Skip to content
MovieCove
Home Alone

Home Alone

A family comedy without the family.

1990103 minPGMidcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Director
Chris Columbus
Starring
Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard

Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. When thieves try to break into his home, he puts up a fight like no other.

Where to watch

Where can I watch Home Alone?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Home Alone streaming on Disney+ and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Subscription

Your rating, lists and review

Highlights

What stands out about Home Alone?

Home Alone earns 9 badges, led by Top 5% of films and Universally Loved.

Show 1 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Awards and box office
  • Cast

Reception

Is Home Alone worth watching?

Home Alone's Midcredits score is the 96th percentile of all films, from 3.8M ratings across 6 sources. 85% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

96th percentile

Better received than 96% of films

98th percentile among Comedy96th percentile among 1990s
Acclaim (how much people like it)94th
Approval (how many liked it)95th

77 /100

94th percentile of all films

97th percentile among Comedy96th percentile among 1990s

Critics 63 · Audience 78

Audiences liked it more than critics did.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.8 — solid but not unanimous.

85% liked it

95th percentile of all films

97th percentile among Comedy96th percentile among 1990s
85% rated it 7–1015% rated it 1–6

Critics 66% · Audience 81%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of audiences approved than critics.

Awards

0 Oscars won · 2 Oscar noms · 10 wins / 8 noms overall

  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Music, Original Score
  • NominatedAcademy Awards· Best Music, Original Song

66th percentile

3.8M ratings across platforms

61st percentile among Comedy60th percentile among 1990s
TMDB popularity, last 40 days to Oct 26Up 8% in 30 days

Box office

Budget$18M
Opening weekend$17M
Domestic gross$286M
Worldwide gross$477M

Returned 26.5× its budget — 99th percentile earner in its genre.

What reviewers say

Common ground

A simple, wildly popular holiday comedy built on a kid's fantasy of being home alone and fending off bumbling burglars with cartoonish traps.

Fans praised

  • Macaulay Culkin's charismatic star-making performance as Kevin
  • Warm-hearted holiday atmosphere and John Williams' iconic score
  • Inventive slapstick booby traps and Joe Pesci/Daniel Stern's comedic chemistry as the Wet Bandits

Detractors panned

  • Implausible premise and plot holes (family forgets child, child builds elaborate traps)
  • Overly violent and sadistic slapstick that feels mean-spirited rather than funny
  • Unlikable, neglectful family and grating lead performance

What stands out

Sound and music85

John Williams' iconic, Oscar-nominated score and holiday songs

AtmosphereDivisive75

Cozy, festive Christmas setting with decorations, snow, and warmth

ActingDivisive72

Macaulay Culkin's charismatic lead, Pesci/Stern's comic chemistry

Effects and spectacleDivisive65

Inventive and memorable physical stunts and booby traps

HumorDivisive62

Slapstick comedy that divides audiences between hilarious and mean-spirited

CharactersDivisive55

Kevin's relatable wish-fulfillment arc, but thin family members and cartoonish burglars

Pacing50

Slow setup before the third-act booby-trap payoff

Plot and story35

Premise requires extreme suspension of disbelief; riddled with logical holes

Preferred by

No notable difference between any of the groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 2 points apart
  • Under-30s vs over-30s even
  • Critics vs users 4 points apart
  • US vs non-US even

Watch experience

What is Home Alone like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Easy laugh: browse every movie of this kind

Watch this when you want something light that makes you laugh and does not take itself seriously.

It leaves you feeling good. Skip it when you want something with weight.

ToneFeelDemandwhat the answer rests onexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

Very little.

What it feels like

Easy laugh.

Moods
JoyfulTenseWarm
Heaviest: late
Absurdist humor: Deliberately illogical; embraces nonsense.
Register
PlayfulWarm
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.
ToneThe film plays its slapstick and sentimental moments straight, inviting the audience to enjoy Kevin's ingenuity and root for his family reunion.
The rideThe film swings from playful freedom to home invasion tension, settling into a warm, sentimental ending.
StructureThe story unfolds in a conventional beginning (Kevin is left alone), middle (he prepares and fights off the burglars), and end (family reunion).

