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Release Date
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November 29, 2023
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Running Time
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26:00
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(The NC intro is shown. After that, we see NC in his room wearing his normal outfit.)
NC: Hello, I'm the Nostalgia Critic, I remember it so you don't have to. (He suddenly realizes something.) Why, doth it be December? I'd better change!
(He stands up and spins around in a whirlwind, like the Tasmanian Devil. He spins out into the hallway. When he's through spinning, we see him in his Nostalgiaween outfit by mistake.)
NC: Yeah, clothes, clothes, but totally off. Play the thing.
(As he changes into his Christmas jacket, the title card for Home Alone is shown, followed various clips from it.)
NC (vo): While I've talked about all the bad Home Alone movies, might as well talk about the only good one. The truth is, I'm so hard on the sequels because I really do greatly enjoy the original film, even if back in 1990, it didn't exactly get the best reviews. The response among critics was mixed, as many saw it as unbalanced between mean spirited and cornily gimmicky. I disagree, but I can't say I don't know where they're coming from. This film does a lot of things that should not work, as proven by not only the lame sequels (bits of the posters for the other Home Alone movies are shown), but also the countless knockoffs that tried similar kid-centered slapstick. It repeats a ton of jokes with few variations, has admittedly several forced cutesy moments, and does go back and forth between being aggressively harsh and aggressively kid-friendly. But I think the atmosphere, freshness of the idea and genuine joy felt from the people making it balance all those elements out. I totally acknowledge this shouldn't work, but the film has a feel for when you want an aggressive moment, a funny moment, a heartfelt moment, or even a repeated joke. So it feels less uneven and more like you're getting a little bit of everything, which is why so many people watch it around this time of year. It was a huge hit when it came out, is still enjoyed all over the world, and we're gonna take a look at why.
NC: So to all the peeps who know the value of just a good plain cheese pizza (a scene of Kevin picking up cheese pizza is shown), let's take a look at the original Home Alone.
(The film's opening shot is shown.)
NC (vo): The film opens in Chicago, because writer John Hughes (a picture of Hughes is shown) says, "I can out-Maine Stephen King" (a picture of the iconic Portland lighthouse is shown), where we see the McCallister family getting ready for a trip to Paris. One child named Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, is feeling particularly overlooked.
(A scene where Kevin talks to his mom is shown.)
Kevin: Uncle Frank won't let me watch the movie. It's not even rated R. He's just being a jerk.
NC (vo): So I've certainly talked about Culkin's acting in films shortly after this (posters of a few of Culkin's later movies are shown), and again, he was the biggest child star in the world, a lot of things were going on in his life, you can't be too harsh on him.
NC: Here though, he really is pitch perfect.
(Clips showing Culkin's acting skills in the movie are shown.)
NC (vo): Once in a while he can be a little too cute and hammy, but I think that's intentional to balance out the more aggressive moments. He has a very distinct way of talking that's not too grown up like Fred Savage in The Wizard (an image of Savage is shown), but also not too childish like the Olson twins in Full House (an image of one of the twins is shown). This allows for a world where you feel for this kid but acknowledge a slapsticky climax can happen. And Culkin finds the middle ground in his performance to help that world feel like it can exist.
(An early scene with Kevin is shown.)
Kevin: This house is so full of people, it makes me sick! When I grow up and get married, I'm living alone!
NC (vo): When he needs to be hammy for a laugh, he can do it. When he needs to be emotional for a heavier moment, he can do it...
NC: ...all these years later, I still see this as a good performance.
NC (vo): With that said: man, what a family of assholes!
(Scenes showing Kevin's family are shown, including his siblings, cousins, and uncle)
Megan: The dope was whining about his suitcase!
Buzz: Don't you know how to knock, flemwad?
Megan: What am I supposed to do? Shake his hand and say, "Congratulations, you're an idiot"?
Uncle Frank: Look what you did, you little jerk!
NC (vo): This film has certainly gotten a lot of flack for making the family too mean, but...
