Home Alone 4 (also known as Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House or Home Alone: Taking Back the House) is a 2002 American made-for-televisionChristmasfamilycomedy film directed by Rod Daniel, which first aired on ABC on November 3, 2002, as the first episode of the forty-seventh season of The Wonderful World of Disney, followed by a DVD release on September 2, 2003. The fourth installment in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Mike Weinberg, French Stewart, Missi Pyle, Jason Beghe, Erick Avari, Barbara Babcock, Joanna Going, and Clare Carey. It follows Kevin McCallister spending his Christmas with his father and his new girlfriend as his old enemy Marv and his wife Vera come up with a plan to kidnap a visiting prince with help from an inside person that Kevin least suspects. This is the first in the Home Alone franchise to not receive a theatrical release.
Home Alone 4, is the first film without any contributions from John Hughes, the man behind the "Home Alone" series, and it doesn't include any of the original cast members.[2]
Whereas Home Alone 3 featured a standalone plot and new characters, this film brings back several of the main characters from the first two films, including Kevin McCallister, but with all of the roles played by different actors. This movie is considered as non-canon to the first two films due to several continuity errors. The plot revolves around Kevin trying to defend his future stepmother's house from his old nemesis Marv and his sidekick wife Vera. It was the last film that Rod Daniel directed before his subsequent retirement, and his death in 2016.[3]
The film received negative reviews, with criticism directed towards the performances and the lack of continuity with the first two films.
Plot
Peter McCallister, who is finalizing a divorce from his wife Kate, announces to their children, Buzz, Megan, and Kevin that he and his wealthy girlfriend, Natalie Kalban, are hosting the visit of a royal family at her mansion, and invites them to spend Christmas there. After the three initially refuse, Kevin accepts the offer after being bullied by Buzz, and revels in the mansion's luxuries.
The next morning, Peter and Natalie go out while Kevin stays with Natalie's servants, Mr. Prescott and Molly. Kevin notices his old nemesis, Marv Murchins, and his wife, Vera, scouting the house. After failing to get Mr. Prescott's attention via the intercom, he drives them away by flooding the mansion. When Peter and Natalie return, they refuse to believe Kevin's explanation, especially since Mr. Prescott claims to have seen nothing. Kevin discovers that the security cameras were turned off during the break-in, leading him to believe that Mr. Prescott is in league with Marv and Vera. To cheer themselves up, Kevin, Peter, and Natalie decorate their Christmas tree, although it is later re-trimmed by professional decorators at Natalie's request.
As the mansion is prepared for a party for the royal family's arrival, Peter and Natalie go to pick them up, while Kevin notices Marv and Vera disguised as caterers. He traps Mr. Prescott in the freezer, overhears Marv and Vera's plan to kidnap the prince for ransom, and forces them out of a window. The royal family is unable to attend the party because their flight was canceled, so Peter and Natalie decide to announce their engagement instead. Marv and Vera run back into the house and pursue Kevin, who accidentally ruins the party by running into the guests and knocking over an ice sculpture that turns out to be a frozen Mr. Prescott. Angered, Peter sends Kevin to his room, refusing to believe his story and accusing him of trying to sabotage his relationship with Natalie, who threatens to evict him if he misbehaves again.
Taking matters into his own hands, Kevin sets up booby traps for Marv and Vera. The next morning, the duo head to the house after Peter and Natalie go to pick up the royals. Kevin locks Mr. Prescott in the basement, but eventually discovers Marv and Vera's real ally is Molly, who is also Marv's mother. Kevin gets locked in the basement with Mr. Prescott, who admits that he turned off the cameras during the initial break-in as he was taking an unscheduled break from his duties because he despises working for Natalie; he and Kevin then apologize for misjudging each other. After several failed attempts to call Kate, Kevin escapes via the house's dumbwaiter and temporarily traps Marv underneath it. Marv and Vera pursue Kevin through the house, where they spring the traps and suffer various injuries, while Molly gets trapped in the house's elevator.
At the airport, Peter suspects that something is wrong back at the house and takes a cab back to Natalie's to check on Kevin. Kate, Buzz, and Megan also drive to the mansion due to the suspicious nature of the calls made by Kevin and Molly. Kevin uses an altered recording of Marv's voice to provoke an argument between him and Vera, and knocks them down a flight of stairs with a remote-controlled plane. The duo is then tricked by Kevin with a secret wall switch, ends up being launched onto a chandelier, and are knocked unconscious by their fall. Molly, having escaped, grabs Kevin, but is quickly knocked out by Mr. Prescott who also escaped via the dumbwaiter shaft and calls the police.
