Home Alone 4

Home Alone 4
Main character(s):	Kevin McCallister
Villain(s):	Marv and Vera Murchins
Starring:	see below
Main crew
Music:	Teddy Castellucci
Director(s):	Rod Daniel
Writer(s):	Debra Frank, Karey Kirkpatrick
Other details
Release date:	November 3, 2002 (Television FOX premiere) October 29, 2003 (Direct-to-video release)
Distributed:	20th Century Fox
Running time:	89 Minutes
Trailer
Home Alone films
← Previous	Home Alone 3
Next →	Home Alone: The Holiday Heist

Home Alone 4 (also known as Home Alone: Taking Back the House or Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House) is an American 2002 film directed by Rod Daniel, which first aired on ABC on November 3, 2002, and is the fourth film in the Home Alone series and the first to be a made-for-television film.

The film brings back several of the main characters from the first two films including Kevin McCallister, but with all the roles played by different actors. The plot revolves around Kevin (Mike Weinberg) trying to defend his future stepmother's house from Marv (French Stewart) and his wife Vera (Missi Pyle) who takes place for Harry.

This film acts as a loose sequel to the first two films, notably containing continuity errors. Most notably, Linnie and Jeff McCallister, the uncles, aunts, and cousins are unacknowledged and Kevin's given age is inconsistent with the earlier films.

The next film in the series, Home Alone: The Holiday Heist, followed ten years later with no story connections to the other films.

Plot

At the McCallisters' house, Peter (Jason Beghe) is about to get divorced from Kate (Clare Carey) after being married for years and announces that he is living with his new and rich girlfriend Natalie (Joanna Going) at her mansion. Peter tells his three children: Buzz (Gideon Jacobs), Megan (Chelsea Russo), and 9-year-old Kevin (Mike Weinberg) that they are hosting the visit of a royal family and invites everyone to spend Christmas with him and Natalie. After initially refusing, Kevin takes his father up on his offer after being tormented by Buzz.

Kevin enjoys his time at Natalie's mansion with his new bedroom, latest gadgets, and his life. The next morning, Peter and Natalie go out for a bit while Kevin stays at the mansion with Natalie's butler, Mr. Prescott (Erick Avari) and maid Molly (Barbara Babcock). While Mr. Prescott makes Kevin a milkshake, he goes into the security room and gets caught by Mr. Prescott who gives Kevin another chance. With Peter and Natalie still away, Kevin notices his old nemesis Marv (French Stewart), a remaining member of the Wet/Sticky Bandits (after ditching his last partner Harry, who is probably still in jail) and new sidekick, his wife Vera (Missi Pyle), outside the house. Kevin tries to contact Mr. Prescott on the intercom, but for some reason he does not respond. Kevin then spies on Marv and Vera and drive them away by flooding the house, but Peter and Natalie arrive while Kevin is cleaning up and do not believe Kevin's explanation, especially since Mr. Prescott claims to have seen nothing. While driving, Marv tells Vera about his encounters with Kevin and states that they have someone on the inside to help them in their plot. Kevin then attempts to use the security camera footage to prove himself but discovers that the camera had been turned off. However, Kevin is caught by Mr. Prescott (whom Kevin now believes to be Marv and Vera's ally), but Molly then appears and gets Kevin out of trouble. Peter and Natalie go into their bedroom, and he starts massaging Natalie's shoulders with pleasure to take advantage of his alone time with Natalie. They then realize they gave Kevin a hard time and decide to make him feel better, so the three of them decide to decorate the tree together.