NC: (shrugs his shoulders) ...it helps if you've ever known a bigger family.
NC (vo): Not at all to say bigger families are always chaotic, but the holidays and especially going on a trip, they usually are. Everybody's insecurities and stresses are passed downward, so it's not surprising some people would get ignored. Chris Columbus even said he thought Kevin was a bit of a brat when he first read the script, but after having his own kids, he realized this is kind of par the course.
(A scene where Kevin's mom is sending him up to the attic as punishment is shown, showing Kevin's brattiness)
Kate: Get upstairs.
Kevin: I am upstairs, dummy!/I don't want any family. Families suck!
NC (vo): It's a house full of people, yet ironically there's nowhere to unload your stress because everyone is so stressed out. So it comes out like...
(A scene with Buzz is shown)
Buzz: (to Kevin) I wouldn't let you sleep in my room if you were growing on my ass!
NC (vo): Well, that's nowhere near the harshness of "trout sniffer" (a clip from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is shown), but still pretty rough.
NC: But he says a genuinely nice thing at the end.
(A clip near the end of the movie is shown, after the family returns home)
Buzz: (to Kevin) It's pretty cool that you didn't burn the place down.
Kevin: (shaking Buzz's hand) Thanks, Buzz.
NC: And if you've ever had an older bully pain-in-the-ass brother (a picture of NC's older brother is shown), you know what a big deal that is.
(Cut to a scene where Kevin, Buzz and Rod are looking out the window at Old Man Marley)
NC (vo): They notice their creepy neighbor Marley salting the sidewalks, which...somehow these kids find a way to make scary.
(The scene plays while the camera crosses all of their faces, showing their scared expressions)
Buzz: See that garbage can full of salt? That's where he keeps his victims. The salt turns the bodies into mummies.
NC: OK, there's two movies I want made from this. One: clearly Angels With Filthy Souls, that goes without saying (a clip of that movie is shown). And the other is this salt mummy movie. I don't care if it's another Walking Dead spinoff (an image is shown with Marley's head photoshopped onto a body with two mummies at his side), somebody make this happen!
(Cut to a scene where the whole family is eating pizza for dinner)
NC (vo): Kevin finally has enough of everybody mocking him, so he attacks Buzz, causing absolute chaos.
(Milk is spilled all over the family's plane tickets, ruining them. In the chaos, Kevin's father Peter throws one of the plane tickets into the garbage, which just happens to be Kevin's ticket)
NC: I must've seen this movie a million times and I never noticed Kevin's plane ticket being tossed in the trash.
NC (vo): Nobody will have questioned where his ticket was, but they threw that in, and it's appreciated. The same way we appreciate Pete forcing us to form fan theories about how this is the same universe (an image with the caption "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" is shown).
NC: (whispering) The explanation is Young Pete was put in a mental ward and nobody talks about it.
(Cut back to the movie)
NC (vo): Kevin's mother, played by Catherine O'Hara, has had enough of his outburst and sends him upstairs right after a supposed cop, played by Joe Pesci, warns her not to trust anyone this time of year, so she and her husband trust him this time of year and tell him all their security details.
(Peter goes over the security details to the cop in disguise. The cop listens closely)
Peter: Automatic timers for our lights, locks for our doors, that's about as well as anybody can do these days, right?
NC: I don't know what's more disturbing: how easy it was to get that information or how easy it was to get a cop uniform to get that information.
NC (vo): Wait a minute...(it zooms in on the cop's hat, showing that "POLICE" is misspelled as "BOLICE") "BOLICE"?? Damn you, convincing Spirit Halloween clearance Isle!
(Cut to a scene Kate is taking Kevin upstairs for his punishment)
Kate: You're the only one acting up.
NC (vo): Kevin's told to sleep in the attic as Fuller will join him later.
Kevin: I don't want to sleep with Fuller. You know about him, he wets the bed. He'll pee all over me.
