33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Weak Story, Unfunny Humor, and The Boy: Everything Is So Misguided, November 23, 2005
"Beethoven's 5th" and "Home Alone 4." Back in the golden era of John Hughes, who was really something in the 80s, I couldn't imagine the day would come when we see his name in this direct-to-video sequels. Even if he only permitted to use (or recycle) the main characters, it is a shocking thing to witness this.
But the film is made by 20th Century Fox, one of the major studios in Hollywood, and to be fair, the production designs are decent, Yes, Kevin McCallister is no longer played by Mr. Culkin, but kids all grow up someday. And look, Marv, one of the original burglars comes back to Kevin's house, but sorry, it is NOT Daniel Stern. (It's French Stewart, who is not bad).
Some viewer, quite understandably, don't like the story about Kevin's parents who live separately, but it could be OK. Today that is not a rare thing. Some viewers again don't like the idea of different actors playing the main characters, but hey, that happened to James Bond or Dumbledore, and we didn't care.
[THE REAL PROBLEM ] is this. This time Marv doesn't steal. Why? For he needs money so desperately that he and his girlfriend (Missi Pyle) decide to kidnap Prince. I mean it, THE PRINCE, a child of the royal family. But from where? The big mansion of Kevin's Daddy's girlfriend. But how? Oh, this is a big surprise, but there's an insider. And what happens? Many slapsticks, many of them just unfunny.
But the most embarrassing is Kevin, the kid himself. Sorry but I must tell you. The character of Kevin is really awful, even offensive. Kevin not only frustrates the burglars' plans by booby traps (so far, fine); he also enjoys doing it! If you don't see what I am trying to say, see the scenes in which Kevin, sitting on a sofa, sees French Stewart and Missi Pyle literally trapped in the rotating bookshelf, which goes round and round, faster and faster. See how the boy laughs, like watching a movie on TV! Yes, he laughs with loud voice as if he's one of the Warner Brothers' animation characters. I saw all the `Home Alone' series, but this is the first time I really wished that the burglars would win and take everything away. They surely deserve that.
I thought `Home Alone 3' was enough. John Hughes and other people did think otherwise. Now I think `Home Alone 4' is truly enough, and really hope that they think the same way.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Who on their right minds thought of this?, February 18, 2004
This so called 'fourth' installment in the "Home Alone" movie series is the biggest joke in a movie series since "Batman and Robin" from six years before then. This movie is a disgrace to the 1990 original and the 1992 sequel and even to 1997's "Home Alone 3".
Everything that came together on the first two in the series completely is rearranged and the timeline is altered but the result is totally disastrous on every level. Not even having one's brain turned off for a while is enough to make one enjoy this weak fourth edition.
The acting is increidbly weak by everyone involved. Not to mention how they completely remade the McCallister family. The large extended family of Kevin was a riot to watch and although a bit obnoxious at times, it was funny watching Buzz get ticked off when he saw a bill for 986 dollars at the ending of the "Lost In New York" movie from 1992. "Home Alone 4" robs the family of all of it's charm by making them into just a nuclear family.
Even the plot is utterly pointless with Kevin's parents spitting up and his father living with a new girlfriend at a rich mansion and Kevin stayign with him for Christmas but the mansion is robbed by would-be thieves but the slapstick jokes don't work on this movie. One scene is totally unrealistic where a faucet is left on to stop the thieves and the kitchen almost looks like an aquarium and is totally flooded. Hello! In real life, the water would just seep through cracks on the floors and walls and cause water damage to much of the structure. Plus it's impossible to turn a house into a human aquarium because the overflowing water would simply flood the room, and then the adjacent room and flow outside. You're house is far more likely to become totally filled with water if a flash flood occured (I.E. Hurricane or a large dam failed).
The villain thieves are just incredibly devoid of any character and come off as being obnoxious, crass, petty and awfully stupid. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern were perfect for playing Kevin's adversaries in the first two movies but whoever these clowns here who play them, their acting is weak and it sure looked like they were ready to leave the set.
So this movie was a low-budget flick but even then, all of that money allotted into making this movie is utterly wasted in it's making. Whoever thought up of this should've looked at James Cameron's 1984 classic "The Termintor" to see how a low budget movie is made right!
This movie is completely unworthy of one's time. Even the awkward "Home Alone 3" was miles above this rubbish!
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