Welcome back! Last time, we discussed the plot points in Act One of the classic holiday film Home Alone. Today, we’ll discuss the major plot elements found in Act Two.
Let’s begin.
Home Alone – ACT TWO
Now that Kevin recognizes Harry, our kid protagonist changes tactics and goes from being a scared little boy to being his home’s protector. He stages the “holiday party,” which throws off Harry and Marv when they return to Kevin’s home later that night, but he adapts to his newfound independence.
Skipping ahead: When Marv sticks his foot through the doggie door and loses his shoes, Kevin is ready with the classic scene from Angels with Filthy Souls, which spooks Marv into running back to the van. Upon telling Harry what happened, Marv has the idea to stake out the house to see who emerges.
Instead of Acey and Snakes, they spy Kevin exiting to saw down a Christmas tree and take it back into the house. As Kevin decorates, Harry peers into the window; Kevin sees Harry’s reflection in an ornament.
Harry concludes that Kevin is home alone, and here’s where we get to the Mid-Point, which is…
“The Hero reaches a Point of No Return beyond which turning back is no longer an option…Conflict with the Adversary becomes deeply personal…A ‘ticking clock’ time limit is set in motion…An unmasking takes place, literally or figuratively, and an inner truth gets revealed” (Edson 219-220).
In this story, around 1:02:37, Kevin overhears Harry telling Marv that they’ll come back around nine o’clock, which provides Kevin and the viewer with the ‘ticking clock’ element of the mid-point. It’s do-or-die for Kevin since he knows when they’re returning and must actively defend his home from the Wet Bandits.
But wait, you may be saying. This isn’t a 2-hour and 4-minute movie, so how can that be the Mid-Point? Ah. If you trimmed out the family in Paris and John Candy sub-plots and focused on Kevin, this scene would be much closer to the middle of the film than in the final film. Id be curious to see how the screenplay is structured to see if this moment falls more in the center of the story, too.
After Kevin overhears Harry and Marv’s plan, Kevin goes and asks “Santa” to bring his family home, walks around the cold streets, watches happy families celebrate together, and has a touching moment of clarity and compassion with Marley at the church. As Kevin leaves the church and the bells sound the time, Kevin rushes home and springs into action, prepping his home for the battle to come.
My favorite part of the movie transpires here as nine o’clock comes around, and Harry and Marv get the crap kicked out of them in hilariously cartoonish fashion.
At 1:25:05, Kevin calls 9-1-1, giving his neighbor’s last name and address as he prepares to flee the house.
Kevin narrowly escapes from Marv’s grasp thanks to Buzz’s tarantula appearing on the stairs to the attic, and Kevin escapes his home to his tree house.
After some more impressive stunt work, Harry and Marv chase Kevin into the Murphy’s house. But Harry has a better idea. And that better idea leads us to…
Plot Point/Stunning Surprise 2: “comes out of the blue and changes everything. It signals the end of Act Two and the beginning of Act Three…frequently the primary additional punch of Stunning Surprise #2 is that it completely destroys the Hero’s plan for victory and announces that sweeping improvisation will now be required for the Hero to have any chance of besting the Adversary” (Edson 129).
At 1:29:43, Kevin swings open the flooded basement’s door to see Harry and Marv there waiting for him, and Harry’s line, “Hiya, pal. We outsmarted ya this time.” They grab Kevin and hook him onto the basement door…
It appears Kevin has lost. After all his hard work and learning, Harry and Marv may have finally bested him as we enter Act Three.
Or have they?
Next time, we’ll explore Act Three’s plot elements and see how Kevin fares against these two bumbling burglars.
See you then!
Are your plot elements in alignment with mine? In the comments below, let me know what you think the Mid-Point and Plot Point #2 are!