NC: And according to this show (a poster for Succession is shown), when he gets older, he might show me other things I don't want to see down there.
(Kevin sleeps in the attic. That night, an ice storm with heavy winds knocks out the power. In the confusion and rush to get to the airport, Kevin is accidentally left behind)
NC (vo): Kevin wishes they'd all disappear and faster than you can say (a clip from The Simpsons is shown) "Hello, ironic twist!", the power goes out and the family leaves without him.
(The family rushes up to the gate at O'Hare Airport)
Kate: Did we miss the flight?
Gate Agent: No, you just made it!
Family: Yeah!
Gate Agent: Single seats only in coach, take whatever's free.
NC: On American Airlines?? Pfft, isn't their tagline...
(The 1967-2013 American Airlines logo is shown, with their tagline underneath)
NC (vo): "Hey, at least We're Not Spirit! Um...You'd be Happier with Spirit".
(Cut back to the house, where Kevin wakes up to find no one home)
Kevin: Mom??
NC (vo): Kevin wakes up to an empty home filled with nothing but advent calendar colors...seriously, there was a time when not every Christmas movie looked like this. You could argue this production design was eaten back then to fart out Christmas rom-coms now (a bunch of Christmas rom-coms are shown)...and he thinks he made his family disappear.
(Kevin has flashbacks to his things his relatives said to him the night before)
Megan: Completely helpless!
Linnie: You know Kevin, you're what the French call "les incompetents"!
NC: I like his memory of what they said is more exaggerated than how they actually said it, though not by much.
Kate: (in Kevin's memory) There are 15 people in this house and you're the only one who has to make trouble.
Kate: (how she actually said it) Fifteen people in this house, you're the only one who has to make trouble.
NC: Hell, some lines weren't even said...
Buzz: Kevin, I'm going to feed you to my tarantula!
NC: ...and you can see why: even for Buzz, that's a weird insult!
(Cut to footage of Kevin enjoying the house all to himself)
NC (vo): So Kevin decides to enjoy the house all to himself.
(Cut to a scene where Kevin is looking through one of Buzz's Playboy magazines. He's disgusted by what he sees)
Kevin: No clothes on anybody. Sickening!
NC (vo, as Kevin): They could use some fur suits.
(Kevin looks at a picture of Buzz's girlfriend. He doesn't like what he sees there, either)
Kevin: Buzz, your girlfriend! Woof!
NC: To make sure he didn't break a little girl's heart, Chris Columbus actually dressed up a little boy to be Buzz's girlfriend.
NC (vo): Though that does raise the question if anyone found out who this little boy was, how would that have impacted him (a picture of a group of kids is shown)?
Kevin: I'm going through all your private stuff! You'd better come out and pound me!
NC: I also like he keeps announcing what he's doing to the family he still thinks might be there.
NC (vo): I like this not only because he's almost checking to see if he's really gonna get away with all this, but also to see if he can taunt them out, like there is a small part of him that doesn't want to be without them.
(Cut to Kevin watching Angels With Filthy Souls)
Kevin: Guys, I'm eating junk and watching rubbish! You'd better come out and stop me!
NC (vo): He watches violent film noirs which, by God, really look like an old film noir, and he rides his sled down the stairs and out the door.
(A scene where Kevin rides his sled in the house and outside is shown)
Kevin: Whoaaaaaaaaa!
NC (vo): Thank God he teleported from the Hollywood set to Chicago, because the way this is lined up, he clearly would not have made it through that door!
(Cut to a scene with Harry and Marv, who are sitting in their van plotting their robberies for all the houses on the street)
Harry: Five families gone on one block alone. They all told me from their own mouths.
NC (vo): The cop from earlier is revealed to be a burglar named Harry and with his partner Marv, played by Daniel Stern, they use the information they got from people to break into their homes starting with Kevin's.
(Cut to a scene where Kevin sees the silhouettes of Harry and Marv through the closed curtains)
Marv: (whispering) Which way?
