The first 2 Home Alone films were very successful in the early 90s. At this point Macaulay Culkin was one of the most sought after child actors in the business.However his success was short-lived and is now only known for his part in the Michael Jackson trial. The makers must have thought that Home Alone 3 was going to be as big a success. However the makers didn't realise that a new child star and a different formula was not what the viewing public craved .However regardless of this the third installment was a moderate success and actually was't that bad. Then in 2002 some bright spark decided to unleash another sequel onto the unsuspecting public. To make matters worse they decided to use the same character names and as a result Kevin McCallister looks even younger than he was in part 1.Combine this with the fact that he was't even "home alone" once during the whole film and you will see why the film is so bad .Worse still the acting is terrible and the ending so predictable you can guess what is going to happen from the opening scene. Avoid this at all costs as the first 3 (which were by no means flawless) are classics in comparison.
The Wonderful World of Disney (TV Series)
Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002)
User Reviews
Review this title241 Reviews
What a fever dream of a "movie."
dragonquester27 December 2021
This installment in the home alone franchise can't decide whether or not it's a remake of the original movie, or if it's a sequel to the first two. All in all a horrible, uninteresting, and predictable movie. This sucks. Watch at your own risk.
Home Alone 4
jboothmillard29 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The original film will always be the best one, the second film Lost in New York is good fun, and the third film with Alex D. Linz is good fun as well, I found out about this fourth made-for-TV entry and watched it. Basically, the parents of nine-year-old Kevin McAllister (Michael Weinberg) are getting divorced and have been separated for 8 months. His father Peter (Jason Beghe) will be marrying his new girlfriend Natalie Kalban (Joanna Going) when the divorce is finalised. After being bullied by his older brother Buzz (Gideon Jacobs), Kevin decides to get a taxi to Natalie's mansion, as his father had invited him anyway. Meanwhile, Kevin's old enemy Marv Merchants (French Stewart) and his wife Vera (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's Missi Pyle) are making plans to kidnap the British royal prince's son visiting; his associate harry is in jail. Natalie's mansion is a smart home with a voice activated control system, Kevin's bedroom is large with a big bed, a variety of arcade machines, video gaming platforms and a multiscreen TV. Kevin has a run-in with the butler Prescott (The Mummy's Erick Avari) after entering a private room, the control centre containing CCTV. Kevin has fun miming and dancing along to "I Feel Good" by James Brown and plays with his remote-control plane given as a gift. Later, Kevin is startled to see Marv through a telescope, and the crook has the voice control to the house. After entering the house, Marv and Vera go upstairs into the bathroom, where Kevin activates the power shower to spray them, but also floods the house. The pair get away before Peter returns home, he does not believe Kevin telling him about an attempted burglary. Kevin suspects that Prescott may be in cahoots with the thieves as there is no CCTV footage during the attempted robbery. Kevin talks to the maid Molly (Barbara Babcock) about his suspicions, but she also does not believe him. Kevin spends time with Peter and Natalie as they decorate the Christmas tree. Meanwhile, Kevin's mother Kate (Clare Carey), who was made aware of him leaving, is at home watching a home video, reminiscing her relationship with Peter. Kevin gets a spy listening device as an early Christmas present. Kate visits the house; she and Peter may have their feelings for each other reigniting. On Christmas Eve, royal party is held at the mansion; Kevin is shocked to see Marv and Vera are on the staff. Suspecting his involvement, Kevin locks Prescott in the freezer. Natalie receives a call that the royal family have cancelled due to be being snowed in, so it is suggested it can become an engagement party instead. Kevin listens to Marv and Vera using his listening device. Marv puts Vera in a bag to practice their upcoming kidnap plan, but Kevin intervenes and sends them both out the window. Marv and Vera are covered in pots of soup before fleeing, while Prescott gets out of the freezer after being brought out as an ice sculpture. Peter is angry at Kevin because he believes he is trying to break up him and Natalie. Kevin has a talk with Kate on the phone about missing her, Buzz and older sister Megan (Chelsea Russo). Natalie has a stern talk with Kevin telling him to ruin things between his father and her. Kevin decides to set boobytraps around the house and