A massive shock comes when I check out 2012’s Home Alone: The Holiday Heist and discover that part five of this festive franchise is actually…alright? The film is still very firmly in low-budget kids’ made-for-TV territory but is a far more competent, enjoyable and - thankfully - standalone movie. This one also freshens up the formula by bringing in some possibly (ie. not really) supernatural elements.
Little Finn (Christian Martyn) and big sister Alexia (Jodelle Ferland) are already a little paranoid after being warned the old creaky house in they’ve just moved into is haunted. When a group of thieves led by the devious Sinclair (Malcolm McDowell) and including bumbling stooges Jessica (Debi Mazar) and Hughes (Eddie Steeples) come to steal the priceless Edward Munch painting in their vault just before Christmas, the kids need to courageously fend the baddies off. That’s right, that’s the same Edward Munch who painted ‘The Scream’ - because they always do that ‘hand-on-face scream’ in these movies? Nice.
MacDowell and Mazar must have wondered how they’d gone from working with Kubrick and Scorsese, respectively, to being in a made-for-TV Home Alone sequel but, to be honest, both have been in worse than this.
Various unexplained happenings and odd sounds convince naive Finn that there’s a spook in the house, giving the kid ample opportunity to display his clever booby-trap setting, ghost-catching skills that we know will come in handy later. On the night that mum and dad head to a holiday party hosted by babbling kook Ed Asner - who must be contractually obligated to show up in Christmas films, regardless of their quality - the kids get grounded and, yep, left home alone when the crooks make their move.
This film is worth checking out, just for the supremely odd pairing of Alex from A Clockwork Orange and the guy that played dopey Darnell in TV’s My Name is Earl, so that’s definitely something.
The traps aren’t as cinematic or elaborate this time but then they don’t have to be, as long as they’re funny. Luckily, there’s lots of genuinely painful-looking moments, with humorous shots of bad guys getting thumped in the privates and McDowell’s master thief being enveloped in Christmas wrapping paper and flung down some stairs.
Part five also has a sweet message about getting up and playing outside, rather than burying your head in your phone or games, which I think we can all get on board with. Holiday Heist isn’t the best of the bunch but it’s an enjoyable, noble effort, giving me hope for the upcoming franchise reboot.
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