Harry: (whispering) Go around back down the basement. Come on, follow me.
NC: I give credit that for as silly as this film can get, it can still be a little scary.
(In a panic, Kevin turns on all the lights in the house to scare them away. After he does, he hides under the bed)
NC (vo): Kevin doesn't just jump to immediate genius like a lot of knock-off films that followed. He's legit scared like any boy would be.
(Cut to footage of Kevin's family realizing he's gone. When they land in Paris, they call the cops to go check on him)
NC (vo): Thankfully though, the parents realize they left Kevin home alone, and they run down...I'm pretty sure is still O'Hare Airport, they're just saying it's France now...and they try calling the cops to have someone check on him as they try to find a flight back.
(Kate is talking to one of the police officers at the Chicago station over the phone)
Officer: Has the child ingested any poison and/or any other object become lodged in his throat?
Kate: (worriedly) I don't know. I-I-I hope not!
NC: Fun fact: this one take of the donut falling on the phone...
(Footage of the donut on the phone is shown)
NC (vo): ...was so funny they had to actually edit around it to make sure it matched the other scenes. That's why it randomly cuts back to that donut for seemingly no reason. Again, that must have taken more time than what was needed, but everyone I know gets a big laugh out of that detail.
(The cops reassure Kate they'll do what she's asking them to do)
Officer: We'll send a policeman over to your house to check on your son.
(Cut to the scene where the police show up at the McCallister house)
NC (vo): Kevin is still so scared of the burglars, he doesn't answer the cop at the door...
Police: (through his walkie-talkie) There's no one home. Tell them to count their kids again (He leaves the house)
NC: Sounds like Chicago PD.
(Cut back to the airport in Paris)
NC (vo): ...as Kevin's mother decides to hop from plane to plane trying to get back as quickly as possible.
Kate: (to Peter) I'm not leaving here unless it's on an airplane.
Gate Agent: If you want to stay at the airport, maybe we can get you on standby.
Kate: Yes, I'll wait.
NC: Scenes like this do show the family does legit care.
(Footage of the family is shown)
NC (vo): And Catherine O'Hara, just like Culkin, finds that perfect balance between being funny and genuinely heartfelt.
(Cut back to the scene of Kate on the phone)
Kate: Somebody pick up. (Beat) PICK UP!!
NC (vo): I love how almost psychotically obsessed she becomes with getting back to her son.
(Kate is talking to a gate agent at a different airport, showing her determination to get back to Kevin)
Kate: If I have to sell my soul to the Devil himself, I am going to get home to my son.
NC (vo): So much so she completely overlooks Elvis is behind her (it zooms in on a guy behind her). No, that's a theory, man! (a heading showing a conspiracy theory of Elvis being in the movie is shown) Before...whatever the hell (separate images of a photoshopped lizard's head on a Congressman and the January 6 Capitol attack are shown) we think now, all conspiracy theories used to have Elvis in them.
(Cut to footage of Kevin in the bathroom at home, getting ready for the day)
Kevin: I washed my hair with the adult form of the shampoo, and used cream face for that "Just Wash" shine.
NC (vo): We partake in the face Culkin has sworn he'll never do again (Kevin touches both of his cheeks and makes the famous face)...
NC: ...I don't blame him (a shirt plastered with many images of the face is shown).
(Cut to Kevin going to the store)
NC (vo): ...and he goes to the store, where he runs into Marley.
(Marley puts his hand on the counter and stares at Kevin. Kevin slowly backs away in fear, but in the process, he accidentally steals the toothbrush he still has in his hand)
NC (vo, as Marley): Calm down, I ate who I killed.
Cashier: (to police) Shoplifter!
NC (vo): Kevin runs away with a toothbrush, beginning probably the most intense chase over dental equipment ever.
(Kevin slides on his knees across an ice rink with many people skating with the policeman in hot pursuit. The policeman runs into a skater and falls on the ice)
NC: Again, Chicago PD.
