flees by hiding in the back of a hansom cab.
While in a one-room motel in Miami, the McCallisters discover that Kevin has been found using Peter's credit card and is on the run. They manage to fly to New York City and once at the hotel, they confront the staff for letting Kevin check into there alone and then letting him escape. Kate decides to find him against the advice of Peter and the staff, while Mr. Hector gives them a complimentary suite. Before she leaves, Kate slaps his face for scaring Kevin away.
Kevin discovers his Uncle Rob's house, which is being renovated. While wandering the streets, he gets scared of a few homeless people, two prostitutes, and finally a taxi driver when he tries to get a ride. He then heads into Central Park. There, he meets the pigeon lady again, only to get his foot caught in between a rock. After she frees him, they watch a Christmas concert in a loft above Carnegie Hall. He discovers how her life has fallen apart and how she has dealt with it by taking care of the pigeons in the park. He promises to be her friend, and she smiles.
When Kevin walks by the Children's Hospital, he sees a sick child in a window, who waves to him, and he returns it with a look of compassion. After remembering what Mr. Duncan and Marv had told him, he remarks that a person can mess with a lot of things, but they can't do so with kids on Christmas. With that, he returns to Uncle Rob's house to prepare a series of booby traps throughout it.
Kevin arrives at Duncan's Toy Chest during the theft and photographs the bandits before he shatters the store's window and sets off the burglar alarm by throwing a brick tied with a note to Mr. Duncan through it. They chase him and spring every trap in the house as he dials 911 from a phone booth. They trap him when he slips on a patch of ice and take him to Central Park, where they decide to kill him. When the pigeon lady discovers them, Harry tries to shoot her, but his pistol is full of varnish. She throws a bucket of birdseed on them which causes the pigeons to attack them while Kevin escapes. Shortly after, he sets off fireworks he bought earlier to signal the police. The bandits are arrested and the stolen money is recovered; furthermore, the police also have Kevin's photos and cassette tape to use as evidence against them. At Duncan's Toy Chest, Mr. Duncan finds Kevin's note and realizes his role in stopping the theft.
Meanwhile, Kate is looking for Kevin in Times Square, and comes across two police officers. While talking to them, she mentions and discovers his fondness for Christmas trees, and asks them to take her to Rockefeller Center. Her intuition proves correct, as she finds him in front of the tree there. They reunite and reconcile; as they return to the hotel, she tells him that everyone else did not like the palm trees and having Christmas in Miami either.
A truckload of gifts from Duncan's Toy Chest comes to the hotel on Christmas Day as a reward for Kevin's foiling of the theft, and Buzz suggests that had it not been for Kevin getting on the wrong plane, they would not be in the suite with the Christmas tree and gifts in the first place. So, he decides to let Kevin open the first present as a sign of reconciliation. While everyone else is opening theirs, Kevin runs out to give the pigeon lady one of the two turtle doves that Mr. Duncan gave him and reaffirms his promise. Meanwhile, Buzz receives Kevin's room service bill from his original stay, a service charge of $967.43. He shows it to Peter, who becomes outraged and suddenly shouts out, "Kevin! You spent $967 on room service?!"
Kevin immediately runs back to the hotel and the film ends.