uses the voice of Marv, recorded on his spy device. On Christmas Day, Peter and Natalie leave to pick up the royal family. The crooks are sleeping in the van before they make their way to the house. Prescott is locked in the basement by Kevin still suspected as their associate. But it turns out, Molly is the real insider, and she is Marv's mother. Kevin is locked in the basement with Prescott and fails to call Kate as the signal breaks and the phone battery ends. Kevin and Prescott bond together discussing their situations, and then Kevin finds a way out using the dumb waiter. Kevin activates a boobytrap with large pots to hit the crooks in the face, while Prescott climbs up the dumb waiter shaft. Marv is tricked and has a cabinet fall on him, while Vera is tricked by the captured voice of Marv. Then Marv is hit in the crotch by the remote-control plane, sending him and Vera toppling down the staircase. The pair then end up on a revolving bar which Kevin increases the speed of until they are sent flying onto the chandelier which eventually falls to the floor. Molly tries to intervene before she is knocked on the head by Prescott. Marv, Vera and Molly are arrested after the police are called, and Kevin's mother and siblings arrive. Natalie hyperventilates as Prescott announces he is retiring, and Peter breaks up with her to get back with Kate. Everyone celebrates as the royal family are invited to spend Christmas with them. Also starring Lisa King as Queen, Sean Cameron Michael as Cop, Craig Geldenhuys as Prince, Andre Roothman as King, and Anton Smuts as Cab Driver. Weinberg is nowhere near as likeable as Macaulay Culkin, Daniel Stern refused to return (I don't blame him!) and his replacement Stewart is only mildly amusing, Pyle being incredibly stupid is much more annoying than funny, and Beghe (replacing John Heard), Carey (Catherine O'Hara) and Jacobs (replacing Devin Ratray) are uninteresting. I'll admit the gadgets of the big house are quite cool, and I sort of went along with the story and seeing the bad guys getting knocked about, but otherwise I found it a pointless, cheap and hardly funny sequel, a boring and silly seasonal comedy. Pretty poor!
RIP Harry!
uds327 November 2004
Inarguably one of the worst movies ever made. "Movie" flatters it. This is a home video and I would think any one of 200 million families could be handed a camcorder and come up with a more interesting 89 minutes.
What the HELL is this? well, apart from a lingering insult to the first two Home Alone movies...who's to say! The second sequel was unmitigated trash, but compared to this, eligible for "best picture!" Everything from the script, the acting to the sets, seemingly knocked-up from left-overs at the nearest Reject shop, smack of Z-grade involvement. How this ever made it to a boxed set of four Home Alone movies, beats me.
Kevin's age doesn't even tally with the series...he's younger here than he was in New York...by his OWN admission. A screaming disaster from the opening scenes. Shoddy, wooden, synthetic, cheap and ultimately embarrassing for all concerned - but no more so than for the viewer!
Completely deserving of a minus one rating!
I strenuously recommend that you give this shonk a wide berth!
What the HELL is this? well, apart from a lingering insult to the first two Home Alone movies...who's to say! The second sequel was unmitigated trash, but compared to this, eligible for "best picture!" Everything from the script, the acting to the sets, seemingly knocked-up from left-overs at the nearest Reject shop, smack of Z-grade involvement. How this ever made it to a boxed set of four Home Alone movies, beats me.
Kevin's age doesn't even tally with the series...he's younger here than he was in New York...by his OWN admission. A screaming disaster from the opening scenes. Shoddy, wooden, synthetic, cheap and ultimately embarrassing for all concerned - but no more so than for the viewer!
Completely deserving of a minus one rating!
I strenuously recommend that you give this shonk a wide berth!
This movie sucks!
ENDING-MAN4 July 2005
I thought this movie was going to be inventive, un-recycled and have new punch lines. Instead, they have to make this movie stupid, campy, and bland.
Kevin is a little brat now, just leeching off Natalie and his dad, who separated from his nice mom for a sybaritic, selfish twad. He disrespects the butler, who is an infinitely better actor than the others in this film. And most of all, MARV LOOKS LIKE HARRY FROM THE OTHER 2 FILMS! He even has a stupid hooker wife named Vera. French Stewart does a horrid rendition of Harry and Marv. They don't even do robberies anymore! It's now staged to the more dismal subject of child abduction.
It is also accompanied by atrociously bland dialogue, pitiful acting, hilariously bad sound effects, and the picture quality makes it look like it was filmed in the mid-1980's. There is even a shot of the houses at night done with a cheap home camcorder.