How it leaves you

what you carry away

Feeling good.

Feel-goodFun
Why it leaves you this wayThe film leaves the viewer smiling, with a warm sense of family and the joy of Christmas.
How it ends · evidence
Happy ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all films
Monster — 21% of films. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of films. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 10% of films. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 4% of films. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 11% of films. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 9% of films. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 13% of films. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 7% of films. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 22% of filmsPredator — 6% of films. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 6% of films. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of films. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 2% of films. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of films. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of films. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of films. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of films. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of films. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of films. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — under 1% of films. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of films. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of films. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of films. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of films. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 4% of films. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 5% of films. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of films. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — 1% of films. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of films. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 2% of films. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — 1% of films. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of films. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — 1% of films. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 4% of films. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of films. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of films. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of films. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 1% of films. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of films. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — 2% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 2% of films. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 2% of films. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 3% of films. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 3% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 5% of films. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of films. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 2% of films. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of films. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 5% of films. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 2% of films. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterInvasion
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 21% (this title): Predator 6% · Tyrant 6% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 2% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent under 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 10%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 4% · Mission 5% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage 1%
  • Voyage 4%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 2% · Survival ordeal 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent 1%
  • Comedy 11%: Romantic comedy 4% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 1%
  • Tragedy 9%: Hubris 1% · Obsession 2% · Corruption arc 2% · Doomed love 2% · Crushed by fate 3%
  • Rebirth 13%: Redemption 3% · Healing 5% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 2%
  • Mystery 7%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 5% · Enigma 2%
  • No archetype 22%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

21% of films fit this archetype

Why this archetypeKevin defends his suburban home from two burglars who target it, turning the house into a fortress of booby traps.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 27% of filmsSelf — 22% of filmsPower — 7% of filmsMorality — 16% of filmsSurvival — 15% of filmsSociety — 9% of filmsIdeas — 5% of filmsRomantic love — 15% of filmsMarriage — 2% of filmsFamily bonds — 21% of filmsParenthood — 2% of filmsFriendship — 9% of filmsLoyalty — 4% of filmsIdentity — 14% of filmsComing of age — 5% of filmsAging — under 1% of filmsSelf-worth — 7% of filmsAmbition — 7% of filmsPurpose — 9% of filmsMemory — 3% of filmsObsession — 3% of films. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 2% of filmsCorruption — 3% of filmsGreed — 3% of filmsClass — 3% of filmsOppression — 4% of filmsFreedom — 5% of filmsJustice — 13% of filmsDuty — 2% of filmsRevenge — 4% of filmsGuilt — 3% of filmsRedemption — 6% of films. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — 1% of filmsSacrifice — 4% of filmsBetrayal — 5% of filmsDeception — 9% of filmsSurvival — 17% of filmsWar — 1% of filmsViolence — 4% of filmsMortality — 2% of filmsGrief — 6% of filmsTrauma — 7% of filmsMental illness — 1% of filmsAddiction — 1% of filmsIllness and disability — under 1% of filmsCommunity — 14% of films. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 5% of filmsPrejudice — 3% of filmsDisplacement — 1% of filmsFaith — 3% of filmsTradition vs change — 2% of filmsFame — 3% of filmsLegacy — 4% of filmsFate — 1% of filmsFree will — under 1% of filmsTruth — 4% of filmsHope — 5% of filmsNature — 2% of filmsArt — 4% of filmsTechnology — 1% of filmsSelfFamilybonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 27% (this title): Romantic love 15% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 21% (this title) · Parenthood 2% · Friendship 9% · Loyalty 4%
  • Self 22%: Identity 14% · Coming of age 5% (this title) · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 7% · Purpose 9% · Memory 3% · Obsession 3%
  • Power 7%: Power 2% · Corruption 3% · Greed 3% · Class 3% · Oppression 4% · Freedom 5%
  • Morality 16%: Justice 13% · Duty 2% · Revenge 4% · Guilt 3% · Redemption 6% · Forgiveness 1% · Sacrifice 4% · Betrayal 5% · Deception 9%
  • Survival 15%: Survival 17% · War 1% · Violence 4% · Mortality 2% · Grief 6% · Trauma 7% · Mental illness 1% · Addiction 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 9%: Community 14% · Isolation 5% · Prejudice 3% · Displacement 1% · Faith 3% · Tradition vs change 2% · Fame 3% · Legacy 4%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 4% · Hope 5% (this title) · Nature 2% · Art 4% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsComing of age · 5% of filmsHope · 5% of films
Celebrates its theme: Affirms its theme — this is good and worth having.Intimate stakes: Consequences reach a person or a household.Single lead
How it treats its themeThe film is about a boy learning that family is not a burden but a source of love and belonging, even amid chaos.
StanceThe film celebrates family bonds, showing that even a lonely child ultimately values his loved ones above all.

