In the 6th Home Alone installment streaming on Disney+, Max Mercer (played by Archie Yates) predictably finds himself home alone for Christmas when his family and extended family misses him when they go on a trip. He ends up protecting his house with the usual HA traps from couple Pam and Jeff McKenzie (Rob Delaney and Kimmy Schmidt's Ellie Kemper) who are trying to retrieve a valuable doll he took from them.
HSHA suffers from being a rather basic children's film, which like all the sequels just couldn't quite match the magic of the original. (To be fair, I think HA3 is underappreciated.) Though this definitely has a bigger budget and cast behind it than the last two made-for-TV versions that you may not have even known existed, this movie still has a very-made-for-TV feel to it. It doesn't help that Max is a straight up rude brat, not simply rough around the edges like the original Kevin McCallister.
To make it clear, I'm not saying this is a downright bad movie, just mediocre. I see a lot of people online hating this, but I think it's fault is being unable to make the material sparkle rather than bad writing. This is written by SNL actor/writer Mikey Day and College Humor alumni/SNL writer Streeter Seidell (they co-wrote the popular David S. Pumpkins sketch) and it feels like they were trying. There are some fun lines in this and one laugh-out-loud moment near the end. Also, the movie does have a sweet scene in this that actually manages to fill the expected HA touching moment quota without falling into the hole of simply replicating the misunderstood old man moment that 2 and 3 did.
I'll give the writers this, they definitely knew how to handle the setup. Rather than predictably spend a lot of time watching Max getting frustrated with his family like in the first film, they go through it quickly, because we all know how this goes. (Admittedly, we barely get a feel for what Max's father is like.) I'm also pleased that this avoids the bullying older sibling trope that appeared in the first three films. The script also does a surprisingly valid job of explaining why Max isn't picked up by the cops when his parents realize he's missing.
The best part of this are definitely the foils the McKenzies. Of all the pretenders to the Wet Bandits' thrown, I've got to say that these are probably the franchise's best home invader replacements. (Not to knock the quartet from HA3, again underrated, who weren't half bad themselves.) The movie breaks from formula by making them sympathetic and not villainous crooks like in previous entries. Heck, a lot more time is spent on the McKenzies and their family than Max. Which I prefer because they're more interesting than the lead and have the best lines. (Though, I admit that the subplot about Jeff's brother's family visiting for Christmas wastes time and could've been cut.) They're practically the protagonists, and Max is kinda the antagonist. Delaney does a good job as a guy who's slightly awkward, and Kemper is even better as she brings her traditional energy to the more driven half of the couple.
The slapstick and traps in this isn't half bad if not as memorable as the first film, especially considering that you just can't go as violent as you could in the 90's.
The movie features a pleasant number of guest appearances from established comedic actors. (Say what you will about this but casting's not it's weak point.) Kenan Thompson shines as a real estate agent. They link this movie to the original with a brief appearance from Kevin McCallister's brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) (I'm not spoiling anything; he's in the trailer) and his role fits in organically, plus he's fun.
Overall, this isn't a must see. However, your kids will probably like it, and there's nothing disagreeable with the film. If a family member was watching this or it's decades later and my memories have gotten hazy, I'd probably watch it again. If you're a Rob Delaney and/or Ellie Kemper this will probably be up your alley.
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