The next morning, Peter and Kevin wake up and realize their tree was replaced because of Natalie. Kate goes to Natalie's mansion to give Kevin his things, and Buzz and Megan come too as they want to meet Natalie and see their father. Kate meets Natalie in person and Kevin shows the entire house to Buzz and Megan. At a party for the royal family while Peter and Natalie have gone to pick them up, Kevin notices Marv and Vera dressed up as caterers. Mr. Prescott warns Kevin about the night, so he then tricks Mr. Prescott into going into the freezer room and he ends up locked in and frozen in ice. Kevin then spies on Marv and Vera in his bedroom and hears them planning about kidnapping the prince. Unfortunately for them, Kevin ensures that their plan was a failure and has them fall out a window, causing it to break. The royal family are unable to attend the party because their flight was cancelled, so Peter and Natalie instead announce their engagement. Marv and Vera run back into the house and Kevin hits Marv with a frying pan, flips the table and get soup spilled on Marv and Vera. They then chase Kevin, who accidentally ruins the party by bumping and knocking over the guests and caters. Peter is angered at this event, still refusing to believe Kevin about the break-in for he believes that Kevin is trying to end his relationship with Natalie.

Since no one believes him about the heist, Kevin decides to deal with matters himself, and sets booby traps for Marv and Vera. The next morning, Peter and Natalie go get the royals and Kevin is left back at the house. Marv and Vera wake up and head to the house. Kevin tricks and locks Mr. Prescott in the basement, but then Kevin discovers Marv and Vera's real ally is actually Molly, who also turns out to be Marv's mother.

Kevin gets locked in the basement with Mr. Prescott, who then reveals to Kevin that the reason he did not see Marv and Vera when they first broke in was because he was napping on the job. Mr. Prescott reveals that he hates his job and that, during the times Natalie is away, he takes secret breaks, which, if he had gotten caught, would lead to Natalie ordering him with more work hours; Prescott lied about keeping watch on the security cameras to cover up his secret well-deserved breaks, not to help Marv and Vera. After apologizing to Mr. Prescott for misjudging him (and vice-versa), Kevin tries to call Buzz using Mr. Prescott's phone, but Buzz just jeers and hangs up on him. Kevin then tries to call his mom, but they get disconnected due to the phone losing power. Then while trying to call Kevin back, Kate is told by a lying Molly that Kevin is with Peter and Natalie. When Kate calls Peter about Kevin, he denies this, causing both Kate and Peter to become suspicious.

With help from Mr. Prescott, Kevin manages to escape through the dumbwaiter. He then unleashes his traps on Marv and Vera. Molly hears the commotion and tries to stop Kevin, resulting in Kevin trapping her in the elevator. At the airport, Peter's suspicions about the confusion about Kevin gets him worried about Kevin and leaves Natalie to get the royals as he goes back to Natalie's mansion to check on Kevin. Back in the basement, Mr. Prescott then manages to escape through the dumbwaiter shaft as well wanting to see if Kevin is alright. On the road, Kate, Buzz, and Megan are on their way to save Kevin since Kate was also suspicious. Marv heads to the bedroom and ends up getting caught and stuck under the bookshelf. Kevin then plays a recording of Marv, making it sound like he is insulting Vera, which causes them to argue. Marv then gets hit by Kevin's electric aircraft making him fall and rumble down the stairs. Marv and Vera are then tricked by Kevin with a secret wall switch, end up swinging from a chandelier, and they fall and are knocked unconscious. When smugly wishing them a Merry Christmas, Molly had escaped from the elevator and grabs Kevin, threatening him with a pan. However, Mr. Prescott knocks her out with a serving tray. Then, he and Kevin call the police.

As Peter, Kate, Buzz, and Megan arrive, Kevin, with Buzz and Megan's help, chases Marv and Vera out of the house, and Megan and Buzz trip them up when they run out of the house. The royal family and Natalie arrive as the police do, and Natalie is confused when she sees Molly getting arrested. An FBI agent reveals that Molly is the boss and that she, Marv, and Vera masterminded the plot to kidnap the prince. Mr. Prescott resigns, Peter breaks up with Natalie (admitting to her that he mistook infatuation and excitement for love, and that her mansion and everything in it is her world, not his), the royals decide to spend Christmas with the McCallisters, and it is a good Christmas for everyone except Natalie, Marv, Vera, and Molly.

