Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, by far, was one of the greatest movies I have ever seen. I have probably seen this movie close to hundred times, and I still can’t stop laughing every time Marv has a brick thrown to his head off a three story building by 10 year old Kevin McAllister, played by the childhood star Macaulay Culkin. Now before I continue, if there is any doubt as to whether or not Home Alone 2 is artwork I would like to state that film is a form of art and that Home Alone 2 is in fact a film, therefore Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is art. As a kid, if you asked me what Home Alone 2 was about, my exact words would be, “this is a movie about a 10 year old boy, lost in New York, that beats the crap out of two mean burglars in a house full of booby traps. It’s funny!” Ask me the same question today, I would still tell you the same exact thing. But revisiting the movie as an adult, I found that Home Alone 2 also presents a thorough juxtaposition between the wealthy and the poor of New York City in addition to the hilarious climax of the film.
In case you haven’t seen Home Alone 2, and if you haven’t you are deprived individual, the film is about a 10-year old boy, Kevin McAllister, who is separated from his family and ends up on a plane to New York City during the Christmas season. As he travels New York City alone, he experiences the life of a wealthy individual residing in the famous Plaza Hotel and the life of a homeless person taking refuge in Central Park. Although this is only an underlying plot that eventually segues into Kevin trying to stop two criminals from robbing a toy store, the film presents a great deal of insight into the two very distinguishable classes.
Towards the beginning of Home Alone 2, Kevin manages to purchase a magnificent suite at the Plaza Hotel, outside beautiful Central Park, with his father’s credit card. To this day, I can’t think of any other place in New York City that symbolizes the wealthy class more than the Plaza Hotel. In order to emphasize the wealthy class of people that stay at the Plaza Hotel the director, Chris Columbus, decides to have Donald Trump even make a cameo appearance where he gives Kevin directions to the front desk. Even the appearance of the Plaza Hotel sheds a vibe of wealth. Every shot of the hotel inside and out, from the rooms, to the lobby, and even the pool are all stunning. While Kevin resides in the Plaza Hotel, he finds the wealthy life to be very enticing; Kevin doesn’t think twice before ordering one of the nicest rooms in the hotel, room service, and a limo with a personal driver. He even has his underwear dry cleaned! My perception of the wealthy class in New York City always brings me to look back on little Kevin McAllister and his adventures in the Plaza Hotel.
Sadly, the rich life is cut short for Kevin when the hotel manager realizes that the credit card is declared stolen and chases him out of the hotel. Left with nowhere to go, Kevin wanders Central Park at night alone where he encounters the more ominous side to New York City. Kevin finds himself running past what appear to be bums, crazies, prostitutes, and disfigured taxicab drivers. Luckily, a pigeon lady finds Kevin and shows him a lifestyle that reflects a different life filled with hardships that continue to pester the streets of New York City. The less fortunate side of New York City accentuates how highly the wealthy actually live as opposed to those who barely have enough money to afford a place to sleep. If the Plaza Hotel looked great before, it looked like heaven after being found among the real city dwellers.
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is important to me because it displayed two sides of New York City that I had never seen before as a young boy myself. Since I lived in Queens, I never saw the wealthy life of those who lived in the Plaza Hotel or the desperate life of a homeless person trying to survive on the ruthless streets of New York City after sunset. This film will affect my perception of New York City forever because it was one of the first impressions I obtained of New York City as a kid.
Beautiful
NYTimes Arts