It's a good thing I spent only 1.00 on a crappy dollar-store tape for this movie! I was seriously disappointed. I've seen some MST3K films and some are way more noble than this crap!
Standing out 24 hrs in 10 degrees Fahrenheit is way cooler than watching this movie. -No pun intended
Kevin is a little brat now, just leeching off Natalie and his dad, who separated from his nice mom for a sybaritic, selfish twad. He disrespects the butler, who is an infinitely better actor than the others in this film. And most of all, MARV LOOKS LIKE HARRY FROM THE OTHER 2 FILMS! He even has a stupid hooker wife named Vera. French Stewart does a horrid rendition of Harry and Marv. They don't even do robberies anymore! It's now staged to the more dismal subject of child abduction.
It is also accompanied by atrociously bland dialogue, pitiful acting, hilariously bad sound effects, and the picture quality makes it look like it was filmed in the mid-1980's. There is even a shot of the houses at night done with a cheap home camcorder.
It's a good thing I spent only 1.00 on a crappy dollar-store tape for this movie! I was seriously disappointed. I've seen some MST3K films and some are way more noble than this crap!
Standing out 24 hrs in 10 degrees Fahrenheit is way cooler than watching this movie. -No pun intended
The worst movie i've ever seen
Gorgonzola23431 August 2022
Title says it all, its a nightmare of a movie, idfk who approved of this but whoever did must be put in jail for the absolute pile of junk this movie is. The acting sucks, the script sucks, there's not a single aspect of this movie that isn't an absolute disgrace to humanity. I get that they want to milk the massive cash cow that the home alone franchise is, people watch those first two movies every christmas eve, but instead of coming up with whatever this is they could've just called me and i would've written them a script a thousend times better than wtf this is.
This movie is not worth your money at all. Heck, they should pay YOU for going through this and wasting your time.
Don't watch this, just.... just..... just DON'T.
This movie is not worth your money at all. Heck, they should pay YOU for going through this and wasting your time.
Don't watch this, just.... just..... just DON'T.
Not only the worst Home Alone movie, but quite possibly the worst movie ever!
TheLittleSongbird16 March 2009
Home Alone 4 is so bad, it makes Home Alone 3 look like a masterpiece. in reality, Home Alone 3 is only adequate, but the first two movies are sterling entertainment, I can promise you that. I am just wondering whether I am the only one who honestly thought Home Alone 3 would be the worst, because the characters were changed, but was proved wrong by this abomination. This movie has nothing to recommend it, not even the gadget-filled house. At least Home Alone 3 had some enjoyable scenes.
The first problem is that no one from the first two movies return, which is a really bad sign. Even the director was different, and obviously had little experience behind the camera. The plot was laughable, and don't get me started on how inconsistent it was with the first two films.
The acting was pretty terrible. Michael Wineburg could have been a great Kevin, if the script had been better. The reality, no one can top Macaulay Culkin as Kevin. Whereas Culkin was cute and self-assured, Wineburg tried to put some enthusiasm into the role, had the script allowed him to act. Instead he was the only redeeming merit, if you call it a redeeming merit, of the movie, whereas everyone else lumbered through their scenes. French Stewart also struggled with the script, and could have also have been great, had he the goofiness and charm of Daniel Stern. Really, he has the charisma of a squashed cabbage. The others were just as bad, if worse.
The script was full of tired and stale parallels of the predecessors, there was nothing else new. As a matter of fact, I don't think I laughed once when watching this movie. Not even when Marv falls off the chandelier. That raised a small curl of the mouth, but you can't help thinking you've seen it all before.
The script was absolutely repulsive, the direction was incompetent and the acting was stiff. Plus, it was perfectly obvious it was a TV movie, you could tell by the flat camera-work. Avoid! 1/10. (very seldom do I give a 1, but this abysmal film deserves lower!)Bethany Cox
The first problem is that no one from the first two movies return, which is a really bad sign. Even the director was different, and obviously had little experience behind the camera. The plot was laughable, and don't get me started on how inconsistent it was with the first two films.
The acting was pretty terrible. Michael Wineburg could have been a great Kevin, if the script had been better. The reality, no one can top Macaulay Culkin as Kevin. Whereas Culkin was cute and self-assured, Wineburg tried to put some enthusiasm into the role, had the script allowed him to act. Instead he was the only redeeming merit, if you call it a redeeming merit, of the movie, whereas everyone else lumbered through their scenes. French Stewart also struggled with the script, and could have also have been great, had he the goofiness and charm of Daniel Stern. Really, he has the charisma of a squashed cabbage. The others were just as bad, if worse.
