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Common Sense Note

Parents should know that they can expect the same kind of slapstick violence in this second Home Alone movie, mostly against the robbers who picked on the wrong precocious kid once again. The main character throws bricks, sets deadly traps, and more in attempts to stop the bumbling duo and is gleefully proud of himself every time they get hurt. Parents should also know that the movie opens with quite a bit of family conflict and that there's fighting -- even some physical violence -- among siblings.

Parents can talk about good ways to work out family conflicts. How does Kevin defend himself from his older brother's bullying? Was he right to do that? Parents can also talk about safety issues, such as what might happen if a kid were accidentally separated from his parents and forced to go it alone in a strange city. What would be the safest way to respond to a mix-up like the one portrayed here? Parents can also talk about the relationship between Kevin and his parents. Why does it take so long for his family to realize that he's missing? Last but not least, how does this movie compare to the original? Is it as funny the second time around? Why or why not?

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Common Sense Review

Reviewed By: Colette DeDonato

Here we go again. Kevin McAllister already got left Home Alone one Christmas; now he's on the wrong plane and headed to New York City while his family jets off to Miami for the holiday. How long before his family notices? And how many precocious pranks and slapstick shenanigans does he have up his sleeve this time?

Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), once again happy to be free of his boisterous family, sets out on an adventure in the big city. His father's credit card rents him a suite at the Plaza Hotel (he learns about it from a TV commercial, not from watching Eloise).

Slapstick moments are provided by run-ins with the original movie's goofball villains, Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern, respectively). The duo has escaped from prison and is planning to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve -- and Kevin's determined to stop them.

Finally, Mom -- Catherine O'Hara, who's a well-wrought mix of funny and sentimental -- realizes that her son's missing and frantically tries to find him.

The early family scenes in HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK are some of the movie's funniest moments, as are Kevin's clever survival schemes at the hotel and on the streets of New York. As a sequel, the movie manages to be funny, if predictable, and occasionally borders on heart-warming -- in an odd yet touching moment, Kevin befriends a homeless woman and encourages her to reach out to people more. It's easy to see why fans took to Culkin's "little big guy" routine in the '90s. He's a charmer.

Fans may also like Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London and the TV show The Suite Life of Zach and Cody.

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