Cast

• French Stewart as Marv
• Erick Avari as Prescott
• Barbara Babcock as Molly
• Jason Beghe as Peter McCallister
• Clare Carey as Kate McCallister
• Joanna Going as Natalie
• Missi Pyle as Vera
• Gideon Jacobs as Buzz McCallister
• Chelsea Russo as Megan McCallister
• Michael Weinberg as Kevin McCallister
• Lisa King as Queen
• Sean Michael as Cop
• Craig Geldenhuys as Prince
• Andre Roothman as King
• Anton Smuts as Cab Driver

Critical Reception

The film was widely panned by reviews from critics and fans of the first two movies. At Rotten Tomatoes the film currently has no score on the tomatometer, with 2 rotten reviews, but it does have a 40% user rating. Criticisms were based on how Home Alone 4 doesn't seem to fit into the same chronological timeline as the first two movies, based on the film's inferior cast and script. Several reviews also criticized the film for low-budget production values. The film currently holds a low rating of 2.5 out of 10 at IMDb. Some people have called it a masterpiece in its own way. One critic had this to say, "I don't get it. This movie is brilliant. Grant it, I was high while watching it, but it was brilliant. French Stewart is...he gives a sad and heart breathtakingly amazing performance. Again, high."

Unmade Television Series

The producers had hoped that this movie would lead to a Home Alone TV series if popular enough, several of the main cast members had clauses in their contracts that would have bought them back for such a series. However the movie failed to perform up to expectations in the ratings, and the series was never commissioned.

In the movie's original ending, Kevin's parents didn't get back together. His father stayed with Natalie, and his mother started dating a police officer who turned out to be Marv's younger, more honest brother. This was changed when the producers decided that they wanted the film to set up a TV series, and so Kevin's parents did get back together at the end, while the police officer was deleted altogether from the script.

The only information on the TV Show was that it centered around Kevin again, and Mr. Prescott was also his butler. In the first episode of the TV Show, Marv returned as the main antagonist along with Vera and plotted to rob the McCallister household to full-fill a goal that he and Harry set out to do in the first movie. The producers had also intended for new child characters to be featured and new antagonists, and the children created their own special neighborhood watch in which they entrapped and captured potential villains trying to rob the houses.

Continuity Problems

The film has only a loose continuity with the first two films, which gives the impression of it being a spiritual sequel, a loose reboot, or a standalone film.

• Dialogue in Home Alone 4 establishes that it takes place after Home Alone 2. However, Kevin is stated to be 9 years old in the film, even though in the first movie, it is stated a couple of times that he is 8 and in the second one, he tells Cedric in the Plaza Hotel that he's 10 (although this is also a discrepancy as other dialogue firmly establishes that Home Alone 2 takes place one year after the previous film, thus should be 9. But it's possible Kevin lied about being 10 since he lied quite constantly to the hotel staff about his Dad's whereabouts).
• Like the rest of the films in the series, Home Alone 4's setting is contemporary with when it was made. However, it was made a decade after Home Alone 2, but does not adjust the ages of the characters from the early 1990s to the early 2000s, potentially implying a floating timeline.
• Kevin's siblings Linnie and Jeff are completely absent with no explanation. Buzz and Megan are treated like his only two siblings as backed up by Kevin's line that he wishes he never had a brother or a sister.
  • In addition, Kevin's uncles, aunts, and cousins are not seen or mentioned either.
• Although recasting is common in media, the new cast have little to no resemblance to their original counterparts from the first two films. Marv's appearance is closer to that of Harry, as he wears almost the same exact attire. Buzz and Megan also appear to be considerably much younger than they were in the first two films, especially Buzz who originally looked about 5 years older than Kevin, but now looks only 2 years older than Kevin.
• Kate says that they're going to put out milk and cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, but the fact that they were still there the following morning when Kevin did this in the first film should've told him that Santa isn't real and possibly resulting in Kevin no longer believing in him.
  • Although in the original film when Kevin met the Santa Claus impersonator (who he believed worked for the real Santa Claus), Kevin had requested no presents and instead his family to return (which did in fact happen, although not because of Santa's interference). Nothing is implied in the sequel that Kevin stopped believing.
• In this movie, Kevin is shown to have a teddy bear, which is stated by Peter and Kate to be his most prized possession and that he can't go anywhere without him. Yet, there is no point in the first two films where Kevin is ever seen to have a teddy bear nor any other toy which he takes everywhere with him, with the exception of the Talkboy in the second film.