The script was full of tired and stale parallels of the predecessors, there was nothing else new. As a matter of fact, I don't think I laughed once when watching this movie. Not even when Marv falls off the chandelier. That raised a small curl of the mouth, but you can't help thinking you've seen it all before.
The script was absolutely repulsive, the direction was incompetent and the acting was stiff. Plus, it was perfectly obvious it was a TV movie, you could tell by the flat camera-work. Avoid! 1/10. (very seldom do I give a 1, but this abysmal film deserves lower!)Bethany Cox
Slightly, remotely funny
CuriosityKilledShawn7 May 2004
It's no secret that many despise Home Alone 3. At least it had some kind of technical proffesionalism behind it. The first 2 (and a bit of the 3rd) movies also benefited from a very strong musical score that elevated them far beyond a typical family comedy. Home Alone 4 however has an extremely cheap score and feels rushed and empty.
The very lean running time means there is no house full of traps, not a lot of plot to be wrapped up and no emotional pay-off. Plus, if I am correct in assuming Kevin's age in this film, this happens the same Xmas he was Lost in New York. So what's it to be? Dad's girlfriend's house or New York? Plus Marv is played by French Stewart (who didn't even bother to grow a beard for the part) and the rest of the cast is a bunch of unknowns. And it's obvious this was not filmed anywhere near winter, the lack of snow robs the film further of any Xmas-y feel it might have had. And what's with the constant, terrible ADR? It's very distracting.
There were some funny parts to this film and the new kid playing Kevin did it well. But the hand-held camera thingy, the bare sets and lack of anything to do with Xmas make this film look like a poverty-stricken TV movie.
The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and has a mediocre Dolby 5.1 track.
The very lean running time means there is no house full of traps, not a lot of plot to be wrapped up and no emotional pay-off. Plus, if I am correct in assuming Kevin's age in this film, this happens the same Xmas he was Lost in New York. So what's it to be? Dad's girlfriend's house or New York? Plus Marv is played by French Stewart (who didn't even bother to grow a beard for the part) and the rest of the cast is a bunch of unknowns. And it's obvious this was not filmed anywhere near winter, the lack of snow robs the film further of any Xmas-y feel it might have had. And what's with the constant, terrible ADR? It's very distracting.
There were some funny parts to this film and the new kid playing Kevin did it well. But the hand-held camera thingy, the bare sets and lack of anything to do with Xmas make this film look like a poverty-stricken TV movie.
The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and has a mediocre Dolby 5.1 track.
Worse than Home Alone 3
ScottyJBD3 November 2002
I found myself questioning the making of yet another Home Alone movie, let alone the making of another Home Alone movie that was to be made-for-tv, being skeptical i thought to myself "they must have a pretty decent script if theyre gonna attempt a made-for-tv sequel to what once was a pretty good franchise before it even was a franchise", but wow, this movie was awful, the young-uns might chuckle but the rest of the audience will be chuckling at the filmmakers.
Whoever was casting director should be fired, Kevins father was decent, well acted, but Kevin, who is now 9 when he was 10 in Home Alone 2, just isnt Kevin anymore, and who the hell decided to make Buzz around the same age as Kevin??? Marv wasnt too bad, but his character shouldnt have been brought back without Daniel Stern, but i give credit to Mr. Stewart.
Throughout the movie i kept asking why this movie was made, and in the beginning i thought i had the answer "What if we take the Home Alone series, and put Kevin in a technologically advanced house and see what he can do to one-half of the original bad guys?" this made me think the movie might actually be worth watching to see what kind of traps Kevin can create this time.
Basically, this movie sucks because he creates almost NO traps, there is a minor encounter in the beginning, and thats about it, Kevin ties together 2 or 3 pots, but thats IT, what the hell was this idiot director/writer/producers thinking, and to think that theyre couldnt possibly be a Home Alone movie worse than 3, at least that kid made some cool traps.
