The Holiday season will soon be upon us and Disney Plus is celebrating early with the newest addition to the Home Alone franchise, Home Sweet Home Alone, hitting the streaming platform on Disney Plus Day, November 12, 2021. Home Sweet Home Alone introduces an entirely new group of characters, but with some hilarious callback to the Christmas classic that so many people love.
The Illuminerdi had the opportunity to attend the Home Sweet Home Alone virtual press conference where the cast talked about working with Devin Ratray, who reprised his role as Buzz McCallister from Home Alone. Ellie Kemper and Rob Delaney shared their experience working with the Home Alone alum.
Ellie Kemper enthused, “He’s a fantastic actor and I was so happy that Devin could do this film. He’s brilliant in the scenes.”
Rob Delaney recalled, “I mean, they’re seen together when I’m watching from a car. I’m watching Ellie charm him. I’m watching him and I’m like, “All right. That’s enough. That’s enough.” He’s so great and charming. And the thing is, it’s not like a stunt to have him in. Yes, you’re thrilled to see him come back but he’s so good in this, that there’s so many moments…It’s a very special performance.”
With Devin Ratray reprising his role as Buzz McCallister it brings this new story into the already established world of Home Alone. Home Sweet Home Alone has a number of Easter eggs for fans with Devin Ratray being an especially fun one. But one aspect of Home Sweet Home Alone that is so special is that it is not only a new story, but it brings a unique twist to the classic Home Alone burglary tale.
Home Sweet Home Alone doesn’t have villains in the way the original Christmas film did. Instead the motivation of both sides is sympathetic which simultaneously adds a whole new layer of comedy and drama to the film. Stars Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, and Aisling Bea shared their thoughts on this new dynamic.
Ellie Kemper revealed, “Our mission was one inspired by, I think, goodness. I think we wanted, our motives were good. We wanted to save our family.”
Rob Delaney however joked that while they were filming he definitely felt there was a villain even if that is not the case when watching Home Sweet Home Alone.
“That said though, for me, there is a villain in the film and he’s played by Archie Yates and his character is named Max Mercer. Cause we’re trying to get back our stuff that we need to save our family. So, throughout filming, I didn’t think of myself as a method actor, but the whole time I was like, “Oh, Max is the enemy.” So, when I watched the final film and you for felt sympathetic towards Max, I was like, “This must be a different film than the one I appeared in.” So certainly, in watching it, I think there’s no antagonists but in filming it, I was like, “Max is my enemy and he must come to harm.””
Aisling Bea also talked about how this shift brings a unique spin to the classic story in Home Sweet Home Alone.
“I think like Rob and Ellie were talking about, there’s a bit of a change in the balance of evil versus good. So in Home Alone 1 and 2, you were very aware of who was bad and who was good. And now this time around, you can sort of understand the burglars, where are they coming from emotionally in the movie. And I think there’s a lot more evil in young Max. So yeah, it’s kind of a different balance as you can tell from his little face.”
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Home Sweet Home Alone manages to bring a unique take on a Holiday favorite that is sure to be fun for not only fans of Home Alone, but a new generation of Holiday film aficionados. Home Sweet Home Alone is directed by Dan Mazer and stars Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Tim Simons, and Ally Maki.
HOME SWEET HOME ALONE TRAILER AND SYNOPSIS
Ten-year-old Max Mercer has been accidentally left behind while his family is in Japan for the holidays. So when a married couple attempting to retrieve a priceless heirloom set their sights on his family’s home, it is up to Max to protect it from the trespassers…and he will do whatever it takes to keep them out.
Home Sweet Home Alone hits Disney Plus November 12, 2021. Are you going to be watching Home Sweet Home Alone? Are you a Home Alone fan? Have you started watching Holiday films yet? Leave your thoughts in the comments below or on our social media and check back with The Illuminerdi for more Disney news.
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