It’s no secret that Disney loves capitalizing on the nostalgia of 90s kids. We’ve gotten live-action versions of so many beloved animated films from the 90s over the last few years. From Beauty and the Beast to The Lion King to Aladdin—some have landed a bit better than others. When I heard Disney+ was releasing a new Home Alone movie —called Home Sweet Home Alone—I was skeptical.
We absolutely love Home Alone and even Home Alone 2. However, Home Alone 3 is nobody’s favorite. Usually when a sequel—even a distant one—has a completely different cast than the original, it’s not gonna be good.
I dragged my feet on watching this one, but we take turns picking a different Christmas movie from my Disney+ Christmas Movie Marathon list and it was Liam’s pick the other night. I think he saw a trailer for this one on YouTube or something, so this was his pick.
Well, color me surprised! This was a lot better than I expected it to be! I’m really glad Liam picked it because I’m not sure I would have watched it otherwise, and we all ended up enjoying it!
What We Liked about Home Sweet Home Alone
Hands down, my favorite parts were the easter eggs and callbacks to the original. I thought they did a great job with this and also made it clear that this isn’t a remake. It’s a sequel for the next generation, and I liked that about it.
The story is pretty good. They brought the situation of a kid being left at home at Christmas into the present day really well. Sometimes when we watch the old one, I think “oh, that would never happen these days.” Well… 😂
The story also has a bit of a twist to it compared to the original, which, in my opinion, helped it not be too boring!
What We Didn’t Like
I don’t know how to talk about the things I didn’t like without giving too much away, but I will say this. The twist to the story I mentioned above makes it hard to know who to root for in the movie. In the original Home Alone (and in Home Alone 2), it’s clear Kevin is the good guy and the wet bandits are obviously criminals. In this movie, it’s not as cut and dry.
Additionally—and to be fair, I think this when we watch the originals too—how many times can a person get hit in the head and still keep going?? These movies are just always going to be a little bit unrealistic, but that’s why they’re movies, right?
So is the new Home Alone movie a hit or a flop?
Liam gives it 5 stars.
Korey and I both gave it 4 stars.
I’ve seen a lot of negative feedback on this movie, and that’s legit! It’s not perfect, but I really think that anyone that really hates it probably doesn’t have kids. My son, Liam (who is 9 years old), LOVES THIS MOVIE. He loves the original and he loves this one just as much. Because he doesn’t really care about the plot holes or the fact that Disney made a sequel to a beloved holiday classic. It makes him fall down laughing, and that’s why he loves it!
So, in my opinion, if you’re a childless millennial diehard fan of the original Home Alone, you’re probably not going to love it. If you like the original and have kids that love slapstick humor, this would be a great pick for family Christmas movie night!
Have you watched Home Sweet Home Alone on Disney+? Do you agree with our review? Let me know your thoughts in the comments blow!
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Great content! Keep up the good work!