Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)

Just as the first one was hard to review, this one is equally difficult because it's essentially the same film. But that didn't keep me from loving it at 10, and I'm still the same immature kid I always was. Okay, so it's really improbable that the family would lose Kevin again (this time, as the title suggests, he's got the whole city to himself), but it's actually pretty fun and charming if you open up to it. You'd have to be a real Mr. Grumpy Pants to not get any basic enjoyment out of this film. That being said, I enjoy the gags, derivative as they may seem, and it's all quite goofy and harmless when you get down to it. There aren't many kids movies that feel the same way.

4.5 pairs of turtle-doves out of 5

Home Alone (1990)

This is a tough one to nut. It's one of those movies that critics love lambasting, but it's also an essential part of my childhood. So this review is clearly slanted. Honestly, how could you be 8 years old at the time and not identify with the plight of poor Kevin McCallister? Invisible to his family, just wanting a whole cheese pizza to himself, and wishing he was left alone (oh god, I got it in spades). The booby traps in the latter part of the film are so much fun, I think it inspired a genre of children's film in itself. And of course, it all ends up being touching and tear-worthy at the end of the day (with one final note of laughter). This is just an awesomely fun movie period, and I'm proud to count it among my yearly Christmas celebration.

4.5 extremely violent Wet Bandits gags (repeat) out of 5