As Peter, Kate, Buzz, and Megan arrive, Kevin, with Buzz and Megan's help, prevents a final escape attempt from Marv and Vera. The royal family and Natalie arrive, and the offenders' plot to kidnap the prince is revealed to Natalie's shock. Mr. Prescott, per Kevin's advice, resigns from his position as her butler. Realizing that their relationship was built on infatuation rather than love and was affecting his responsibilities as a husband and father, Peter breaks up with Natalie, and reconciles with Kate and their children. Grateful to Kevin for his foiling of the kidnapping plot, the royals spend Christmas with the newly-reunited McCallisters, devastating Natalie.
Cast
Mike Weinberg as Kevin McCallister, a nine-year-old boy who defends the house from Marv and Vera. He was portrayed by Macaulay Culkin in the first two films.
French Stewart as Marv Murchins, Vera's husband and an old nemesis of Kevin. He was portrayed by Daniel Stern in the first two films. His appearance and attire in Home Alone 4 more closely resemble that of his former partner Harry Lyme (Joe Pesci) in the first two films.
Missi Pyle as Vera Murchins, Marv's wife and Molly's daughter-in-law whom he first met in prison. Her role replaces that of Marv's original partner Harry.
None of the original cast of the Home Alone films reprised their roles and were replace by different actors.
Daniel Stern, who portrayed Marv in the first two Home Alone films, was approached to reprise his role, but declined after reading the original script, calling the film "an insult, total garbage".[6]Daniel Roebuck was approached to play as him, but he was ultimately fired due to a lack of Joe Pesci to return as Harry, So French Stewart would replaced Stern as Marv, while Missi Pyle would join the cast as Vera Murchins, Marv's wife.
Release
Home media
The film premiered on television on November 3, 2002, and was released on DVD on September 2, 2003.
Streaming
In November 2020, Disney began to feature the first three Home Alone films on their streaming service Disney+ in celebration of the first film's 30th anniversary. The fourth and fifth installments were released on HBO Max[7] and were added to Disney+ on December 17, 2021.
Reception
Critical response
Clint Morris at Moviehole gave the film one out of five stars, writing, "From the unappealing cheapish opening titles to the murky production values, it's immediately obvious Home Alone 4 isn't playing in the same park as its beloved predecessor... sad".[8] Joly Herman of Common Sense Media also rated the film one out of five stars and wrote, "recycled gags with none of the original's charm".[9] Jerry Roberts of Armchair Media gave the film one out of four stars.[4] Sue Robinson of Radio Times gave the film one out of five stars, writing that, "you have to wonder why they bothered".[10]
Macaulay Culkin watched the film for the first time during a 2018 appearance on the web seriesBest of the Worst. Culkin was amused by the film's subpar quality and lack of continuity from the previous movies but was ultimately unimpressed and destroyed a VHS copy of it at the end of the episode.[11]
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist premiered on that network during the 2012 Christmas season. The film stars Christian Martyn as the 10-year-old main character Finn Baxter. The story centers on the family's relocation from California to Maine, where Finn becomes convinced that his new house is haunted. When his parents become stranded across town and Finn is left home alone with his older sister Alexis, he sets traps to catch his new home's ghosts, which instead prove troublesome for a group of thieves (played by Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, and Eddie Steeples). The film also starred Ed Asner, produced by Fox Television Studios, and directed by Peter Hewitt.[12]
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin is an American actor and musician. He rose to prominence as a child actor starring as Kevin McCallister in the first two films of the Home Alone film series. One of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin was placed 2nd on VH1's 2005 list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". His awards include a MTV Movie Award from three nominations, a Young Artist Award, and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. In 2023, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, and Catherine O'Hara. Culkin plays Kevin McCallister, a boy who defends his suburban Chicago home from a home invasion by a pair of robbers after his family accidentally leaves him behind on their Christmas vacation to Paris.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The sequel to the 1990 film Home Alone and the second film in the Home Alone franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Tim Curry, Brenda Fricker and Catherine O'Hara. It follows Kevin McCallister as he is separated from his family on their holiday vacation to Florida, this time in New York City where he has another encounter with the Wet Bandits after their escape from prison.
Daniel Jacob Stern is an American actor, artist, director, and screenwriter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Marv Murchins in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Phil Berquist in City Slickers (1991) and City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold (1994), the voice of adult Kevin Arnold on the television series The Wonder Years, and the voice of Dilbert on the animated series of the same name. Other notable films of his include Breaking Away (1979), Stardust Memories (1980), Diner (1982), Blue Thunder (1983), Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), The Milagro Beanfield War (1988), Coupe de Ville (1990), and Very Bad Things (1998). He made his feature-film directorial debut with Rookie of the Year (1993).