NC (vo): ...but he gets away, running into Marv and Harry robbing another house. Or rather, they almost run into him with this reverse shot.
(Harry and Marv slam on the brakes to avoid hitting Kevin. Kevin screams as they narrowly avoid hitting him)
Kevin: AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!
NC: When you play that backwards realizing how well they timed it...
(The scene plays backwards)
NC (vo): ...that is pretty impressive.
Harry: (to Kevin) Merry Christmas! (he smiles with his gold tooth, and Kevin recognizes him)
NC: When Kevin puts together Harry was the cop from the night before, Harry sees his reaction and starts following him.
(Harry and Marv follow Kevin in their van)
Marv: Why is he going faster?
Harry: I knew he looked at me weird. Why would he run?
NC: Well gee, if two guys in a van slowly drove behind me like this...
(Kevin looks back at them and Harry and Marv look around and whistle, acting as if nothing is wrong)
NC: ...I'd make sure my running legs still work.
(Cut to a scene where Kevin goes to a church and hides from them in the Nativity scene)
NC (vo): He gives them the slip, though, when they think he went into the church...which they don't want to go into due to smoting??
Marv: Maybe he went in the church.
Harry: I'm not going in there.
Marv: Me neither.
NC (vo, as Marv): I'm Jewish. (as Harry) I'm confusionist. (as Marv) Oh, really?
NC: I like how he disguises himself in the Nativity, almost like even he thought they would follow him into the church, and later that night he prepares for their return.
(That night, Kevin sets up a fake party in his house with a bunch of mannequins to fool Harry and Marv)
NC: How far-fetched. Clearly a bozo pool puppet (a scene from Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is shown) made in seconds is far more believable.
(We go to a commercial. When we return, we see that Kevin has ordered a pizza, with the pizza guy showing up at his house)
NC (vo): Kevin orders a pizza, and yes, the statue constantly getting knocked over never builds to anything, but I just love nobody ever tells them it got knocked over, and Kevin uses the movie he watched to make it sound like an adult ordered it.
Johnny: How much do I owe you?
Pizza Guy: That'll be $11.80, sir.
(Kevin slips the money out the dog door and continues the movie)
Johnny: Keep the change, you filthy animal.
NC: Some people make a very good living using clips that way. Isn't that right?
(A clip from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is shown)
Gandalf: You... shall not... pass!
NC: ...I've done other ones that are funny.
(Cut back to Kevin's movie)
Johnny: Before I pump your guts full of lead!
(We hear what sounds like gunshots inside the house, and the pizza guy runs away)
NC (vo): Ha! Take this stage shooting, guy just doing his job! Keep the change for your lifetime of therapy bills.
(Cut to Kevin lip-syncing White Christmas in the bathroom)
Kevin: I'm dreaming...
NC (vo): We once again do the same aftershave joke...
(Kevin touches his cheeks and screams)
Kevin: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!
NC: ...they just really wanted a poster, I guess (the poster for the movie is shown).
(Kevin goes grocery shopping)
NC (vo): And we partake in my personal favorite dialogue of the movie when he goes shopping for groceries.
(The cashier questions Kevin where his family is)
Kevin: My mom's in the car.
Cashier: Where's your father?
Kevin: He's at work.
Cashier: Your brothers and your sisters?
Kevin: I'm an only child.
Cashier: Where do you live?
Kevin: I can't tell you that.
Cashier: Why not?
Kevin: Cuz you're a stranger.
(A K.O. symbol is plastered over the cashier's face, Cut back to Marv and Harry)
NC (vo): Marv and Harry are still obsessed with why the house seems filled with people, so one of them sneaks around to have, you guessed it, the exact same joke happening again.
(Kevin again uses the movie to trick Marv into thinking there's an exchange going on inside. He sets off a bunch of firecrackers to go with the sound of gunshots as Marv ducks for cover and runs away)
Johnny: Ten!
