All 6 of the 'Home Alone' movies, ranked

Marking the first made-for-TV movie in the franchise, this catastrophe made by the director of Teen Wolf uses many of the characters from the first two movies, but there's a major problem: everyone's been recast.That's right, there's a Kevin McCallister but it's not Macaulay Culkin in the role (instead it's child actor Mike Weinberg). There's burglar Marv, but it's not Daniel Stern (3rd Rock from the Sun star French Stewart is in the role). They even recast Buzz!And if all that wasn't enough of a shock, the premise delivers a major jolt. Kevin's parents, Peter and Kate (you guessed it, the movie didn't get John Heard or Catherine O'Hara to return), are now separated so the movie revolves around Kevin going to his dad's girlfriend's mansion for Christmas.It's there where Marv and his wife (played by Missi Pyle) fall into all of Kevin's creative traps.This edition of the franchise was made for ABC Family (now known as Freeform), and its made-for-TV cheesiness is apparent.But at least this one doesn't try to bring back the original characters.Here, we follow 10-year-old Finn Baxter (Christian Martyn) and his family as they move into a creepy old house just before the holidays.As his parents go to a holiday party one evening (with legend Ed Asner as the host), Finn and his older sister are left home alone and suddenly find themselves up against three thieves (Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, and Eddie Steeples) who are looking to steal a very expensive painting that's inside the house.If the lame acting and story weren't bad enough, even the traps set for the villains are pathetic.The latest movie in the franchise was made specifically for Disney+, and though it has a bigger budget and bigger stars than the previous two listed, it's still mediocre. In this one, a boy named Max (played by Jojo Rabbit breakout star Archie Yates) is left home alone after he's accidentally left behind while his family flies off to Japan for the holidays.Meanwhile, Jeff and Pam (Rob Delaney and Ellie Kemper), a couple hard on their luck, discover that Max is in possession of a rare doll that could give them the money they need to get back on their feet if they sold it.Max believes the two are trying to kidnap him and puts traps around his house and silliness ensues. Unlike most of the movies in the franchise, there aren't really any villains in this one and it leads to a heartwarming end.Despite the story itself being lame, there are some impressive traps and physical comedy.The biggest issue (and it's a really big one) about the first sequel in the franchise is that it's a carbon copy of the original.You wouldn't think that's possible as Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) is not home alone but instead alone in New York City. But all the best gags from the first movie are done here again, just more amplified: the black-and-white movie Angeles with Even Filthier Souls; instead of Kevin's mom it's the whole family returning to get Kevin; even Harry (Joe Pesci) gets blow-torched in the head again.The lack of originality is what forces us to drop this down a peg.You could make the argument that Home Alone 3 is so lousy that it led to the franchise taking the made-for-TV plunge as this is the last Home Alone to date to be released in theaters.But you would be wrong.This is a pretty solid sequel, thanks in large part to franchise creator John Hughes who wrote the script. Even with the director of the first two movies, Chris Columbus, exiting and being replaced by Never Been Kissed helmer Raja Gosnell, it's Hughes' attachment that proves vital. Eight-year-old Alex (Alex D. Linz) is home sick with chickenpox when he gets embroiled in an international incident as four terrorists (Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny Von Dohlen, and David Thornton) are trying to get a microchip embedded inside a remote-control car that has ended up in Alex's possession.It leads to loads of hilarious hijinks as the three try to get the microchip from the very clever Alex and fail miserably.Home Alone 3 proves that it's all about putting a spin on the original and casting a great lead.Linz is the best kid performer in the franchise since Culkin. But the movie's true backbone is arguably the creativity in the traps set for the villains. Hughes and Gosnell went above and beyond.It's the movie you couldn't escape in the early 1990s and it's now a beloved classic.The combination of Hughes and Columbus proved to be the foundation for what would become a holiday staple.But Macaulay Culkin is the one who made it a hit.From his sarcastic one-liners to his physical comedy, you cannot take your eyes off him.It was also helpful that in the rare moments he's not on-screen, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are there to be the bumbling villains.All of these elements, plus the fantastic John Williams score, led to it becoming not just a must-watch over the holidays, but one of the best comedies ever made.

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All 6 of the 'Home Alone' movies, ranked

6. "Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House" (2002)

5. "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" (2012)

4. "Home Sweet Home Alone" (2021)

3. "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992)

2. "Home Alone 3" (1997)

1. "Home Alone" (1990)