The Big Picture

• Buzz's bully-like behavior and intentional provocation led to Kevin's isolation and ultimately being left home alone.
• Cousin Heather's failure to properly count Kevin during the chaotic morning rush contributed to him being forgotten.
• Kevin's parents, especially Kate, are to blame for not paying enough attention to Kevin's plea and punishment, leading to his abandonment.

Christmastime is here, so it's time to put on a holiday classic like Home Alone to get in the spirit. By now, everyone should be familiar with the movie about Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin), a troubled eight-year-old boy who has mistakenly been left home alone after his family leaves for their Christmas trip to Paris. It's one of the best holiday movies to watch during this time of year as it is both entertaining and heartwarming. However, rewatching this classic can leave you wondering about the long debate over who was really at fault for Kevin being home alone.

While Home Alone is just a fictional film, it still begs the question... how a family can leave this young boy behind? Some may believe no one is to blame and instead point to the heavy winds that caused the power outage at night as the culprit. The outage makes the family wake up late and puts them in a frenzy when they realize they are going to be late for their flight to Paris. Even still, it can be tempting to narrow it down to only one family member being at fault. For instance, either Kevin's older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray), his cousin Heather (Kristin Minter), or his parents Kate (Catherine O'Hara) and Peter (John Heard). In fact, each one of them plays a key role in this horrible holiday mishap. With no malice, nor intention, each one of them is responsible for Kevin being left home alone.

Home Alone

PGComedyFamily

An eight-year-old troublemaker, mistakenly left home alone, must defend his home against a pair of burglars on Christmas eve. 

Release Date November 16, 1990 Director Chris Columbus Cast Macaulay Culkin , Joe Pesci , Daniel Stern , John Heard , Roberts Blossom , Catherine O'Hara Runtime 103 minutes Tagline A Family Comedy Without The Family

Why Is Buzz Responsible for Kevin Being 'Home Alone'?

From the beginning of the film, Kevin's home life is not depicted as the best. He lives in constant ridicule from his family and is even deemed as being "completely helpless" by some of them. But the one who entices him the most is his older brother Buzz. Ranked as the least likable McCallister in Home Alone, Buzz's bully-like behavior takes joy in making Kevin's life hell. He intentionally picks on him to lose his temper in front of his parents, therefore being labeled as the troublemaker of the family. Buzz's constant antics are why he holds some of the blame for him being forgotten at home.

The night before the flight, the McCallisters are gathered around the kitchen with boxes of pizzas being passed around. In true bully fashion, Buzz takes the opportunity to pick a fight with Kevin when he asks for his cheese pizza. He informs him that the family has already eaten it and pretends to throw up a slice just for him. This sets Kevin off, and he tackles him down right there in the kitchen and inadvertently causes a big mess that results in his plane ticket getting lost. During all that commotion, cups of milk are spilled over the counter, which destroys Kevin's plane ticket. Buzz is at fault because he wants to entice him to act out in front of the family, especially his mother, who he knows will discipline him. Their altercation resulted in his isolation from the rest of the family and essentially led him to be forgotten the following morning.

How Did Cousin Heather Miscount Kevin in 'Home Alone'?

Now we go on to another member of the McCallisters' family tree, whom many Home Alone fans believe holds some blame, cousin Heather. As the oldest of the McCallister children, Heather is put in charge of taking the headcount of each of the kids and mistakes the back of the neighbor kid's head as Kevin. During the family's hectic morning, they don't take notice of the neighbor kid who pops by to snoop around through their stuff.

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While it could have been an easy mistake to make as the kid's height was pretty similar to Kevin's, Heather could still have done a more thorough job. Each kid in the family stood in line and faced her directly, except the neighbor kid, whom she mistook for Kevin. Heather should have made sure that it was Kevin. She could have tapped him on the shoulder to force him to turn around and reassure her headcount. It would have alleviated all the worry and Kevin would have joined his family in Paris.

Were Kevin's Parents Responsible For Him Being 'Home Alone'?

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For a big family, it makes perfect sense for Kevin's parents, Kate and Peter, to have their minds scattered around as they prepare for their trip to Paris. However, they still hold most of the blame for their eight-year-old son being left home alone. Especially Kate, who comes off as naive to Buzz's antics toward Kevin. She ignores his pleas for her to see the constant ridicule he endures from the family. After the fight with Buzz, Kate punishes Kevin and sends him to the attic to sleep there alone for the night. It ultimately resulted in him being forgotten the next morning as the attic was the only room on the third floor. As her full dedication to getting back to Kevin will not go unnoticed, many believe that a responsible mother would have listened to their young child and taken count of them at the airport.

The blame could go both ways with either parent, as Peter holds equal responsibility as well. Peter came off a bit blasé compared to Kate's reaction when they discovered Kevin had been forgotten back home. He also could have taken count of him during that hectic morning and alleviated the stress of the headcount from Heather. Yet, there is an important detail from the beginning of the film, that a great BuzzFeed article that perfectly captures the timeline of the moment will hold Peter to carry the majority of the blame. After the fight between Buzz and Kevin is dispersed, Peter cleans up the mess and unknowingly throws Kevin's plane and the rest of the mess into the trash bin. It's a moment during the scuffle that is so fleeting that many fans of the film have never noticed it before. One that will have to be played back a couple of times to catch the moment when he throws his plane ticket away. Now the airline hostess could have helped Kevin's parents a lot by taking count of the tickets she was handed. Peter should have been aware of the tickets and passports that were irresponsibly laid next to the food and drinks. But no matter, because Home Alone will continue to leave this debate open as it brings about many great discussions and theories to the forefront. While some may shift some blame onto Kevin because he should never have made that wish for his family to disappear, many Home Alone fans, like myself, still hold these four responsible.

Home Alone is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.WATCH ON DISNEY+

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