NC: OK, to all the critics who don't like this movie...to some degree, you're right. This technically shouldn't be funny.
NC (vo): But I think Stern's hilarious reactions and even funnier conversation afterwards just breathes new life into this joke.
(Marv tells Harry what just happened)
Marv: I thought I recognized one of their voices, and I know I heard that name Snakes before.
Harry: I don't know no Snakes.
Marv: He sounded like a snake.
NC: I just love we never figure out who real world Snakes is or how Marv knows him.
NC (vo): Clearly that'll be a plot for Home Alone 7 (a poster with the title Home Alone 7: The Revenge of Snakes is shown).
(Cut back to Kate at the airport, who gets help from a polka musician named Gus)
Kate: What?
Gus: Excuse me.
NC (vo): After Kevin's mother gets stranded at one of the many airports she's been to, a polka player played by John Candy offers her a ride.
Gus: I had a few hits a few years ago, uh, that's why I, y'know. Polka, polka, polka? Polka, polka...
NC (vo): He shot all his scenes in a full 24 hours with no sleep, never complained about it, and it probably goes without saying but just about all of his and O'Hara's lines were made up on the spot. Which I guess makes sense, this is kind of an SC TV reunion.
Gus: Nama Vuji Polka, Kiss Me Polka, Polka Twist.
Kate: These are songs?
Gus: Yeah.
NC (vo): To this day, I still think the story about leaving the kid at the funeral parlor is the single funniest thing John Candy has ever improvised.
(Gus and Kate are sitting in the back of the truck when Gus tells her the story)
Gus: He was there alone all day with a corpse. He was OK, you know, after six, seven weeks. He came around and started talking again.
NC: Now that's an Uncle Buck movie I want to see!
(Cut back to the house, where Kevin is decorating a Christmas tree)
NC (vo): Marv and Harry eventually put together that Kevin is home alone, and he overhears they're going to come back later that night.
Harry: That house is the only reason we started working this block in the first place. Ever since I laid eyes on that house, I wanted it.
NC: You have a very odd white whale.
(Cut to Kevin walking through the neighborhood that night)
NC (vo): Kevin goes to the authorities to tell them about the crime that's about to take pla...or he goes to a fake Santa played by that guy from Herman's Head. Enjoy that unlocked memory!
Kevin: Instead of presents this year, I just want my family back.
Fake Santa: K.
NC (vo, as the fake Santa): Well again, since nobody calls the cops in this town, though (earlier cop scenes from the movie are shown) would it really make things better? I'll just hop in this car that really did die on set as it was driving off.
(As the fake Santa tries to drive off, his car dies)
Fake Santa: (frustrated) Son of a....
NC: This movie has the best worst luck, doesn't it?
(Kevin goes to the church)
NC (vo): Kevin goes to church because we know there's no robbers in there...
(An earlier seen is shown)
Harry: I'm not going in there.
Marv: Me neither.
NC (vo): ...and Columbus had a tricky time getting across to the owners he wanted it to look nice but also a little creepy. I think to a lot of kids, church can be a pretty intimidating place and Columbus wanted that to come across like Kevin is confronting something he's a little afraid of. Which makes sense, as he stumbles across Marley, who he of course discovers is a really sweet guy.
(Marley comes up and starts talking to Kevin)
Marley: Merry Christmas.
NC (vo, as Marley): Prepare to die.
Marley: You been a good boy this year?
Kevin: I think so.
Marley: Swear to it?
Kevin: No.
NC (vo): He says he's there to see his granddaughter sing because he had a falling out with his son.
(Marley tells Kevin about his son)
Marley: And I said I didn't care to see him anymore. He said the same, and we haven't spoken to each other since.
NC (vo): They both give each other advice, and when I was younger, my favorite moments were the zany slapstick and funny insults, but now that I'm older, the Marley scenes are by far my favorite. They take what, let's be honest, would be a perfectly serviceable Christmas comedy and turn it into a Christmas classic.
