Home Alone (1990)

Rated: PG

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, and John Heard

Synopsis: An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.

Review:  Home Alone is a classic. Definitely geared towards children but also enjoyable for adults. Kevin’s creativity and antics are very funny. I wish I had half the creativity of Kevin.  Once the attempted burglary begins each new scene is a jaw-dropping surprise.

Scoring: 5

Home Alone 2: Lost In New York (1992)

Rated: PG

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara, and John Heard

Synopsis: One year after Kevin was left home alone and had to defeat a pair of bumbling burglars, he accidentally finds himself in New York City, and the same criminals are not far behind.

Review:  If you can get past the idea that parents would lose the same child twice and you liked the first movie, you’ll probably like this one. They use New York well and it’s not too repetitive of the first movie. This probably is enjoyed more by younger children. 

Scoring: 3.5

Home Alone 3 (1997)

Rated: PG

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Starring: Alex D. Linz

Synopsis: Alex Pruitt, a young boy of nine living in Chicago, fends off thieves who seek a top-secret chip in his toy car to support a North Korean terrorist organization's next deed.

Review:  While they did a good job of reinventing the original story, they didn’t capture the magic of the original. Children, and some adults, will still enjoy it but if you loved the original this may not be enough. 

Scoring: 2.5

Home Alone 4 (2002)

Rated: NR

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Starring: French Stewart and Missi Pyle

Synopsis: Amidst his parents' impending divorce, Kevin McCallister must foil his old nemesis Marv and his wife Vera's plot to kidnap a Crown Prince despite opposition from his dad Peter, Peter's fiancee Natalie, and Natalie's butler Mr. Prescott.

Review:  This attempt to return to the McAllister family is just sad. The parents are separated and dad has a girlfriend. Part of what makes the original special is the family. There’s nothing I enjoyed about this. One to skip. 

Scoring: 1

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)

Rated: NR

Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Family

Starring: Ed Asner, Debbie Mazar, and Malcom McDowell

Synopsis: Finn Baxter sets up booby traps to catch the ghost of his new home's former occupant, only to discover he must protect the house and his sister from three bumbling art thieves.

Review:  At least it doesn’t try to reuse the McCallister family like Home Alone 4 did and it has some entertainment value but it fails miserably at capturing the magic of the original. 

Scoring: 2

Home For Christmas (1990)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Mickey Rooney

Synopsis: An old thief befriends a young child.

Review: Overall, it’s a good movie.  I knew the ending from the beginning but there were still a few surprises.  You have to get past the fact that it was a made for TV movie from 1990 and that affects the quality of the filming, costumes, music, etc.  It’s still a good story and the children are adorable.  It’s a wonderful lesson of love, family, forgiveness, and the spirit of Christmas.

Scoring: 2.5

Home For Christmas (2014)

Rated: NR

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Starring: April Pearson

Synopsis: Beth Prince has always loved fairy tales and now she feels like she's finally on the verge of her own happily ever after; a dream job in a charming independent cinema by the seaside and a gorgeous boyfriend. There's just one problem - no man has ever told her they love her. Desperate to hear those crucial three little words for the first time Beth takes matters into her own hands - and wishes she hasn't.

Review: The beginning was really slow and it took me a while to get into it. By halfway through I was hooked. It’s like a realistic romcom. Other than her mother’s constant phone messages about flying to Australia for Christmas and the moment of hearing It’s A Wonderful Life, there’s no real Christmas. I don’t know why it’s a Christmas movie but it’s a cute movie. 

Scoring: 2.5

Home For The Holidays (2005)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Sean Young and Perry King

Synopsis: A loving aunt struggles to adopt her young relatives after their parents die in a car accident.

Review:  I liked it. It is a drama dealing with loss but it’s not done in a heavy-handed way. The characters are so likable and it’s easy to care for them and feel emotionally invested. The sheer determination of Martha and the love of the community are astounding.  You may want tissues for this one. 

