Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chris Columbus
Produced by	John Hughes
Written by	John Hughes
Based on	Home Alone characters by John Hughes
Starring	Macaulay Culkin Joe Pesci Daniel Stern John Heard Tim Curry Brenda Fricker Catherine O'Hara
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Julio Macat
Edited by	Raja Gosnell
Production company	Hughes Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release dates	November 20, 1992 (1992-11-20)
Running time	120 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$359.0 million[2]

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (stylized as HOME ALONe2: Lost in New York) is a 1992 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. It is the second film in the Home Alone series and the sequel to Home Alone. Macaulay Culkin reprises his role as Kevin McCallister, while Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern reprise their roles as the Wet Bandits, now known as the Sticky Bandits. Catherine O'Hara, John Heard, Tim Curry, and Brenda Fricker are also featured.

The film was shot in Winnetka, Illinois, O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Evanston, Illinois, and New York City (which was star Culkin's hometown at the time). The exterior of Duncan's Toy Chest in New York City was filmed outside of the Rookery Building in downtown Chicago. The exterior of Haven Middle School in Evanston, Illinois is shown prior to the Christmas pageant. The Miami scenes were filmed in Los Angeles, including an exterior of Miami International Airport was at Los Angeles International Airport. The film became the second most financially successful film of 1992, earning over $173 million in revenue in the United States and $358 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million.

Home Alone 3 followed five years later in 1997, Home Alone 4 followed in 2002, and Home Alone: The Holiday Heist was released in 2012.

Plot

In Chicago, Illinois, the McCallister family is preparing for a Christmas vacation in Miami, Florida. On the night before their departure, the entire family gathers at Peter and Kate's home, where their son Kevin sees Florida as contradictory to Christmas because he thinks there are no Christmas trees in Florida. As the family is leaving for the school Christmas pageant, Peter unknowingly causes the alarm clock to reset. During the pageant, Kevin gets into a scuffle with Buzz. Refusing to apologize for his actions, Kevin goes up to the third floor of the house. The family once again oversleeps after Peter's resetting of the alarm clock is discovered. In the confusion and rush to get to O'Hare International Airport, Kevin accidentally boards a flight bound for New York City while trying to replace the batteries for his tape recorder, carrying Peter's bag containing his wallet and a large amount of cash.

On Christmas Eve, Kevin tours the city in a taxi but his joy soon turns to fear as he encounters a homeless woman tending to pigeons at Central Park. At a local toy store, Kevin meets its philanthropic owner, Mr. Duncan. Kevin learns that the proceeds from the store's Christmas sales will be donated to a children's hospital. Duncan offers Kevin a pair of ceramic turtledoves as a gift, instructing him to give one to another person as a sign of eternal friendship. However, Kevin re-encounters Harry and Marv, a pair of burglars who recently escaped from prison and are now called the "Sticky Bandits." When Kevin retreats to the Plaza, the hotel's concierge Mr. Hector confronts him about the credit card which has been reported stolen. Kevin flees after evading Hector but is captured by Harry and Marv. The duo discuss plans for breaking into the store that night before Kevin escapes.

Meanwhile, Kate realizes that Kevin is missing and the family travels to New York upon tracking the stolen credit card and Kate searches the city for Kevin. Meanwhile, Kevin visits his uncle Rob's townhouse only to find it vacant and undergoing renovations while Rob and his family are in Paris. In Central Park, he encounters the pigeon lady. When Kevin gets his foot caught while running away, she frees him. At Carnegie Hall, the pair watch an orchestra perform "O Come, All ye Faithful." The pigeon lady explains how her life collapsed and how she dealt with it by taking care of the pigeons in the park. Kevin gives the pigeon lady some advice and promises that he will be her friend.

Remembering what the bandits said, Kevin returns to the townhouse and rigs it with numerous booby traps. Kevin arrives at the toy store during Harry and Marv's robbery, throws a brick through the window, and sets off the store's alarm. Kevin then lures the duo to the townhouse, where they spring the traps and suffer various injuries. When the duo chases Kevin around the townhouse, he flees and calls the police. Harry and Marv catch him and take him to Central Park to kill him, but the pigeon lady sneaks in and incapacitates the duo with her birdseed before they can do anything, and Kevin sets off fireworks he had bought earlier to signal the police. The police arrive and arrest Harry and Marv. At the toy store, Mr. Duncan finds a note from Kevin attached to the brick explaining his actions.

Realizing Kevin's fondness for Christmas trees, Kate observes Kevin making a wish at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and they reconcile. On Christmas Day, a truckload of gifts arrives at the McCallisters' hotel room from the toy store. Kevin and Buzz reconcile and Buzz allows him to open up the first present. Kevin tries opening the first present but goes to Central Park to give the pigeon lady the second turtledove. At the Plaza, Buzz receives the bill for Kevin's stay from Cedric. Peter suddenly calls out, "Kevin, you spent $967 on room service?!" at which point Kevin runs back.

