Saturday is our family's movie night and we would not be too picky of what to watch during movie night but the most important consideration is that it is family friendly because we have 6 and 9 year olds watching so nothing too violent or nothing too vulgar. Gore is fine as long as the language is controllable.

When this movie was suggested, I was already set to sleep for most of the part because I assumed that it would be just another Home Alone spin off just like the past 3 movies after Home Alone: Lost in New York.

Let's face it, Macaulay Culkin IS Home Alone and no other actor can replace him or at least take over the franchise. AND YET...

Before we continue, let me just say that there will be some spoilers in this review. Well, not totally spoiling the film but will probably disucuss some pieces of information some people may not want to discover so if you are planning on watching it, go and watch it first before coming back to this post. I'll wait....

This 6th movie is, I have to say, a good nod to the original franchise. I mean, it is a Disney+ release after all so they really need to make it good. At first you would think that it's a reboot with similar familiar story direction but they did it quite tastefully, I'd have to say.

It being 2021, of course they needed to make it as diverse as possible with the main character, Archie Yates and Aisling Bea coming from London and only having moved to the US. The antagonists in this movie are not really bad people as how they were introduced but only because they were in bad times and they needed to sell their home. It was understandable what they did and why they did it; they were desperate and as you go through the movie, they have no plans on committing any felonies and just wanted their ceramic doll back.

What this movie did that the others failed to do, in my opinion, is the nod to the original 2 movies, With the inclusion of 3 key things.

1. 

   The inclusion of Devin Ratray's Buzz McCallister - That was a pleasant surprise seeing Buzz in the movie. Not just the actor but the character himself. Then there was a part in the movie where he even mentions Kevin McCallster and how he was left home alone TWICE and that when Archie Yates' character called the police on a suspected break in, Buzz just shrugged it off as a prank just like how Kevin would call his precinct MANY TIMES in the past. That little snippet just made this movie part of Home Alone canon. Sure there were a few easter eggs here and there like the security system being branded as McCallister.
2. The theme song of the original Home Alone (though tweaked a little bit to make it unique to this movie) was being played all throughout the movie - That song has been so iconic to the first two Home Alone movies that anybody who has watched (and fell in love with the movie) could recognize that tune a mile away.

3. 

   The inclusion of actor Ralph Foody - Eagle eyed watchers of this movie would easily see Ralph Foody in the scene where they were watching a black and white sci-fi movie. The main character in that show is Ralph Foody. The same actor who played the main character in the black and white gangster movies in both Home Alone franchises. I this movie, they even gave a nod to that famous scene with Foody's character ending with, "Keep the change..." That was another pleasant nod to the franchise.

Rob Delaney's character was one of those people you'd cringe to speak with because of how technical he must be trying to prove that he is right ALL THE TIME. I liked how they also gave a nod to Joe Pesci's character losing a tooth by making Rob's character lose a tooth as well. 

I'm sure there were a chock full of other Easter eggs in the film if I would just sit down and watch it from end to end but here are the top ones I easily caught and are worth mentioning. What do you think? Did you also like this "remake"? Hit me up on the comments below or reach me through my socials.

CIAO!