Every crime Kevin McCallister commits in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’
For unexplained reasons, some people just want to suck the fun out of everything, and that even applies to Christmas classic Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.
While not quite as universally adored as the original, it’s almost impossible to watch the first without getting the itch to revisit the second. The timeless capers in the festive gem find themselves experiencing a surge in popularity each time December rolls around.
Watching Macaulay Culkin’s Kevin McCallister wreak havoc on the Wet Bandits for a second time is extremely entertaining. However, it was explained by self-proclaimed ‘Barrister, Blogger, and Sunday Times No.1 Bestselling Author’ The Secret Barrister that the youngster broke the law on quite a few occasions in order to ensure he’d escape the clutches of Joe Pesci’s Harry and Daniel Stern’s Marv once again.
It starts from the very beginning, too, with Kevin in danger of violating laws around voyeurism after he records Gerry Bamman’s Uncle Frank in the shower. All of this happens when the family are packing for their trip to Florida, which means he’s already flouting the law before he’s even left home alone.
Under Section 9 of the 1988 Criminal Justice Act, Kevin can be prosecuted for battery after retaliating when being belittled by his brother Buzz during their visit to a local church, with the pianist who gets caught up in their sibling squabbling in with a case for Actual Bodily Harm as detailed in Section 47. All this, and he still hasn’t been left to his own devices.
The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 and the Explosives Act 1875 affect both Kevin and the shopkeeper who gladly sells him fireworks. Of course, he’s clearly nowhere near old enough to buy them – punishable by a six-month sentence – before he hits the big time by fraudulently securing himself a glitzy suite at the Plaza Hotel.
When he does eventually end up in the crosshairs of the Wet Bandits, it’s noted that his plan – dubbed ‘Operation Ho Ho Ho’ – would be admissible as a confession of guilt. It indicates that his assault on Harry and Marv is clearly premeditated, and that’s without even mentioning the various instances of criminal damage caused by their ongoing battle.
After emerging victorious, were Kevin to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, then he could be charged with all of the aforementioned offences, as well as attempts to inflict grievous bodily harm, considering the state he left the Wet Bandits in. All in all, he’d theoretically be facing four years of detention, with the possibility of another four added on.
The Home Alone franchise may have continued after Culkin’s exit. However, based on the litany of crimes he committed during the sequel, a gritty prison thriller that sees Kevin utilising his talent for elaborate schemes to escape from his incarceration would have made for a refreshing – if unnecessarily dark – twist on the formula.