Cast

The McCallister family includes Gerry Bamman as Frank McCallister, Kevin's uncle; and Terrie Snell as Leslie McCallister, Kevin's aunt. Devin Ratray as Buzz McCallister, Kevin's brother who gets him into trouble and Kevin's other siblings are portrayed by Mike Maronna as Jeff McCallister, Hillary Wolf as Megan McCallister and Maureen Elisabeth Shay (who is replacing Angela Goethals) as Linnie McCallister, while Jedidiah Cohen as Rod McCallister, Senta Moses as Tracy McCallister, Daiana Campeanu as Sondra McCallister, Kieran Culkin (Macaulay Culkin's younger brother) as Fuller McCallister, and Anna Slotky as Brooke McCallister play Kevin's cousins.

Release

Marketing

Numerous video games based on Home Alone 2 were released by THQ for such systems as the Sega Mega Drive, the Nintendo Entertainment System, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy and personal computers, mostly in late 1992. A separate hand-held game was released by Tiger Electronics. Numerous board games were also released, some based around play cards, while another was a close emulation of the classic Mouse Trap.^[3][4]

The Talkboy cassette recorder was produced as a tie-in for the movie by Tiger Electronics (currently under Hasbro) based on specifications provided by John Hughes and the movie studio, and sold particularly well after the film was released on home video.^[5]

American Airlines had product placement in the film with the McCallisters making their trip on the airline's two Boeing 767-200s. The airline became part of the film's release on home video.

Coca-Cola products make several appearances in the film, including in scenes when Kevin rides a limousine and when Kevin's cousin Fuller wakes up at the Plaza Hotel. Notably, Pepsi products appeared in the first Home Alone film instead.

Box office

Home Alone 2 opened to $31.1 million from 2,222 theaters, averaging $14,008 per site.^[6] While it started off better than Home Alone, the final box office gross was much less.^[7] $173,585,516 was taken in the United States and a total of $358,994,850 worldwide.^[2]

Critical reception

Despite the commercial success of the film, Home Alone 2 has received negative reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 24%, based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 3.6/10.^[8] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film two out of four stars and stated that "cartoon violence is only funny in cartoons. Most of the live-action attempts to duplicate animation have failed, because when flesh-and-blood figures hit the pavement, we can almost hear the bones crunch, and it isn't funny."^[9]

Home media

The film was first released on VHS and Laserdisc on July 27, 1993. It was re-released in 1997 along with Home Alone on VHS. It was later released on DVD on October 5, 1999 as a basic package, with no special features other than theatrical trailers for the film and its predecessor and successor. The film was released on Blu-ray in 2009 with no special features, and was released alongside Home Alone in a collection pack the following year. The film was reissued again on DVD and Blu-ray in 2013.

Music

John Williams returned from the first installment to score Home Alone 2. While the film featured the first film's theme song "Somewhere in My Memory", it also contained its own theme entitled "Christmas Star". Two soundtrack albums of the film were released on November 20, 1992, with one featuring Williams' score and the other featuring contemporary Christmas songs featured in the film. Ten years later, a 2-disc Deluxe Edition of the film score soundtrack was released.

Original Score

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Original Score
Film score by John Williams
Released	November 20, 1992
Genre	Classical
Length	63:20
Label	Arista Records, 20th Century Fox Records
John Williams chronology
Far and Away (1992) Home Alone 2 (1992) Jurassic Park (1993)
Home Alone chronology
Home Alone (1990) Home Alone 2 (1992) Home Alone 3 (1997)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Original Score is a 1992 soundtrack composed by John Williams, who also scored the first installment in the franchise. While the soundtrack is mostly a repeat of the first film's material,^[10] there are a few new prominent themes such as "Christmas Star" and "Plaza Hotel and Duncan's Toy Store". Ultimately, the soundtrack fell out of print.

1. "Somewhere in My Memory" (3:49)
2. "Home Alone" (2:01)
3. "We Overslept Again" (2:46)
4. "Christmas Star" (3:18)
5. "Arrival in New York" (1:41)
6. "Plaza Hotel and Duncan's Toy Store" (3:45)
7. "Concierge and Race to the Room" (2:04)
8. "Star of Bethlehem" (3:28)
9. "The Thieves Return" (4:35)
10. "Appearance of Pigeon Lady" (3:19)
11. "Christmas at Carnegie Hall" ("O Come All Ye Faithful" / "O Little Town of Bethlehem" / "Silent Night") (5:02)
12. "Into the Park" (3:49)
13. "Haunted Brownstone" (3:01)
14. "Christmas Star and Preparing the Trap" (4:17)
15. "To the Plaza Presto" (3:22)
16. "Reunion at Rockefeller Center" (2:36)
17. "Kevin's Booby Traps" (3:41)
18. "Finale" (3:55)
19. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" (2:51)

Original Soundtrack Album

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Original Soundtrack Album is a 1992 soundtrack album that contains music from or inspired by Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. The album eventually was discontinued and later re-released as Home Alone Christmas in 1997 by Sony BMG with an alternate track listing. Both versions feature tracks of John Williams' score, though the tracks are of different songs between the original album and its re-release.

