In 1990, Home Alone came to big screens and introduced the debacle the McCallister family got themselves into during the holiday season. An 8-year-old Kevin McCallister was shocked when he woke up in an empty home on the day he and his family were traveling to France to spend Christmas abroad. With a house to himself, Kevin loved the freedom that came with being home alone, but he quickly realized how dangerous it can be when two thieves attempted breaking into his seemingly empty house.
The movie quickly became a cult classic and has some of the most repeated quotes of any Christmas movie. There have been a few remakes and sequels to Home Alone, but nothing beats the original. But if the movie was made today, countless things would be different. In fact, there would be so many differences that the original movie wouldn't have worked as well as it did in the '90s.
After a stressful night at home with 15 people under one roof, Kate McCallister wakes up on the day they're supposed to travel to Paris in a tizzy because their alarm clock didn't go off at the right time. From there, it was a ripple effect of everyone running around, trying to get out the door to make their flight on time.
One part of Home Alone that doesn't make sense is that out of 15 people, no one woke up on time. Nevertheless, worrying about an alarm clock not going off due to power isn't typical in 2021. Most people use the alarms on their cell phones or smartwatches, which means missed alarm clocks don't happen often.
Marv and Harry were accomplices in multiple break-ins around the Chicago suburbs. Harry knew that the McCallisters were going to be away for Christmas, so they planned on breaking into their home as soon as they left. Although the burglars had hilarious quotes in the series, they were antagonists who were going after an empty home and a child.
In 2021, Kate and Peter McCallister would have realized Marv and Harry were breaking into their home because of modern security systems. Whether it was a Ring camera or another security measure, Harry and Marv's faces would have been caught or they would have been scared off.
Due to the amount of snow Chicago got the night before the McCallisters left for the airport, their neighborhood experienced a major power outage. This meant phone lines were down and Kate couldn't call her son when she found a payphone. (Some would say this is a continuity error in Home Alone since lights at the house and around the neighborhood were still on, but that's beside the point.)
These days, however, Kate would have had a cellphone with her when she realized she forgot her son at home and could have arranged something from the plane. Kevin was only 8 years old, but there's a chance that even he could have his own cell phone to talk to his parents as well. And if he didn't, there could have been an iPad lying around for him to message someone in his family.
As soon as the McCallisters landed in France, Kate ran to the nearest payphone to call the police regarding her son. The police officer read a series of questions to help the department decide how to handle the matter. However, Kate didn't know how to answer the questions because she physically wasn't there with Kevin.
All Kate wanted was for an officer to go to the house to check on Kevin, but the cop seemed confused by her demand and acted like the request was outlandish. The disconnect between Kate and everyone else was what made Home Alone the better movie in the franchise because of how stressful the scenario actually was. But in 2021, a police officer would have absolutely checked on Kevin without hesitation.
While Kevin was home alone, he took it upon himself to snoop through his older brother Buzz's things. In a trunk full of junk, Kevin found a picture of Buzz's girlfriend. By Kevin's reaction, it's as if he didn't know Buzz had a girlfriend or had no idea what his girlfriend looked like. Qhen Kevin said, "Buzz, your girlfriend — woof" it became an instant Home Alone Meme.
These days, however, Keven would have known what Buzz's girlfriend looked like because of social media and smartphones. Even if Kevin didn't have social media, he would have seen a picture of the two on Buzz's phone or computer.
It took a day or two but when Kevin realized his life and home were in danger because of Marv and Harry, he created a diabolical plan to save the day. Using things around the house, Kevin created deadly traps to catch the thieves in the act.
He used small toy cars and what looked like the '90s toy Metal Jacks for Marv and Harry to trip and step on. These days, however, those kinds of toys wouldn't be as accessible since most toys and games are electronic.
Kate is one of the most likable characters in Home Alone because there's nothing she wouldn't do to get home to her son. She felt like a bad mother and wanted to rectify the situation.
As soon as they landed in Paris, Kate talked to an airline worker about getting on another flight home but it proved itself harder than she realized. With it being the holidays, most flights were sold out and she had no easy way of finding another flight. In 2021, Kate could have easily hopped on her phone and used a travel app to find another airline that was flying to Chicago. Once she was in the States, she could have rented a car at the airport or from another app.
Kevin was lucky that he didn't get injured or worse when defending his house from the bad guys. Marv and Harry had some pretty bad injuries after they ran into Kevin's traps, but those traps saved his life.
Due to the scenario (a break-in, a child home alone...), Kate and Peter McCallister would have probably been questioned by the police and interrogated for being neglectful once they were back stateside in 2021. With Kevin being so young, his life was in danger because of their forgetfulness.
Home Alone is a great Christmas movie, but it's not without its flubs. Times were different in the '90s compared to the 2000s but even this scene seemed embellished.
As the McCallisters approached their gate, the worker told them they made it just in time before missing their flight. As she opened the gate, she told them to "take whatever's free." In 2021, the notion of not having assigned seats is laughable. Now, airlines have boarding groups and assigned seats and rows for every flight.
It's not every day an 8-year-old is forgotten by his entire family and left home alone for a few days around the most magical time of year. Once the police found out that a child defended his home from two burglars while his parents were vacationing in Europe, local news stations would have run this as their top story. Kevin would have become a star for his innovative and intelligent defense skills, while his parents would be judged for forgetting their child.
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