The “Home Alone” franchise is the epitome of Hollywood desperation.
Yes, the 1990 original uncorked a sassy blend of yuletide sentiment and slapstick. It took a maestro like John Hughes, and a preternaturally wise star in Macauley Culkin, to pull that off.
It’s still the height of absurdity that a parent would forget his or her child, let alone fail to find a friend to stay with him until they returned. And yet we’ve seen four sequels and now a Disney+ reboot attempting to tell that story … again.
The latest franchise extension, “Home Sweet Home Alone” is light years from good. Plus, it’s a massive waste of charming players. And yet just try looking away, even for a minute. You must see what happens next, and how many discordant notes...