Original Soundtrack Album track listing

1. "All Alone on Christmas" (4:14) (Darlene Love)
2. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (2:14) (Alan Jackson)
3. "Somewhere in My Memory" (3:58) (Bette Midler, composed by John Williams, lyrics by Leslie Bricusse)
4. "My Christmas Tree" (2:35) (Home Alone Children's Choir, composed by Alan Menken, lyrics by Jack Feldman)
5. "Sleigh Ride" (3:44) (TLC)
6. "Silver Bells" (4:15) (Atlantic Starr)
7. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" (2:40) (John Williams)
8. "Jingle Bell Rock" (2:09) (Bobby Helms)
9. "Cool Jerk (Christmas Mix)" (2:39) (The Capitols)
10. "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (2:14) (Johnny Mathis)
11. "Christmas Star" (3:16) (John Williams)
12. "O Come All Ye Faithful" (3:26) (Lisa Fischer)

Home Alone Christmas track listing

1. "All Alone on Christmas" (Darlene Love)
2. "A Holly Jolly Christmas" (Alan Jackson)
3. "My Christmas Tree" (The Fox Albert Choir)
4. "Somewhere in My Memory" (John Williams)
5. "Silver Bells" (Atlantic Starr)
6. "Sleigh Ride" (TLC)
7. "Christmas All Over Again" (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
8. "Please Come Home for Christmas" (Southside Johnny Lyon)
9. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas" (John Williams)
10. "Carol of the Bells" (John Williams)
11. "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Mel Torme)
12. "O Come All Ye Faithful" (Lisa Fischer)

The Deluxe Edition

On the film's tenth anniversary, Varèse Sarabande released a two-disc special edition soundtrack entitled Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – The Deluxe Edition. The soundtrack contains John Williams' cues found on the previous releases as well as additional compositions that were left out from the final film. This release is also known for resolving a mastering error that caused the music to be inaccurately pitched.^[12][13]

Disc One

1. Home Alone (Main Title) (2:07)
2. This Year's Wish (1:47)
3. We Overslept Again / Holiday Flight (3:19)
4. Separate Vacations*(1:58)
5. Arrival in New York**(2:59)
6. The Thieves Return (3:28)
7. Plaza Hotel (3:04)
8. Concierge (1:31)
9. Distant Goodnights (Christmas Star) (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (2:05)
10. A Day in the City (:59)
11. Duncan's Toy Store (2:41)
12. Turtle Doves (1:29)
13. To the Plaza, Presto (3:27)
14. Race to the Room / Hot Pursuit (4:08)
15. Haunted Brownstone (3:02)
16. Appearance of the Pigeon Lady (3:21)
17. Christmas at Carnegie Hall (5:15) O Come, All Ye Faithful / O Little Town of Bethlehem / Silent Night

Disc Two

1. Christmas Star - Preparing the Trap (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (4:22)
2. Another Christmas in the Trenches (2:33)
3. Running Through Town (1:16)
4. Luring the Thieves*(4:02)
5. Kevin's Booby Traps (7:23)
6. Down the Rope / Into the Park (5:06)
7. Reunion at Rockefeller Center / It's Christmas (5:21)
8. Finale (2:00)
9. We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Traditional) and Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (2:51)
10. End Title (1:32)
11. Holiday Flight (alternate) (2:32)
12. Suite from "Angels with Filthy Souls II" (:56)
13. Somewhere in My Memory (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:57)
14. Star of Bethlehem (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:32)
15. Christmas Star (Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse) (3:23)
16. Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas (orchestra) (2:23)

Novelization

Home Alone 2 was novelized by Todd Strasser and published by Scholastic in 1992 to coincide with the film. It has an ISBN of 0-590-45717-9. An audiobook version was also released read by Tim Curry.

As in the novelization of the first film the McCallisters live in Oak Park, Illinois and the crooks are named as Harry Lime and Marv Merchants.

In the beginning of the novelization, a prologue, which ends up being Marv's nightmare in prison, he and Harry sneak away from the cops and return to Kevin's house to seek revenge on Kevin. Kevin bolts into the garage with Marv and Harry in hot pursuit. Harry and Marv end up triggering extra traps that Kevin had set up in the garage. Kevin watches as Marv ends up triggering a trap where a running lawnmower falls on his head (This was a trap featured in Home Alone 3).

Sequels

A second sequel, Home Alone 3, followed in 1997. Two additional television movie sequels, Taking Back the House and The Holiday Heist, would follow in 2002 and 2012, respectively.

References

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at the Internet Movie Database
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at the TCM Movie Database
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at AllMovie
• Home Alone 2: Lost in New York at Rotten Tomatoes
• Movie Locations Guide.com - Maps and directions to Home Alone 2 Filming Locations

Home Alone
Films	Home Alone (1990) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Home Alone 3 (1997) Home Alone 4 (2002) Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012)
Video games	Home Alone (1991) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992) Home Alone (2006)
Miscellaneous	Home Alone: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Talkboy
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