Whoever was casting director should be fired, Kevins father was decent, well acted, but Kevin, who is now 9 when he was 10 in Home Alone 2, just isnt Kevin anymore, and who the hell decided to make Buzz around the same age as Kevin??? Marv wasnt too bad, but his character shouldnt have been brought back without Daniel Stern, but i give credit to Mr. Stewart.
Throughout the movie i kept asking why this movie was made, and in the beginning i thought i had the answer "What if we take the Home Alone series, and put Kevin in a technologically advanced house and see what he can do to one-half of the original bad guys?" this made me think the movie might actually be worth watching to see what kind of traps Kevin can create this time.
Basically, this movie sucks because he creates almost NO traps, there is a minor encounter in the beginning, and thats about it, Kevin ties together 2 or 3 pots, but thats IT, what the hell was this idiot director/writer/producers thinking, and to think that theyre couldnt possibly be a Home Alone movie worse than 3, at least that kid made some cool traps.
AWFUL!!!
tiagobarradas17 January 2022
Only given a run for it's money for worst home alone by home sweet home alone
danieelgrahaam16 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Unlike most people I don't generally have an issue with home alone remakes/style movies as I feel the general idea is timeless. However, this film is genuinely like a bunch of people sat round a table and said 'how can be make the absolute worst film imaginable'
The plot itself isn't actually too bad, but it's absolutely butchered by the fact there's hardly any traps, most of the characters are quite unlikeable. An example of this is that 'Peter Mccallister' is pretty much an absolute scumbag in this film yet his new fiancee Natalie who isn't even that bad is built up to be an antagonist. Then at the end Peter absolutely heartlessly dumps her and leaves her alone at Christmas to get back together with his old wife, why? Well no real reason.
I can't believe this abomination was actually produced, a slug has more imagination than whoever wrote this.
The plot itself isn't actually too bad, but it's absolutely butchered by the fact there's hardly any traps, most of the characters are quite unlikeable. An example of this is that 'Peter Mccallister' is pretty much an absolute scumbag in this film yet his new fiancee Natalie who isn't even that bad is built up to be an antagonist. Then at the end Peter absolutely heartlessly dumps her and leaves her alone at Christmas to get back together with his old wife, why? Well no real reason.
I can't believe this abomination was actually produced, a slug has more imagination than whoever wrote this.
the greatest film of all time
theoneguyfromnowhere30 December 2021
This film is without a doubt the greatest film of all time. The plot is incredible and unpredictable. The performances from Mike Weinberg, Miss Pyle., Jason Beghe, and Joanna Going are spectacular. The screenplay is amazing and one of the best. It also has one of the best directing. This film explores the themes of ignorance and revenge. I highly recommend this film and if you haven't watched it, GO WATCH IT IMMEDIATELY.
It's not Kevin.
kelvinselimor12 December 2022
Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House. It's not Kevin. It's time for the holidays, which means it's time to watch Christmas movies and if you opt for the Home Alone franchise, then it's better to watch the first and second parts 101 times (maybe even the third), because the continuation in the face of Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House is a very unsuccessful attempt to continue the film series. Kevin was returned to us, but this is a completely different boy, he does not look like him, but rather a parody. The plot itself is almost empty. The thieves fall into a couple of traps and that's the whole finale. Therefore, watching this film should not be taken as Home Alone.
Nearly the worst film I have ever seen
Pjte15 August 2021
I'm not exaggerating... I saw this years ago when I was a child and exactly the target demographic for this film and it was for a long time the worst film I had ever seen. There is absolutely no need for this film. The original still stands up today, this never did. It tries to imitate the original and 'modernise' elements of the story but it doesn't capture any of the magic of the original. Few films have ever annoyed me so much. Avoid watching this at all costs and rewatch the original instead if you want a Home Alone fix.
Completely Unfaithful Sequel
JimRaynor5511 April 2005
First, I'll give a little background about what I thought about the previous Home Alone movies: The first two movies were childhood favorites of mine. They basically played on every kid's fantasies of being left alone to do anything they wanted. Kevin got to screw around the house/New York, spend lots of money, watch violent movies, talk back to adults, and beat the bad guys. What little kid wouldn't want to be Kevin? Home Alone 3 was trash. It was obviously just an attempt to cash in on the franchise, and resembled the original two in nothing but name. Replacing badass Kevin was a completely new, annoying kiddie brainiac. Instead of being truly left home alone for an extended period of time, the kid was just staying home sick with the chicken pox. And instead of a simple story about a kid fighting off two bumbling burglars, there was some lame wannabe James Bond plot about international spies working for the North Koreans. The franchise was pretty much dead with the aging of Macauly Culkin, and I couldn't believe this movie was even made. I didn't think the Home Alone series could sink any lower. I was wrong.