Trivia

• Daniel Stern, who played Marv in the first two films, was approached to reprise his role in this one. Stern quickly declined, calling it "an insult, total garbage."^{[citation needed]} On the other hand, Joe Pesci wasn't offered to reprise his role as Harry. Instead, Harry's name was only mentioned.
• Although Home Alone 4 takes place in Chicago, Illinois, it was actually filmed in South Africa. This is the evident since palm trees are visible in several shots of Natalie's mansion.
• Originally, this film was going to be a sequel to Home Alone 3 (1997), but for unknown reasons the idea was scrapped and rewritten as another film in the series that revolves around Kevin McCallister once more, even though he is played by a different actor. As such the film has several similarities to Home Alone 3:
  • This includes having a spy theme, with Kevin spying on Marv and Vera through a telescope in the same way Alex spies on the terrorists.
  • Like Alex in the third film, Kevin unsuccessfully attempts several times to get Marv and Vera caught in the act, only to result in Marv and Vera escaping the scene and Kevin getting in trouble with his Dad and Natalie, who refuse to believe his story.
  • With no one believing them, both Alex and Kevin unsuccessfully attempt to retrieve proof of the crooks' presence. When their attempts fail they become prompted to booby trap the house and deal with the crooks themselves.
  • Both Alex and Kevin use a dumbwaiter to get to the upper and lower floors of the houses.
  • In both films the families eventually find out that Alex and Kevin are in trouble and race to the scene.
  • Towards the end of both films, both Kevin and Alex happily re-unite with their parents, with both parents apologizing to them for not believing them earlier about the crooks.
• The producers had hoped that this movie would lead to a Home Alone TV series, and several of the main cast members had clauses in their contracts that would have bought them back for such a series. This movie failed to perform up to expectations in the ratings, though, and the series never went ahead.
• Despite being called Home Alone, Kevin isn't home alone at all in the film. As Prescott is always as at the house, since he is a butler.
• This is the only film in the series where Marv calls Kevin by name and vice-versa.
• In Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin was one of five siblings; he had two sisters and two brothers: Buzz, Jeff, Megan, and Linnie.
• This was Rod Daniel's final directorial film before he passed away on April 16, 2016.
• In the original ending, Kevin's parents did not get back together. His father stayed with Natalie, and his mother started dating a police officer who turned out to be Marv's younger, more honest brother. This was changed when the producers decided they wanted the film to set up a TV series, and so Kevin's parents did get back together at the end, while the police officer was deleted altogether from the script.
• Home Alone 4 is the only film in the series to feature a twist revealing a villain.
• Foreshadows to The twist when Molly was the villain:
  • After Marv hung up the phone he said "Sometimes SHE scares me."
  • After Molly and Kevin left, Prescott looked a bit strange at Molly's choice of words.
  • The fact Molly was the kindest character to Kevin in the Home Alone films is a dead giveaway.
• The film was featured on Red Letter Media's Best of the Worst episode "Plinketto #7", which included Macaulay Culkin as a guest panelist. The panel decided to destroy tapes of Prototype X29A and Home Alone 4 by having Culkin swing a can of paint suspended on a rope into them. After successfully hitting Prototype X29A, Culkin swung the can at Home Alone 4, but it instead hit Rich Evans in the groin, causing him to fall over into a display of Star Wars merchandise and for Culkin to remark, "Still got it!"

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