The world

ContemporaryDomesticSuburbanRealistic
Orchestral classicalForeground music · original score · John Williams
SettingA suburban Chicago house at Christmas time
MusicThe score features a playful main theme and a tender, nostalgic melody that underscores emotional scenes.

Content guide

Is Home Alone okay for kids?

PG

Home Alone is rated PG. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (49/100), sexual content at mild (17/100), language at moderate (36/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (28/100) and frightening material at moderate (38/100). Overall it is heavier than 63% of PG-rated films.

Ratings in 25 other countries
  • UKPG
  • CanadaG
  • AustraliaPG
  • Germany12
  • FranceTP
  • IrelandPG
  • New ZealandPG
  • JapanG
  • South KoreaALL
  • BrazilL
  • BGB
  • Czechia12+
  • Denmark7
  • Hong KongIIA
  • IndiaU
  • ItalyT
  • MexicoA
  • Netherlands6
  • Norway9
  • Poland12
  • PortugalM/6
  • RO12
  • SpainA
  • Sweden11
  • Switzerland12
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 21% of all filmsHeavier than 63% of PG-rated films
Violence & Gore
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
heavy for a PG-rated film
heavier than 78%
Sex & Nudity
Mild
typical for a PG-rated film
heavier than 36%
Profanity
Moderate
typical for a PG-rated film
heavier than 72%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for a PG-rated film
heavier than 54%
Frightening / Intense
Moderate
typical for a PG-rated film
heavier than 52%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is violence, heavier than 78% of PG-rated films.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other films that have them.

What content warnings does Home Alone have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Home Alone?

Cast

Macaulay Culkin
as Kevin
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
newcomer then · star now
Joe Pesci
as Harry
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Daniel Stern
as Marv
Career best: Their highest-reaching film role by billing, audience size and rating.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
John Heard
as Peter
Roberts Blossom
as Marley
Catherine O'Hara
as Kate
newcomer then · star now
Angela Goethals
as Linnie
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Devin Ratray
as Buzz
Newcomer: A standing when this film came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Gerry Bamman
as Uncle Frank
Breakout: Their highest-reaching film role at the time, and they went on to a career at least 3 times their standing then.
Hillary Wolf
as Megan
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.

Crew

More like this

What are movies like Home Alone?

Movies like Home Alone include Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), Home Alone 3 (1997) and Johnson Family Vacation (2004). Of the 12 closest matches, two are films by Chris Columbus, and most are films set in the suburbs.

Balanced: every group counts the same, and production only breaks ties.

John Hughes wrote 4 of these 12. Those cards say what else they share.

Explore by

What else shares a premise, people or place with Home Alone?

445 other films share the rarest tag below, up against: thief. Each tag opens Browse with the films that share it.