Scoring: 3.5

Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family

Starring: Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, and Archie Yates

Synopsis: A married couple tries to steal back a valuable heirloom from a troublesome kid.

Review: While making nods to the original, this is a new and interesting take on it. There are plenty of antics as with the original.  I was actually rooting for the people breaking in. There were no good guys and bad guys here, although Hunter and Mei walk that line. It’s funny and sweet and a good family movie. 

Scoring: 3

Home Town: Christmas in Laurel (2022)

Rated: G

Genre: Documentary 

Starring: Ben and Erin Napier

Synopsis: Ben and Erin open their house for a Christmas celebration in Laurel. 

Review: If you’re a fan of the show, or renovation shows in general, you’ll like it.  It was a mash of Christmas, their personal experiences, and favorite renovations. 

Scoring: 3

The Homecoming: A Christmas Story (1971)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Patricia Neal and Richard Thomas

Synopsis: Olivia, John-Boy, and the rest of the Waltons spend Christmas Eve 1933 anxiously awaiting the safe return of dad. 

Review: This is the movie that led to the Waltons television show. It shows the struggles of the depression, especially with those living in the country. It also emphasizes family and what it means during difficult times. This movie would be a good way to introduce those topics for a family discussion. It also reminds us to be grateful for all we have. 

Scoring: 3

A Homecoming For The Holidays (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Laura Osnes and Stephen Huszar

Synopsis: Country singer Charlotte is home for the holidays and brother’s fellow ex-soldier Matt is in town. Writing her new album, Charlotte works with Matt to build a house for a friend in town.

Review: This is a very sweet yet superficial story. The plot has soldiers being away from their family, veterans transitioning home, a woman making her music dreams come true, a father wanting to retire and leave his business to his son, a family in need, high school students being mentored, and more. There’s just so many stories they don’t really dig in to any one of them emotionally. It’s still nice to watch but it’s not super deep. 

Scoring: 3

Homegrown Christmas (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Lori Loughlin and Victor Webster

Synopsis: When forced to work together to organize a Christmas dance for the local high school, former sweethearts find themselves rediscovering what made them fall in love all those years ago. 

Review: While the plot unravels as expected with no real surprises and the beginning is very slow, it’s still got charm and loving relationships. The biggest downfall is it doesn’t get really interesting until the end. 

Scoring: 2.5

Homeless For The Holidays (2009)

Rated: G

Genre: Drama

Starring: Matt Moore

Synopsis: A smug executive enjoys the perfect life - until he loses his job, and finds himself working at a burger joint. Now he's falling behind on his bills, and if something doesn't change soon, his family could lose everything by Christmas.

Review:  A good movie has a complicated plot, beautiful sets, and talented actors. This movie has none of these.

Scoring: 1

Homemade Christmas (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Michelle Argyris and Travis Nelson

Synopsis: A woman must choose between two men during the holidays

Review: It had some very expected elements as well as an obvious ending, as most Christmas movies do, but it was tons of Christmas fun. The only downside was how they sort of skimmed over each part rather than really digging deep.  I liked the charity aspect. It’s one I’ll watch again.

Scoring: 3

Hometown Christmas (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Religion, Romance

Starring: Beverley Mitchell, Stephen Colletti, and Melissa Gilbert

Synopsis: A woman must work alongside her old boyfriend to resurrect their town’s live nativity

Review:  This is a feel-good Christmas movie. Everyone is happy and playful even as they keep meeting obstacles. It’s a sit back and relax film. 

Scoring: 3

Hometown Holiday (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Romance

Starring: Kevin McGarry, Stephen Huszar, and Sarah Troyer 

Synopsis: A woman who escapes the city in favor of her small hometown finds herself falling for a rancher, but he's not what he seems.

Review: While there are moving and well-written scenes, a lot are just slow. If you’re willing to sit through the slow parts you may enjoy it. The love story is not the best relationship in the movie but I wondered how they’d resolve it.

Scoring: 2.5