Soundtrack
Track listing
- "All Alone On Christmas" - Darlene Love (4:14)
- "A Holly Jolly Christmas" - Alan Jackson (2:14)
- "Somewhere in My Memory" - Bette Midler, composed by John Williams, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse (3:58)
- "My Christmas Tree" - Home Alone Children's Choir, composed by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman (2:35)
- "Sleigh Ride" - TLC (3:44)
- "Silver Bells" - Atlantic Starr (4:15)
- "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" - John Williams (2:40)
- Christmas All Over Again - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (only included in the Home Alone Christmas album)
- "Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms (2:09)
- "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" - Andy Williams (2:33) (not included in the soundtrack)
- "Cool Jerk (Christmas Mix)" - The Capitols (2:39)
- "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" - Johnny Mathis (2:14)
- "Christmas Star" - John Williams (3:16)
- "O Come All Ye Faithful" - Lisa Fischer (3:26) (does not appear in the film; possibly a bonus track)
Score album
In addition, a CD with excerpts from the score by John Williams was issued in 1992.[1] The track listing is as follows:
- Somewhere in My Memory (3:49)
- Home Alone (2:01)
- We Overslept Again (2:46)
- Christmas Star (3:18)
- Arrival in New York (1:41)
- Plaza Hotel And Duncan's Toy Store (3:45)
- Concierge And Race To The Room (2:04)
- Star of Bethlehem (3:28)
- The Thieves Return (4:35)
- Appearance of Pigeon Lady (3:19)
- Christmas at Carnegie Hall (O Come All Ye Faithful/O Little Town of Bethlehem/Silent Night) (5:02)
- Into the Park (3:49)
- Haunted Brownstone (3:01)
- Christmas Star And Preparing the Trap (4:17)
- To the Plaza Presto (3:22)
- Reunion at Rockefeller Center (2:36)
- Kevin's Booby Traps (3:41)
- Finale (3:55)
- Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas (2:51)
Special edition album
On the film's tenth anniversary, Varèse Sarabande released a two-disc special edition soundtrack, containing the previously noted cues along with additional compositions that were left out from the final film.[2]
The complete track listing is as follows:[2]
Disc One
- Home Alone (Main Title) (2:07)
- This Year's Wish (1:47)
- We Overslept Again/Holiday Flight (3:19)
- Separate Vacations* (1:58)
- Arrival in New York** (2:59)
- The Thieves Return (3:28)
- Plaza Hotel (3:04)
- Concierge (1:31)
- Distant Goodnights (Christmas Star) (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (2:05)
- A Day in the City (:59)
- Duncan’s Toy Store (2:41)
- Turtle Doves (1:29)
- To the Plaza, Presto (3:27)
- Race to the Room/Hot Pursuit (4:08)
- Haunted Brownstone (3:02)
- Appearance of the Pigeon Lady (3:21)
- Christmas at Carnegie Hall (O Come, All Ye Faithful/O Little Town of Bethlehem/Silent Night) (5:15)
Disc Two
- Christmas Star - Preparing the Trap (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (4:22)
- Another Christmas in the Trenches (2:33)
- Running Through Town (1:16)
- Luring the Thieves* (4:02)
- Kevin's Booby Traps (7:23)
- Down the Rope/Into the Park (5:06)
- Reunion at Rockefeller Center/It's Christmas (5:21)
- Finale (2:00)
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Traditional) and Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (2:51)
- End Title (1:32)
- Holiday Flight (alternate) (2:32)
- Suite from "Angels with Filthy Souls II" (:56)
- Somewhere in My Memory (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:57)
- Star of Bethlehem (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:32)
- Christmas Star (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:23)
- Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas (orchestra) (2:23)
Reception
Box office
The film opened to $31.1 million from 2,222 theaters, averaging $14,008 per site. While it started off better than the original, the final box office gross was much less. $173,585,516 was taken in domestically and $185,406,165 overseas. It leaves with a total of $358,991,681 worldwide.
Reaction Reviews
The film was shunned by critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it two out of four stars he commented that its gags were overly cartoonish and too sadistic. He also stated that "Cartoon violence only works well in cartoons, which makes it funny only in cartoons. Most of the live-action attempts to duplicate animation have failed, because when flesh-and-blood figures hit the pavement, we can almost hear the bones crunch, and it isn't funny." Another critic called it "money grubbing sequelitis at its most pathetic". One critic went so far as to say that Kevin was its true villain. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a 21% "Rotten" rating with Critics, and a 62% rating with Users.
Despite the negative reviews from critics and a box office success, the film has since gained a cult following.
Home video releases
July 27, 1993
July 27, 1993
October 5, 1999
October 6, 2009
October 8, 2013
October 8, 2013
October 6, 2015
October 6, 2015
Cast
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Macaulay Culkin | Kevin McCallister |
| Joe Pesci | Harry Lyme |
| Daniel Stern | Marv Merchants |
| John Heard | Peter McCallister |
| Catherine O'Hara | Kate McCallister |
| Devin Ratray | Buzz McCallister |
| Hillary Wolf | Megan McCallister |
| Maureen Elisabeth Shay | Linnie McCallister |
| Mike Maronna | Jeff McCallister |
| Gerry Bamman | Frank McCallister |
| Terrie Snell | Leslie McCallister |
| Jedidiah Cohen | Rod McCallister |
| Senta Moses | Tracy McCallister |
| Daiana Campeanu | Sondra McCallister |
| Anna Slotky | Brooke McCallister |
| Kieran Culkin | Fuller McCallister |
| Tim Curry | Mr. Hector |
| Rob Schneider | Cedric |
| Brenda Fricker | Pigeon Lady |
| Eddie Bracken | E. F. Duncan |
| Bob Eubanks | Himself |
| Donald Trump | Himself |
References
External links
- Home Alone Wiki: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
- Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at the Internet Movie Database
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