Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Wrong on so many levels.The plot, the actors (not all), the "comedy"... it's like it was meant for my 5 yo daughter with whom I had the pleasure of watching this trash-flick with. But even she didn't believe half of it, nor did she laughed too often. I certainly didn't.Skip this one, seriously.

Harmless fifth film in the Home Alone franchise is far removed from the box office glory days when Macaulay Culkin was booby-trapping the Wet Bandits at home or in New York. Here, the McCallisters no longer figure at all in what happens nor do Pesci and Stern. Three thieves (mastermind planner Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples as his hired associates) plan to heist a secret room in the basement of a strangled bootlegger whose house is now owned and occupied by the Baxter family. Finn (Christian Martyn) is told by a neighborhood kid that the house is haunted and for a while he believes so. Finn's sister, Alexis (Jodelle Ferland), and him discover the room which is hidden behind a giant empty safe which has moonshine in bottles and an 85 million dollar painting (which McDowell is ultimately after as the woman painted is his mom). Finn sets up booby traps (of course) during a night when his parents are away at the mother's boss's party (the mom is the new VP for senile Ed Asner who has lapses in memory). McDowell gets hit with eggnog and is "gift wrapped" after damaging his leg on a woodchipper in the backyard of the Baxters' house, Mazar has her head dumped with tar and is popped on the ass with golfballs sling-shot from Finn in his bedroom (she is even made up into a snowman), and Steeples is hit in the face with foam and assaulted by a softball machine spitting marbles repeatedly at him. The booby trap gags are just not as tickle-the-funny-bone, laugh-out-loud funny anymore. And the traps just aren't inventive as they once were. McDowell being the recipient of booby-trap attacks and haunted tricks (Finn, in his closet, pulls strings which close curtains, turns lights on and off, and triggers his television to portray his face distorted into something grotesque) could be seen as kind of tragic but he's been taking paycheck roles for some time now. He's fun to watch, though, as is a spirited Mazar who is recovering from a breakup with McDowell's former safecracker. Peebles, too, gets into the part as a goof McDowell always scolds. The Baxters are your basic Disney family, with lovable oaf, Doug Murray, as the father, Ellie Harvie as frazzled mom who is feeling guilt for moving her family all the way from Cali to Maine, snooty Ferland (of Silent Hill and some Twilight sequels) as Finn's older sister (she's always rolling her eyes and scoffing about her "lame" fam), and sweet Martyn who just doesn't have that mischievous "problem child" quality Kevin McCallister imbued in the first two Home Alone films. Finn loves his video games, causing concern for his mom who is worried about his lack of social activity. Ferland's Alexis spends time on her computer and phone, just wanting her alone time. Asner, as the boss with a party full of happy employees (and their spouses), is a welcome presence, but he's up there in age and has trouble with his lines. Still, as a boss who sees his party snowed in as no big deal, while the Baxter parents are quite rightfully bothered at the thought of their kids' home alone, he's pleasant and warm (he plays him as a lively boss who seems to love his people). With Peter DaCunha as Mason, the little boy across the street who has quite a knack with creating plenty out of snow (his snow-tossing weapon puts Mazar in her place) and Bill Tumbull as a gamer Finn meets while the two play an online shoot 'em up, resulting in an unlikely friendship that provides assistance to law enforcement. Tumbull's attempt to warn the mother of her kids' danger goes horribly wrong and is one of the best scenes in the film. Truthfully none of the booby traps really stand out as especially memorable. This makes the first (and even the inferior second) film a masterpiece in comparison, but I have spent my time with a lot worse. And I didn't mind spending time with the cast representing this forgettable 80 minute Christmastime farce. But I think I can speak for many (especially considering the rating for this film is so low) who feel as I do about the Home Alone franchise: enough already.

Home alone:the holiday heist is a Christmas film that was released in 2012 like 22 years after the first film,the film I think is a straight to DVD film or a TV film. The film tells the story of Finn and his family who move to a new house but Finn thinks it's haunted by a ghost so he sets up a few booby traps for the ghost when suddenly three burglars break in and they stumble in to the traps. Home alone:the holiday heist had some things I liked somethings I didn't like,I liked that it was creepy in places when he went down to the basement and I loved I mean LOVE the robbers in this film there so good and funny and enjoyable like Harry and Marv and I even liked the kid in the film he was funny too but I think it had a bit too much effort in it that the director tried to hard to make it a home alone sequel that it didn't feel like a home alone movie and I think it's a bit too late now guys for a home alone movie I mean it was 1990 the first film came out like that's a long time ago. Home alone the holiday heist is an OK film that I kinda liked and kinda didn't like but it was a lot better than the dreadful piece of trash that came before it home alone 4. Well that's home alone for ya,it was a good franchise but it didn't turn out to be a great series after number 4. Home alone 6 probably won't happen but if it does its rumored to be about Harry and Marv who forgive Kevin and it's going to be a drama.

This film copped a bad wrap when it was announced due to Home Alone 4 ("Home Alone: Taking Back The House"). That film may be the worst film ever made. This is actually quite good. It's at least as good as, if not better than, Home Alone 3. It doesn't come close to capturing the first two Home Alone movies, but for what it is, it's actually worth watching.A lot of people ask "Why was this made?". It was made, like all movies, to be entertainment. It does its job there. In addition to main "kid" (Christian Martyn) of the film, there is Finn's younger neighbour (Peter DaCunha)and his older sister (Jodelle Ferland). All of them are well cast and avoid the "annoying kid syndrome" that plagues so many movies. The parents. DaCunha is particular good and had me laughing every time he was on screen.This time there are three thieves (Malcom McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples). All three are good. They don't make the impact of Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern by any means, but compared to the unmemorable thieves in Home Alone 3 and the god-awful French Stewart in Home Alone 4 (to be fair Missi Pyle was the ONLY good thing about that movie), the three do really well.The parents (Ellie Harvey and Doug Murray) are a bit annoying but have their funny moments, the mum in particular. The movie is surprisingly well-directed and avoids many TV movie pitfalls. Only a few times did it feel "cheap", which is quite an achievement for a TV movie and one of the biggest faults of the fourth movie. The story isn't bad for one of these films and manages to capture the basic structure of a Home Alone film without copying it.It's not the most brilliant film you've ever watched, but no one expects it to be. For me, it was a surprise how good this was. It made me nostalgic, having grown up with the originals, and I think kids would really dig it.It does what it sets out to do quite well and manages to be entertaining. Definitely worth a look.