The Home Sweet Home Alone trailer received harsh criticism online, but the backlash to the Home Alone reboot is missing the point. Disney’s new Home Alone follows the formula of the 1990 original. In the movie, a young child named Max (Archie Yates) is accidentally left home when his family goes away for the holidays. But, of course, things get more complicated. While home alone, the kid has to deal with two inept burglars, Pam (Ellie Kemper) and Jeff (Rob Delaney), who are after his family’s valuables. Now, it’s up to him and his makeshift home security system to protect his family’s house.

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The original Home Alone was an unexpected hit. Produced on a budget of less than 20 million, the film spent weeks at the top of the box office and took in around $285 million in domestic box office gross. In addition to the film’s stacked cast, led by Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister, the behind-the-scenes talent was equally impressive, with Chris Columbus directing a script by John Hughes. Since the first movie, the franchise has spawned several sequels, including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, which saw the original cast return.

The Home Sweet Home Alone trailer received an unwarranted wave of backlash following its release. The dislikes quickly climbed to nearly sixty thousand on YouTube, and on Twitter, the most popular comments were mainly negative. In addition, many fans questioned the need to retell the Home Alone story, especially considering that popular entertainment is already inundated with reboots, and the original cast isn’t returning. However, despite valid points in some criticism, the harsh feedback is missing a larger point: Home Sweet Home Alone is a movie for kids.

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Since children aren’t the ones leaving the negative feedback, the criticism may be somewhat misguided. Everything about the Home Sweet Home Alone trailer markets the film to kids. For instance, in one scene, Max is eating all the candy he wants, and in another, he jumps off a trampoline with no regard for his safety or the cleanliness of a pile of blankets he leaves as a cushion on the ground outside. However, the criticism stems from fans being upset about a 30-year-old movie being remade. Even more infuriating for nostalgic Millennials, the original cast (besides Devin Ratray’s Buzz McCallister) is nowhere to be seen. Since young children likely have no attachment to the original film or nostalgia for it, the critics aren’t exactly in the target market.

Additionally, some of the criticism is jumping the gun. Part of what made the original Home Alone a classic is that it transcended the boundaries of a typical family film. The talent in front and behind the camera made it appeal to kids and adults alike. While the first trailer is aimed at children, the talent behind Home Sweet Home Alone is promising. The cast includes several popular comedic actors, including Kemper and Pete Holmes. Also, the script comes from Saturday Night Live staples Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell. Regardless of the talent or even the film’s quality, 30 years of nostalgia is a lot to put on one trailer for a children’s movie.

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Bill Bradley
(524 Articles Published)

Bill is an experienced reporter who’s covered entertainment and fandom since 2014. He’s done everything from unearthing the discarded Game of Thrones pilot script in a library in Texas to finding out why Steve left Blue’s Clues. He also enjoys eating Taco Bell and drinking chocolate milk.

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