Home Alone 4 came out as a made-for-TV movie, on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney. It's TV origins definitely showed in the poor production values and acting. I watched this movie only because I had nothing better to do, and I wanted to see whether this one would be as big a failure as the third. It turned out to be worse.
They at least they got it right by using Kevin as the main character, but it was all downhill from there. It's like the writers didn't even watch the first two movies. I understand the use of younger actors, since the originals are now too old. However, Kevin, Buzz, and everyone else actually seemed younger than they were in the originals.
The kid in this movie was Kevin in name only. The badass Kevin from the originals was reduced to some whiny, 5 year old crybaby. His parents were now in the middle of a divorce, which was very painful to him. Uh, when the hell was the Home Alone series ever about divorce? At one point Kevin's father mentions that his family always stays up to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" because it's one of their traditions. Funny, I never remembered seeing that tradition in the previous movies.
Marv of the Wet Bandits was back, but he too was completely changed. The real Marv was a goofy moron, while this guy was a grumpy grouch (it looked like the writers got him mixed up with his partner Harry from the originals). Harry was gone, replaced by Marv's fat, whiny wife. When the hell was Marv ever married? The jokes were lame and unfunny, and because the movie was made by Disney, there was also very little violence. The original Kevin hurled bricks and he laid complex systems of traps involving fire, electricity, and sharp objects. The new Kevin never even had a plan in this movie, and he resorted to such wimpy tactics as locking a burglar into an elevator, and using prerecorded messages to fool the others.
Nothing in this movie, from its attitude to its characters, resembles the originals. It really fails to recapture the greatness of the movies that preceded it. In a way, I guess that's a good thing. The lack of continuity makes it easier for us to just forget about this piece of trash.
Home Alone 4 came out as a made-for-TV movie, on ABC's Wonderful World of Disney. It's TV origins definitely showed in the poor production values and acting. I watched this movie only because I had nothing better to do, and I wanted to see whether this one would be as big a failure as the third. It turned out to be worse.
They at least they got it right by using Kevin as the main character, but it was all downhill from there. It's like the writers didn't even watch the first two movies. I understand the use of younger actors, since the originals are now too old. However, Kevin, Buzz, and everyone else actually seemed younger than they were in the originals.
The kid in this movie was Kevin in name only. The badass Kevin from the originals was reduced to some whiny, 5 year old crybaby. His parents were now in the middle of a divorce, which was very painful to him. Uh, when the hell was the Home Alone series ever about divorce? At one point Kevin's father mentions that his family always stays up to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" because it's one of their traditions. Funny, I never remembered seeing that tradition in the previous movies.
Marv of the Wet Bandits was back, but he too was completely changed. The real Marv was a goofy moron, while this guy was a grumpy grouch (it looked like the writers got him mixed up with his partner Harry from the originals). Harry was gone, replaced by Marv's fat, whiny wife. When the hell was Marv ever married? The jokes were lame and unfunny, and because the movie was made by Disney, there was also very little violence. The original Kevin hurled bricks and he laid complex systems of traps involving fire, electricity, and sharp objects. The new Kevin never even had a plan in this movie, and he resorted to such wimpy tactics as locking a burglar into an elevator, and using prerecorded messages to fool the others.
Nothing in this movie, from its attitude to its characters, resembles the originals. It really fails to recapture the greatness of the movies that preceded it. In a way, I guess that's a good thing. The lack of continuity makes it easier for us to just forget about this piece of trash.
Why?
anacpaniagua7 January 2022
Awful!!!!!!!!!!!
LilacPrincess28 December 2003
Kevin is back once again in this awful fourth installment of the classic home alone films one of the reason this film is so bad is because it has a weak plot and none of the original actors/actresses at all are in it!Kevin [Mike Weinberg]is at Natalie`s home {Joanna Going}his Dads girlfriend because his parents have split up.And you can most likely guess the plot Marv [French Stewart] is back along with his new accomplice Vera To rob his house once again.The plot is weak and the story drags on and does not make sense for the following reasons:
1:None of the original actors are in it and what happened to Harry? 2:Kevin was about 12 in number 2 he is now 10! 3:He had about 4-5 siblings he now has three! 4:Buzz was a scary teenager in the other installments hes now a wimp and hes younger. 5:The actor who plays Kevin in this installment Mike Weinberg has brown hair,Kevin had blond hair. 6:Why would Marv come back and try and rob Kevin again when he has already been caught twice?
