jboothmillard Review of Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House

The Wonderful World of Disney: Home Alone 4: Taking Back the House (2002) Season Unknown, Episode Unknown

Home Alone 4

[2/10 · 29 October 2008]

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!