The Good: Home Alone (1990)
We couldn’t really put anything else for good. The mischief, the spirit, the Christmas setting – it’s just brilliant. The massive family gathering and chaos around Christmas is something we can all relate to.
Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin, a slightly more sadistic Bart Simpson, gets sent to bed early and wakes up alone – Home Alone! Obviously, he thinks his wish that his family would all disappear has been granted, revelling in his newfound independence. But, of course, he didn’t anticipate having to contend with Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern’s bumbling burglars. They pretty much carry the film, and even though the joke is kind of stretched a bit too far, Home Alone remains a childhood classic.
The Bad: Ri¢hie Ri¢h (1994)
When you were a kid, this film wasn’t that bad; it didn’t have the same re-watchable quality as Home Alone, but it was still reasonably funny.
But the morals kind of get confused, and there’s just way too much screentime wasted on showing off Richie’s riches. It’s really predictable and clichéd, and when you’re older you realise that this film was actually just shit. It was the moment Macaulay Culkin stopped being a cute little mischievous kid and started being a little dickhead. It’s just got absolutely none of the timeless charm of Home Alone.
The Ugly: The demise of a promising child star...
Ah, the unfortunate tale of a child star’s demise.
Macaulay Culkin hasn’t really done many films since his youth, and let’s be honest, they’re probably all best forgotten. We don’t hear much of him anymore, except his occasional appearance in the tabloids looking less than tip-top, or various other strange things like his pizza-themed comedy band. Hopefully he’s all good and he’s just chosen a different path.
