It’s the most wonderful time of the year — unless you’re a neglected kid who keeps getting forgotten during family vacations. That’s exactly what happens to Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), twice, in the "Home Alone" movies. And while the original is widely considered a Christmas classic, I prefer the sequel.
Yes, that might be a hot take, but it wouldn’t be the first time a follow-up outshone the original ("The Empire Strikes Back," anyone?) The first "Home Alone" is mostly confined to Kevin’s house, which limits the story and its character interactions. With Kevin left largely to his own devices, the movie leans hard into 8-year-old chaos. A little too hard, for my taste.
"Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" opens everything up. The city becomes a character, the stakes are higher, and Kevin’s interactions with strangers give the familiar setup new life. It’s bigger, bolder and, in my humble opinion, a better Christmas movie.
Kevin's mom is kind of terrible (OK, not even kind of)
Imagine blaming your 9-year-old for snapping at his older brother after said brother ruins his solo, then encouraging a room full of adults to laugh at him. Yep, Kevin’s mom once again earns her “worst mother of the year” sash in the sequel.
The family’s treatment of Kevin is bad enough in the first movie, but at least it feels like they’ve learned something by the end. One year later, Kate (Catherine O’Hara) is back to gaslighting Kevin for “misbehaving” after being bullied by his entire family, adults included. Despite forgetting him by sending him to the third floor the year before, she does it again, even joking, “Maybe it will happen again this year.”
After losing their kid at the airport for a second time and failing to notice, both parents crack jokes while reporting it to the police. What once felt like bad parenting now borders on neglect, which makes Kevin’s kindness toward others all the more impressive.
Kevin has more empathy than all the adults put together
Kevin’s compassion gets a brief spotlight in the original through Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom), but "Lost in New York" fully commits to it. The film uses pigeons — and people’s fear of them — as a metaphor for the stigma surrounding unhoused New Yorkers, a storyline that lands even harder as an adult.
Kevin calls himself the “pigeon of the house,” a quietly devastating way for a kid to describe his place in his family. Knowing what it’s like to be forgotten, he gives an unhoused woman (Brenda Fricker) half of his cherished turtledove ornament, promising he won’t forget her. That small gesture changes her life — and shows more care than Kevin ever receives at home.
At its core, "Lost in New York" is about breaking generational trauma. Kevin reaches his breaking point, but instead of passing that pain along, he uses it to make the world a little kinder — donating his money, comforting strangers and proving he understands what truly matters.
Tim Curry: Delightful menace
With fewer side characters in the original, the sequel’s Tim Curry subplot provides the perfect dose of chaos. As a snooty hotel concierge, Curry delivers peak comedic menace, even if he’s beefing with a literal child.
Kevin’s hotel antics are funnier the second time around, especially when he uses "Angels With Even Filthier Souls" to expose Mr. Hector as a creep. The absurd cutaway to the elderly bellman during the gangster monologue remains one of the sequel’s funniest moments.
Unlike the original, which leans more kiddish, the sequel holds up just as well for adults. It also boasts the franchise’s most iconic line: “Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal.”
The joys of getting lost in New York
There’s a reason so many Christmas movies are set in New York. Even for locals, the city takes on a special kind of magic this time of year — and watching a kid experience it for the first time is pure nostalgia. From the fictional FAO Schwarz to the Rockefeller tree, the setting feels like its own character.
"Home Alone 2" simply feels more like a Christmas movie. The franchise should have ended on a high note with "Lost in New York." And with that, we’ll politely pretend a certain seven-second cameo no one asked for doesn’t exist. Honestly, I’d rather face the tarantula from the first movie.
Stream "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" on Disney+
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