Bishop73

8th Jun 2020

Home Alone (1990)

Question: Why did Kevin's mother take him to the third floor instead of his own room?

Trainman

Answer: Possibly because with so many family members staying in the same house, in order to all fly to France together, one or more of his relatives were sleeping in his room and he was relegated to the attic; it's likely a sacrifice forced on him rather than one offered to him. As is common with young children, they often get the short end of the stick compared to their older, more mature siblings and are given a lesser degree of latitude and independence.

Cubs Fan

Answer: Earlier in the film it's mentioned that Kevin is sleeping in the hide-a-bed with Fuller. So it was pre-arranged where everyone was going to be sleeping. The hide-a-bed was on the 3rd floor. I don't think they mentioned who was sleeping in Kevin's room. I've been in similar situations (where several families are staying in one house) and kids' rooms are either given to an adult couple, or girls in one room, boys in another, etc.

Bishop73

27th Dec 2019

Home Alone (1990)

Question: When Kevin is shooting Buzz's Starting Lineup figures down the laundry shoot with the BB gun, who are the two figures left of the spatula? I know the one on the far right is Larry Bird, and I believe next to Bird is Walter Payton.

Phaneron

Chosen answer: Yes, Walter Payton. The other two are Babe Ruth and Steve Largent.

Bishop73

7th May 2019

Home Alone (1990)

Question: Harry burns his hand by touching a red hot doorknob, and then cools it off by putting in the snow. In real life, wouldn't putting in his hand in the snow make the burn worse?

Answer: Yes, on major burns you never want to use ice or cold water because it can further damage the tissue and water can cause bacterial infections. A 2nd degree burn on the hand is considered a major burn. However, in the context of the film not only would Harry not know this and seek for immediate relief, we don't really see the extent of the tissue damage so we don't know how much the ice affected it.

Bishop73

Would Harry have gotten a 2nd degree burn if the door knob was as hot as shown in the movie?

He definitely would have gotten 2nd degree burns, more likely 3rd degree given the handle was shown to be red hot. Although it should be noted, the red glow would indicate the handle was over 900°F and at that temp, the door itself would probably have caught fire before Harry touches the doorknob.

Bishop73

Answer: Putting ice or cold water on a burn provides immediate temporary relief. It wouldn't make the burn worse.

Answer: In real life, what on earth was he supposed to have done differently? Putting it in the snow would have been the first thing to come to mind.

14th Sep 2017

Home Alone (1990)

Question: Why was Kevin's family so mean to him?

Answer: I think it was a way to make leaving him "home alone" more realistic and understandable as opposed to absurd. Being perceived as a brat/pest and annoying to be around, it is (somewhat) conceivable that none of the family members would be eager to have Kevin by their side. This "frees" all of them from noticing that Kevin isn't with them. Everyone would just assume that Kevin is somewhere among them and each be glad they didn't have to sit next to him on the way to the airport or during the long flight.

KeyZOid

In addition to this, the movie is partially about Kevin learning to have more respect for others. He appreciates his family more as he spends more time without them.

Answer: The ones who were mean just saw Kevin as a brat. However, it's not uncommon in situations of being in an overcrowded house to easily lose one's patience and temper and become frustrated with small, but irritating things; which seems to happen to his mother. Buzz just has that general big brother contempt for his kid brother, but obviously still loves him, along with everyone else in the family, at the end when he finds out Kevin is safe.

Bishop73

Nuts to that. They all could've tried a little harder, that's one lame excuse for treating someone like garbage and I come from a good sized bunch who've done the same to me. You also forget his uncle didn't care about him regardless of the situation.

Rob245

Like it or not the answer is perfectly valid. Families have different dynamics. Kevin is something of a brat (he calls his mother "dummy" and openly wishes he didn't have a family), as are his brothers and sisters, especially Buzz. I for one have TWO uncles in my family who behave just like the uncle in the movie. We don't invite them over, but we've had similar situations to what's depicted in the film.

Hey I've had three uncles, father's older brothers, he hated all three of them, cared only when they started dying. Yeah the dynamics and all, my mother has stated "You ruined this family" though this bunch didn't need my help in being messed up. My sympathies to you Mr Hoffman, your uncles Dustin and Philip Seymour must be/been terrible, just kidding only on the famous names there, no offense meant.

Rob245

It's just a movie! The characters are fictional and were given contrived, exaggerated, over-the-top personalities to fit the comedic plot. It's pointless to compare them to real-life family dynamics.

raywest

Exactly. It's done for entertainment.

Ssiscool

Also, it's a movie from a child's point of view. Kevin is supposed to be the "victim." As a 35-year-old, I have more sympathy for the adults and older kids. The movie is about Kevin learning to miss his family and be more considerate of others.

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