Notice: All forms on this website are temporarily down for maintenance. You will not be able to complete a form to request information or a resource. We apologize for any inconvenience and will reactivate the forms as soon as possible.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Content Caution

MediumKids
LightTeens
LightAdults

Credits

In Theaters

Cast

Home Release Date

Director

Distributor

Reviewer

Kennedy Unthank
  • Previous
  • Next

Movie Review

A year ago, Kevin McAllister was accidentally left behind by his family as they traveled to Paris for Christmas. While home alone, he fought off some would-be criminals from robbing his house, a dastardly duo known as the Wet Bandits, and successfully got them arrested. Oh, and he realized that despite how annoying his family can be, he longed to be with them regardless.

But that was a year ago. And since then, he’s had a year to live with them again. And following a public humiliation by his older brother, Buzz, spending some time away from them again is sounding mighty nice.

This Christmas, they’re all heading to Florida. And just like last year, they accidentally sleep in. Unlike last year, Kevin makes it to the airport with them.

But that’s when Kevin, while changing the batteries on his recording device, loses sight of his father as they rush through the airport. He catches a glimpse of another man wearing the same coat as his dad, and he takes off after him instead.

And just like that, as Kevin’s extended family flies down to Florida, he finds himself on a flight to New York City.

Of course, it’s not all bad: Kevin’s got his dad’s wallet, full of money and credit cards. And he’s got a fancy hotel in which he plans to stay while he waits to be rescued.

But then he runs into some familiar faces: the Wet Bandits (rebranded to the Sticky Bandits), who’ve recently escaped jail during a prison riot.

And they aren’t too pleased to see him.


Positive Elements

A toy store plans to donate all the money it makes on Christmas Eve to a local children’s hospital. Kevin, moved to kindness by their generosity, offers $20 of his own money toward the effort.

Kevin is befriended by a homeless woman whom he previously found scary, but after she helps get his foot unstuck, he realizes her kindness. She confides in him that she became homeless due to mistrusting the love of others; Kevin encourages her by saying it’s better to use a heart that might get broken rather than not use it at all.

Kevin realizes that, even if his family doesn’t apologize for how they’ve treated him, he’d still like to apologize for his own behavior.

Once Kevin is located, his whole family flies out to get to him.

Spiritual Elements

Someone describes Santa as omnipresent. A character quips “American [Airlines] don’t fly to the Promised Land!” Kevin prays to see his mother again. An orchestra performs Christian Christmas hymns.

Sexual & Romantic Content

Someone asks if there are nude beaches in Florida. Kevin is briefly harassed by two women who appear to be prostitutes. He pinches a woman’s rear to get her to think someone else was harassing her. A motel sign advertises, “Adult films, hourly rate.” A man and woman kiss.

Kevin’s told not to go into a bathroom while his uncle is showering. Kevin relays how his uncle put the command: “If I walked into there and saw him naked, I’d grow up never feeling like a real man.” Kevin’s father nevertheless instructs him to go in quickly to retrieve his tie, causing his uncle to call him a “nosy little pervert.”

In a fictional movie, a man claims a woman was “smooching” with everybody. The scene is later used to insinuate that a man had kissed another man (to which both object).

Violent Content

The Wet Bandits, Harry and Marv, once again find themselves on the receiving end of various torturous traps at the hands of Kevin. While these violent antics would certainly end the lives of people in real life, Harry and Marv merely receive cosmetic wounds, bruises and burns, getting up after a moment or two of complaining.

For instance, Kevin hits Marv in the forehead four times with bricks thrown from the roof of a home. He also receives staple gun injuries to his rear, crotch and nose (pulling the last one out onscreen). A shelf full of full paint cans falls on him. He’s shocked so badly that he briefly transforms into a skeleton—and then he gets hit in the head by a falling bag of cement plaster.

Meanwhile, Harry gets thrown through the air, landing on a car. He’s hit in the head with metal tools, and his head gets set on fire. To try to put that fire out, Harry dips his head in a toilet, not realizing Kevin’s filled it with kerosene, causing an explosion.

The criminal duo frequently falls onto their backs on concrete. The worst tumble they suffer is a three-story plummet to the sidewalk below, which ends with them being soaked in varnish. They’re also flattened against a wall by a rolling tool chest, and they crack bones to pop their injured noses back in place. They’re both hit with a falling iron pipe that knocks them down a hole before it lands on them. They’re also attacked by pigeons.

Harry and Marv, furious with Kevin, fume murderous threats, and they even attempt to shoot him and another person.

Kevin pushes Buzz after his brother humiliates him; Buzz falls, causing a choir to fall, too. Someone faints. A woman punches a man in the face. In a movie, a female character gets shot to death (with no blood to be seen). People slip and fall onto their backs due to spilled beads and ice. Kevin smashes a window with a rock.

Crude or Profane Language

We hear God’s name misused three times, though we do hear someone twice say “Gol-durn” as well. The s-word gets cut off twice. “D–n,” “a–” and “crap” are all used once. We also hear people use creative insults, like “trout sniffer.”

Drug & Alcohol Content

People smoke. When asked how many scoops of ice cream he wants, Kevin tells the man, “Make it three; I’m not driving.”

Other Noteworthy Elements

Kevin uses his dad’s credit card and lies to get a hotel room. Kevin’s swimsuit floats to the top of a pool following a cannonball. Marv steals clothes and money from people.

Conclusion

As a kid, I never noticed the sheer number of unlikely things that had to take place for Kevin to get left behind in the original Home Alone movie. Believe me, there’s a whole lot. And in this sequel, you can double that number.

Of course, that’s not the only similarity between the two films: We hit many of the same old beats, too; Kevin’s left behind; Harry and Marv are up to no good; and a scary adult whom Kevin eventually befriends helps to save the day.

But this time, the locale is a larger scale, the butchering of the Wet/Sticky Bandits is even more painful, and the friendly stranger’s method of salvation comes with far more feathers. In other words, Home Alone 2 is just the first movie, but a bit bigger and more bombastic.

Unfortunately, perhaps the only thing smaller in this sequel are its positive messages. While the story still hits the same beats regarding familial reconciliation, those moments come in smaller doses than the first film. To be clear, that doesn’t mean those messages aren’t there, but they hold less impact in this film than the first.

At least, far less impact than a brick or four to the forehead.


The Plugged In Show logo
Elevate family time with our parent-friendly entertainment reviews! The Plugged In Podcast has in-depth conversations on the latest movies, video games, social media and more.

kennedy-unthank
Kennedy Unthank

Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”

Want to stay Plugged In?

Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!