Bring on the tough stuff. There’s not just one right answer.
- Could Kevin have bested the robbers through less violent means?
- Is Kevin sympathetic at the beginning of the movie—or not?
- How does casting affect our perception of Kevin? Would we think he was more of a brat if the adorable Macaulay Culkin hadn't played him?
- Was Kevin's family paying him too little attention at the beginning of the movie…or were they quite reasonably concerned with organizing their holiday trip? Explain.
- Where would you say Home Alone lies on the political spectrum (i.e. is it a conservative, liberal, socialist, communist, etc. movie)? Explain.
- If this movie was made today, do you think it would've been produced differently? What kind of new booby traps would Kevin have used instead?
- Does Home Alone challenge or affirm the audience's values?
- What kind of parent is Kevin's mother? Does our perception of her change as the movie develops?
- How much of the movie's power relies on the writing, and how much of it relies on the direction? You might want to, say, compare the scene where Kevin and Marley talk in the church with the booby trap sequence at the end.
- What does the Old Man Marley character symbolize? Does the casting of the role affect how we perceive him?
- Has Kevin changed by the time the movie ends? How?