My conclusion is that this is a complete waste of time watching and making they have not even tried to get characters to look like they did in the 1st films even though there different actors but thats not the point!Number Three was bad enough but number four was just a lame excuse for bad actors to star in films,i hope the filmmakers know what they have done!!!!!!!!
They have crossed the line!!!!>:[
0/10
1:None of the original actors are in it and what happened to Harry? 2:Kevin was about 12 in number 2 he is now 10! 3:He had about 4-5 siblings he now has three! 4:Buzz was a scary teenager in the other installments hes now a wimp and hes younger. 5:The actor who plays Kevin in this installment Mike Weinberg has brown hair,Kevin had blond hair. 6:Why would Marv come back and try and rob Kevin again when he has already been caught twice?
My conclusion is that this is a complete waste of time watching and making they have not even tried to get characters to look like they did in the 1st films even though there different actors but thats not the point!Number Three was bad enough but number four was just a lame excuse for bad actors to star in films,i hope the filmmakers know what they have done!!!!!!!!
They have crossed the line!!!!>:[
0/10
The worst movie I have ever seen
sb-9425 April 2006
I first saw this movie when I rented it out from my local video store, I can honestly say it is the worst movie I have ever seen! It doesn't even deserve the right to be called a movie, I am a big fan of Home alone 1 and 2 and I wasn't really disappointed with 3 but 4 is just horrible. The acting is dreadful, the bad guys aren't scary of funny and aren't even both guys! The kid who plays Kevin is dreadful and your left hoping the bad guys actually get him and strangle him. The storyline is just stupid and why they decided to keep the same characters as the first two home alone's is beyond me. Overall I have to say this movie is a big disappointment and I only gave it the rating 1 because I had to, if I could give it a zero I would.
Made an account just to review this tragedy
jwjohnson-345997 December 2020
Tragically, if I had seen this movie before my children made me watch I would've had a vasectomy. Thankfully I was in Marine Corps boot camp when it came out which was a far superior experience to watching this piece of hot trash. But alas, Covid isolation had brought out the worst in movies options.
I will bear the burden of humanity to sacrifice myself in telling you that out of the hundred horrible experiences that come to mind, this is snuggled somewhere in between a prostate exam with a splintered piece of firewood and being sucked apart by the vacuum of space. Please do not let my sacrifice be in vain...
I will bear the burden of humanity to sacrifice myself in telling you that out of the hundred horrible experiences that come to mind, this is snuggled somewhere in between a prostate exam with a splintered piece of firewood and being sucked apart by the vacuum of space. Please do not let my sacrifice be in vain...
The Worst Movie I've ever seen
daninewton128 July 2010
I hate this movie. I loved the other three films, they are real comedy classics (even though Home Alone 3 features on Alex instead of Kevin). I never thought I'd hate a Home Alone Movie.
When I bought this movie on DVD I thought it was going to be another classical Home Alone Story like the first three and that it would feature another different character. But...when I put the DVD on I was quite shocked that it was back on to Kevin, but with a totally different cast of actors who looked nothing like the originals, especially Kevin, Buzz, Megan and Marv (who looks like Harry).
WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING!!! I mean the children looked younger in this movie than in the first two, Kevin is said to be 10 in Home Alone 2, but in this one he's 9 and Buzz seams like he's 19 o'r 20 in the first two films, but in this one he looks about 12 o'r 13. What's more Kevin had two brothers and two sisters in the first films, but in this one he only has one of each.
Worse of all KEVIN'S NOT HOME ALONE ONCE IN THIS MOVIE!!! he's always occupied by someone, also WHERE ARE ALL THE BOOBY TRAPS!!! and why bring back Kevin if you've no longer got Macauley Kulkin to play him.
If you're a fan of Home Alone then...DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE...what ever you do, avoid this movie at all costs.
