An enduring question for many fans of the classic holiday film ‘Home Alone’ has been how the parents of young protagonist Kevin McCallister could afford their large, luxurious home in Chicago. This question has been definitively answered by the director of the film himself, Chris Columbus. According to him, he and John Hughes, the writer of the movie, had already settled on what the occupations of the parents were during the film’s creation.
The specific professions of Kevin’s parents were under consideration during the development of the film. If you’ve paid detailed attention to the film, you might have picked up some hints. For instance, the mannequin party scene that Kevin sets up to frighten intruders may lead viewers to guess that the mother character, played by Catherine O’Hara, was a prominent figure in the fashion design industry. This was confirmed by Columbus.
The specifics about the father character, Peter McCallister, however, are slightly more ambiguous. ‘John Hughes, drawing from his own life experiences, may have conceived the idea that the father worked in advertising,’ reveals Columbus, although he concedes that he does not recall the exact professional career chosen for the character.
However, despite the uncertainty around Peter McCallister’s profession, Columbus was firmly clear on one thing — Peter was not involved with organized crime. ‘This is not a mafia story, even though organized crime was fairly prevalent in Chicago around the time the film was set,’ Columbus made clear. His words put to rest the rumors and theories about Peter McCallister’s criminal connections and the significant wealth.
With this clarification, fans of the family-comedy film can now rest easy and freely engage in mimicking their favorite ‘Kevin’ moments. The revelation no doubt brings a sense of relief to those who had puzzled over the origin of the McCallisters’ wealth for years. Besides, the film’s child actors are seemingly enjoying revisiting their iconic moments.
The children of the original cast members experience the film in a distinctly different way though, explains one of the cast members. ‘Despite the movie being a comedy, there are moments within it that genuinely frighten the young ones,’ said the anonymous cast member. He cited examples such as the appearance of the tarantula and the threatening line from the character Harry, ‘I’m gonna bite off all your fingers,’ as being particularly menacing for young viewers.
Yet, despite these moments of fright, a cast member hinted at the possibility of a special family screen-viewing of the film. “We believe our own kids could be ready to finally watch ‘Home Alone’ this year,” the person said. If not, they suggested that the iconic viewing may occur in the subsequent year. The prospect of watching their parents’ legendary performances must be a unique, exciting experience for these children.