Home Alone 3 is a 1997 American family comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell in his directorial debut, written and co-produced by John Hughes, and starring Alex D. Linz and Haviland Morris. A standalone sequel to Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), it follows Alex Pruitt, an 8-year-old boy who defends his home from a dangerous band of international criminals working for a terrorist organization. It is the third film in the Home Alone franchise, and the first not to feature actor Macaulay Culkin, director Chris Columbus, or composer John Williams; Gosnell had previously served as editor on the first two Home Alone films. It is also the final film in the Home Alone franchise to receive a theatrical release.
Kieran Kyle Culkin is an American actor. Culkin starred as Roman Roy in the HBO television series Succession from 2018 to 2023, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Tyrone Dobbs is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 30 November 1998 and is still a cast member over 20 years later. Tyrone's storylines have been focused on his relationships with Maria Sutherland and Fiz Brown as well as his doomed marriage to Molly Compton and suffering domestic violence at the hands of his fiancée Kirsty Soames. In 2018, following the death of his mother Jackie, Tyrone discovers that Jackie was not his biological mother and while searching for his birth parents, meets his maternal grandmother, Evelyn Plummer.
Angela Bethany Goethals is an American film, television and stage actress. Goethals made her acting debut in the Broadway production of Coastal Disturbances in 1987, and later played the sister of Macaulay Culkin's character in Home Alone (1990). Throughout the 1990s, Goethals went on to star in several independent films and television shows, including a leading role on the sitcom Phenom (1993), as well as a small role in Jerry Maguire (1996).
Senta Michelle Moses is an American actress. She is most well-known for her co-starring role as Phoebe, the lab assistant/co-host in the children's series Beakman's World (1996–1997), Winnifred Leeds in General Hospital (2009), Lizzie in Greek (2008–2009), and Tracy McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992),
Devin D. Ratray is an American actor. He is known for his role as Buzz McCallister in the Home Alone franchise, as well as the films Nebraska, Blue Ruin and Kimi. His television work includes The Tick and Better Call Saul.
Home Alone is the title of several tie-in video games based on the film of the same name written by John Hughes. Versions were released for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Master System, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, Amiga, and MS-DOS platforms. The games were released between 1991 and 1992, each with different gameplay.
Gerald G. Bamman is an American actor and playwright. He is best known for playing Uncle Frank in the films Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), and has also guest starred in several television series.
Home Alone is a series of American Christmas family comedy films originally created by John Hughes. Chris Columbus directed Home Alone (1990) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Raja Gosnell directed Home Alone 3 (1997), Rod Daniel directed Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002), Peter Hewitt directed Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012) and Dan Mazer directed Home Sweet Home Alone (2021). The films revolve around the adventures of surrounding children who find themselves alone during the holiday season and faced with the challenge of defending their family's house or themselves from invading burglars and criminals.
Kristin Minter is an American actress. She is best known as Heather McCallister in Home Alone (1990) and Miranda 'Randi' Fronczak in ER (1995–2003).
Molly Dobbs is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by Vicky Binns, she debuted on 5 September 2005. Introduced as the daughter of a local baker, she is the love interest and later wife of Tyrone Dobbs.
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is a 2012 American made-for-television Christmas comedy film directed by Peter Hewitt. It is the fifth installment in the Home Alone franchise. It stars Christian Martyn, Jodelle Ferland, Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar, and Eddie Steeples. The film premiered on ABC Family on November 25, 2012, during the network's annual Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas programming block. It is the second film, after Home Alone 3, not to focus on the McCallister family, although there are numerous homages to the previous films. Home Alone: The Holiday Heist received mainly negative reviews, although it fared better than the fourth film.
Ilaria Stagni is an Italian actress and voice actress.
Home Sweet Home Alone is a 2021 American Christmas comedy film directed by Dan Mazer, written by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, and starring Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Pete Holmes, Ally Maki, and Chris Parnell with Devin Ratray reprising his role as Buzz McCallister from the first two films. The sixth film in the Home Alone franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone was produced by 20th Century Studios as an original title for Disney+, the first 20th Century Studios film to be produced for the streaming service. The film was announced after The Walt Disney Company acquired 21st Century Fox and inherited the rights to the Home Alone franchise. Home Sweet Home Alone was released on November 12, 2021, to generally negative reviews from critics.
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