Marley: I'm afraid if I call him, he won't talk to me.
Kevin: Aren't you a little old to be afraid?
Marley: You can be a little old for a lot of things. You're never too old to be afraid.
NC (as Marley): I got a car that'll scare the shit outta ya (a picture of a scene from Christine (1983) that also stars Roberts Blossom is shown).
NC (vo): After he has a nice talk, the kick-ass John Williams music kicks in.
(Kevin leaves the church for home and the score starts playing. It continues playing as Kevin sets up a bunch of traps for Harry and Marv)
NC (vo): How is it this composer is so good, he can make even setting up micro machines sound epic? And did I say the grocery store scene was the funniest moment? Oh, I actually said it was the John Candy story. Screw it! Harry getting shot in the balls is the funniest thing ever filmed.
(Harry and Marv are trying to trick Kevin into letting them in the house. Kevin sticks a BB-gun through the dog door and shoots Harry in the balls)
Harry: Open the door! (He gets shot and winces in pain)
NC: Not only is his reaction great...
NC (vo): ...not only is his Yosemite Sam-ing swear words fantastic...
(Harry spouts a bunch of gibberish that sound like he's swearing while Marv tries to figure out what happened)
Marv: What? What? What happened?!
NC (vo): ...but this sound design should've gotten an Oscar just for that crotch shot sound effect.
(The sound effect plays multiple times)
NC: That is a wet crackle crunch and it is what every crotch shot needs to be spectacular!
(Clips of the various traps are shown)
NC (vo): Again, it probably goes without saying, but these stunts are both very funny and very impressive. I still don't know if the timing of this was dumb luck or if they legit planned it. (A stunt is shown with a crowbar falling on Marv's head) Every trap really looks like it hurts, but it never goes too far in taking us out of the comedy...
NC: ...except one and you all know what it is.
(A clip is shown of Marv walking up the basement stairs. The stairs are smeared with tar, and his socks and shoes are pulled off as a result. He then steps on a nail.)
NC: Not since that commercial with a little toenail goblin have people cringed grabbing their feet so hard.
(Back to the clip)
Marv: AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!
NC (vo): His scream, though, is almost like permission from the movie saying, "Yeah, as he releases that yell, you can release your laughter."
(Another trap shows Harry and Marv getting hit in the face with paint cans, followed by footage of other traps)
Harry: Heads up!
NC (vo): I can't possibly go over every trap, there's just so damn many, but my favorite after the crotch shot is the scene with the spider. Which, by the way, Stern had to do in silence so he wouldn't scare the spider and...
(That scene is shown with Stern being silent)
NC: ...I'm not going to lie, that might've worked a little better.
(The spider is now on Harry's chest, but Harry doesn't notice it. Marv is preparing to kill the spider with a crowbar)
NC (vo): But this lovingly betrayed look Harry gives to Marv is some of Pesci's best acting.
(Harry innocently asks Marv what he's doing, completely unaware of the spider on his chest. He gives a confused and terrified look)
Harry: Marv, what are you doing? Marv?
NC (vo): That is a look of, "My friend. My confidant of so many years. I've refused to believe you're capable of this."
NC: There is more heartbreak in that look than when Padme literally says, "You're breaking my heart."
(Marv whacks Harry with the crowbar while trying to kill the spider. Harry takes the crowbar and hits Marv with it multiple times)
NC (vo): And that just turns into a Three Stooges bit, which just makes me laugh harder.
(Kevin escapes on a rope going from the upstairs window to the treehouse in the backyard)
Kevin: Come and get me before I call the police!
Marv: He'll call the cops!
Harry: He's not calling the...FROM A TREEHOUSE?!!
NC (as Harry): This is 1990, only rich people have cell phones! Now continue to help me rob the house of these rich people!
(The burglars try to climb across the line, but Kevin cuts it)
NC (vo): He cuts the line and makes his way to the next house, where Marv and Harry finally get the drop on him.
