This time Kevin does not get left behind . . . he gets on the wrong flight instead. Heading for a family Christmas in Florida, Kevin ends up in the opposite direction New York City. With his dad’s credit cards and money in tow, his first stop is the Plaza hotel!
But he soon bumps into Harry and Merv who escaped from prison after robbing houses the previous Christmas, until Kevin stopped them of course. So they just happen to bump into each other in NYC. Which is bound to make them want to get back at Kevin right? Totally and then we can see Kevin set up more traps etc to catch them again. An added bonus for this film is having Tim Curry in it as Mr Hector the Hotel Concierge, I just love him and he does not disappoint when he is in this film for comedy value.
I had not seen this film for quite a long time so could not really remember everything in it, but on watching it today I have to admit that the scenes with the Bird Lady were actually rather deep and emotional. Especially when he gives her one of the turtle doves, and tells her that they will always be friends as they each have a turtle-dove. They help each other out in times of need, and Kevin actually helps her out a lot. I found this so heartwarming and generally nice. Something I could not remember from watching this film years ago, it kinda hit a nerve. (See below for the dialogue from that scene).
Bird Lady: The man I loved fell out of love with me. That broke my heart. When the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. I stopped trusting people.
Kevin McCallister: No offense, but that seems like sort of a dumb thing to do.
Bird Lady: I was afraid of getting my heart broken again. Sometimes you can trust a person, and then, when things are down, they forget about you.
Kevin McCallister: Maybe they’re just too busy. Maybe they don’t forget about you, but they forget to remember you. People don’t mean to forget. My grandfather says if my head wasn’t screwed on, I’d leave it on the school bus.
Bird Lady: I’m just afraid if I do trust someone, I’ll get my heart broken.
Kevin McCallister: I understand. I had a nice pair of Rollerblades. I was afraid to wreck them, so I kept them in a box. Do you know what happened? I outgrew them. I never wore them outside. Only in my room a few times.
Bird Lady: A person’s heart and feelings are very different than skates.
Kevin McCallister: They’re kind of the same thing. If you won’t use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it’ll be like my Rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won’t be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose.
Bird Lady: Little truth in there somewhere.
Kevin McCallister: I think so. Your heart might still be broken, but it isn’t gone. If it was gone, you wouldn’t be so nice.
Bird Lady: Thank you. Do you know it’s been a couple of years since I’ve talked to anybody?
Kevin McCallister: That’s okay. You’re good at it. You’re not boring. You don’t mumble or spit. You should do it more often. Just wear an outfit with no pigeon poop on it.
Bird Lady: I have been working very hard at keeping people away. I always think I’ll have a lot of fun if I’m alone… but when I’m alone, it’s not fun.
Kevin McCallister: I don’t care how much people bug me, I’d rather be with someone than alone.
I guess this really hit a nerve and got to me because everyone knows what its like to wanting to be alone, but knowing that being alone is not very nice at all. I think it’s an important Christmas message of not wanting to really be alone, especially at this time of year. Also a lot of people have had their hearts broken at some point and trying to move on and let someone else in is a big task, watching this we would not want to end up being the bird lady !
Anyway that whole scene totally changed my viewing of this film, it is a lot of fun like “Home Alone” seeing the kid win against the adults is just brilliant. While also seeing different landmarks around NYC, which is always very nice to watch in a film. A kid alone in NYC with credit cards and money ?!?! How much trouble can he get in? Well booking a room in the Plaza and running up nearly a one thousand dollar room service bill for one. But also making friends with a toy shop owner and getting presents for the whole family on Christmas morning.
Definitely another good film to watch over the festive period.
Let's Go To The Movies 