When I bought this movie on DVD I thought it was going to be another classical Home Alone Story like the first three and that it would feature another different character. But...when I put the DVD on I was quite shocked that it was back on to Kevin, but with a totally different cast of actors who looked nothing like the originals, especially Kevin, Buzz, Megan and Marv (who looks like Harry).
WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE THEY THINKING!!! I mean the children looked younger in this movie than in the first two, Kevin is said to be 10 in Home Alone 2, but in this one he's 9 and Buzz seams like he's 19 o'r 20 in the first two films, but in this one he looks about 12 o'r 13. What's more Kevin had two brothers and two sisters in the first films, but in this one he only has one of each.
Worse of all KEVIN'S NOT HOME ALONE ONCE IN THIS MOVIE!!! he's always occupied by someone, also WHERE ARE ALL THE BOOBY TRAPS!!! and why bring back Kevin if you've no longer got Macauley Kulkin to play him.
If you're a fan of Home Alone then...DON'T WATCH THIS MOVIE...what ever you do, avoid this movie at all costs.
Even 3 was better than this one!
Sk8ta19875 November 2002
I have always been a huge fan of the HOME ALONe trilogy, I was angry when I heard they were going to make the 4th one, and only make it a TV movie. I thought that give HOME ALONe a bad name. So, being a true fan of HOME ALONe I watched it Sunday night.....WHAT A POOR EXCUSE FOR A HOME ALONe FILM! It was Kevin, Buzz, and Mehgan. What happened to Linnie and Jeff? Kevin was 10 in HOME ALONe2, now all of a sudden he's 9! What about the traps? I counted a total of 7. You think they would have given French Stewart a wig and a goatee to look more like Marv? NO! In my opinion HOME ALONe4 gets 2 toes down!
The most Awful Sequel ever!
jvfunn113 August 2009
I must say Home Alone 4 Taking Back the House was the most awful sequel I've ever seen! The plot was dumb. Kevin's parents split up and Marv and his wife plan on robbing the house of Kevin's father's girlfriend! I think they should of made a Home Alone where Macauly Culkin and the original cast could return like Home Alone: Going Off to College where Kevin (Macauly Culkin) and his cousin Fueller (Kiera Culkin) are now grown up and decide to go to college together and Marv and Harry (Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci) finally get out of jail for robbing houses and breaking out and robbing toy stores and this time Harry and Marv plan to rob the college that Kevin and Fueller are attending so Kevin and Fueller decide to trap them with traps and send them back to jail! If you are a fan of the first two Home Alone movies like me I recommend that you don't watch this because you'll hate it! I know I hated it! 1 out of 10!
Good Actors, Bad Movie
Tri-State_Skater30 January 2014
I was a fan of the kid playing Kevin as a kid. The adult actors were also good but at age ten I only cared about what kids were doing.
The plot is awful and doesn't make sense since Kevin is nine again. The actors aren't bad but they don't have a lot to work with. French Stewart brings a different kind of Marv to the table. Some hardcore fans may find that annoying.
The butler is cool but his character doesn't have a lot of life to him. The actor really did a good job making that work. He's a stereotypical adult whose stuck in a rut.
I recommend the movie to kids but if you didn't grow up with it you may not like it.
The plot is awful and doesn't make sense since Kevin is nine again. The actors aren't bad but they don't have a lot to work with. French Stewart brings a different kind of Marv to the table. Some hardcore fans may find that annoying.
The butler is cool but his character doesn't have a lot of life to him. The actor really did a good job making that work. He's a stereotypical adult whose stuck in a rut.
I recommend the movie to kids but if you didn't grow up with it you may not like it.
Should have stopped at 2
JETEye71529 November 2004
Home Alone was GREAT, Home Alone 2 was Better. That is where they should have stopped. Chris Columbus did great on the first 2. Home Alone 3 was terrible. Different Characters, Different Storyline, Different Crooks. Home Alone 4 takes the cake as the absolute worst only because it does not have the original actors, and Marv has a new co-hort. Everybody knew them as Harry and Marv or "The Wet Bandits". Marv cannot function without Harry (He could barely function WITH Harry). This movie is HORRIBLE!!! I give it 2 thumbs down and 0 Stars. Whose idea was it for Kevin's parents to Divorce. That ruined the whole McCALLISTER deal. As far as I'm concerned, there are only 2 home alones, and they both feature the same character and they live at 671 Lincoln Blvd. (Do you need the phone number :-)
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