(Marv and Harry hang Kevin by his shirt on the hook of the door, ready to torture him. Unknown to them, Marley has entered the house with a shovel)
Harry: First thing I'm going to do is bite off every one of these little fingers, one at a time.
NC (vo): I think most people know when Pesci said he was gonna bite his fingers off, he did accidentally bite Culkin's finger, leaving a scar.
NC: At least we think it was an accident. If I just won an Oscar (a clip of Joe Pesci winning an Oscar for Goodfellas (1990) is shown) and I had return to set where a mini catchphrase machine was the star, I might nip him too.
(Marley knocks out Marv and Harry with the shovel. It shows that this scene was done with a stunt double for Marley)
NC (vo): And thankfully, people always discussing that story distracts folks from the less than stellar look-alike for Marley.
NC: Did David Hyde Pierce do stunt work back then?
(Marley gets Kevin back home as the police arrive, and Marv and Harry are arrested. The next day, Kevin's mom returns home)
NC (vo): The cops arrest the burglars and the next day Kevin's mother finally returns home.
(Kate and Kevin are finally reunited)
Kate: Merry Christmas, sweetheart.
NC: I think it's important that Kevin should be a little standoff-ish.
NC (vo): It makes the scene feel more real if he needs an apology from her.
Kate: Oh Kevin, I'm so sorry.
NC (vo): Thankfully though, he doesn't need much. Again, I really love how both these two handle the comedy and emotional moments. (Earlier scenes of Kate and Kevin on screen together are shown) When you realize just how little they're on screen together yet you totally buy their love for each other, that's just straight up good acting.
(A few minutes later, the rest of the family also returns home)
NC (vo): Even the rest of the family shows up taking the later flight, and they all give Kevin respect for holding down the fort, even getting errands done.
Peter: (to Kevin) What else did you do while we were away?
Kevin: Just hung around. (The family laughs)
NC (as Kevin): No literally, I hung the corpses of five other burglars that tried to get in this weekend.
NC (vo): Are we at George Costanza's favorite scene yet?
(Kevin looks out the window as Marley is happily reunited with his son and granddaughter. They both wave to each other)
NC: (sniffles) Well, it's my favorite scene too!
NC (vo): Not only is the music amazing, the buildup perfectly timed, the camera work wonderfully composed...
NC: ...but Culkin gives my favorite acting of his from anything.
(Cut to Kevin looking out the window at Marley)
NC (vo): That is the most genuine, joyful, loving look that is 100% believable. It requires no dialogue, just an honest, heartfelt reaction.
NC: It's about as perfect a Christmas moment as you can get. Which just makes the follow up line even funnier.
Buzz: (off screen) Kevin, what did you do to my room??!!
NC (as Buzz): Don't act like I don't know why the Playboys are sticky!
(Various clips of the film resume showing)
NC (vo): And that is the original, the classic, the best Home Alone. I love it for the same reasons you love it, but acknowledge for those who don't, it is understandable. It really is lightning in a bottle that can't be replicated no matter how many times they tried (posters of the other Home Alone movies are shown), and as I mentioned several times before, it probably should have failed. If you were to describe a lot of this film to me, I'm not sure I would see it becoming a Christmas classic. But the movie has a very instinctual feel to it, like even though it was hitting beats that wouldn't work in other films, it was doing it in a way that felt humorously purposeful. I think a lot of that comes from the amazing cast, I mean, everybody is top notch in this, the elegant directing, the balanced writing, the beautiful music, and the lack of assumption. Nobody really expected anything big from this when it came out, so I think the fact that so much effort did come across on screen was a welcome surprise. It took the world by storm, and it's not that hard to see why. It's funny, it's touching, it's memorable, and it knows how to represent Christmas without even feeling like it's trying. I've seen it over a million times, and I can assure you, I'm gonna see it at least a million more.
NC: I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to (He gets up and leaves the room).
Channel Awesome tagline: *BB gun fires, Harry groans*
(the credits roll)