There are not many watchable Christmas movies, but this fifth installment of the Home Alone movie series is worth watching, at least once.This film is not as good as Home Alone 3, but it is funny at times and still has the cringe-worthy humour.As a person who hates swear words, i find this flick refreshing as there aren't any curse words in the dialogue (that is one of the positive features of family films) the only word that is featured which comes close to a swear word is the word "Shut up" which is not that bad and is actually funny due to the way the particular character uses this word.Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is not a brilliant movie, but i'd rather watch this than a riveting thriller that is full of swear words.

Harmless fifth film in the Home Alone franchise is far removed from the box office glory days when Macaulay Culkin was booby-trapping the Wet Bandits at home or in New York. Here, the McCallisters no longer figure at all in what happens nor do Pesci and Stern. Three thieves (mastermind planner Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples as his hired associates) plan to heist a secret room in the basement of a strangled bootlegger whose house is now owned and occupied by the Baxter family. Finn (Christian Martyn) is told by a neighborhood kid that the house is haunted and for a while he believes so. Finn's sister, Alexis (Jodelle Ferland), and him discover the room which is hidden behind a giant empty safe which has moonshine in bottles and an 85 million dollar painting (which McDowell is ultimately after as the woman painted is his mom). Finn sets up booby traps (of course) during a night when his parents are away at the mother's boss's party (the mom is the new VP for senile Ed Asner who has lapses in memory). McDowell gets hit with eggnog and is "gift wrapped" after damaging his leg on a woodchipper in the backyard of the Baxters' house, Mazar has her head dumped with tar and is popped on the ass with golfballs sling-shot from Finn in his bedroom (she is even made up into a snowman), and Steeples is hit in the face with foam and assaulted by a softball machine spitting marbles repeatedly at him. The booby trap gags are just not as tickle-the-funny-bone, laugh-out-loud funny anymore. And the traps just aren't inventive as they once were. McDowell being the recipient of booby-trap attacks and haunted tricks (Finn, in his closet, pulls strings which close curtains, turns lights on and off, and triggers his television to portray his face distorted into something grotesque) could be seen as kind of tragic but he's been taking paycheck roles for some time now. He's fun to watch, though, as is a spirited Mazar who is recovering from a breakup with McDowell's former safecracker. Peebles, too, gets into the part as a goof McDowell always scolds. The Baxters are your basic Disney family, with lovable oaf, Doug Murray, as the father, Ellie Harvie as frazzled mom who is feeling guilt for moving her family all the way from Cali to Maine, snooty Ferland (of Silent Hill and some Twilight sequels) as Finn's older sister (she's always rolling her eyes and scoffing about her "lame" fam), and sweet Martyn who just doesn't have that mischievous "problem child" quality Kevin McCallister imbued in the first two Home Alone films. Finn loves his video games, causing concern for his mom who is worried about his lack of social activity. Ferland's Alexis spends time on her computer and phone, just wanting her alone time. Asner, as the boss with a party full of happy employees (and their spouses), is a welcome presence, but he's up there in age and has trouble with his lines. Still, as a boss who sees his party snowed in as no big deal, while the Baxter parents are quite rightfully bothered at the thought of their kids' home alone, he's pleasant and warm (he plays him as a lively boss who seems to love his people). With Peter DaCunha as Mason, the little boy across the street who has quite a knack with creating plenty out of snow (his snow-tossing weapon puts Mazar in her place) and Bill Tumbull as a gamer Finn meets while the two play an online shoot 'em up, resulting in an unlikely friendship that provides assistance to law enforcement. Tumbull's attempt to warn the mother of her kids' danger goes horribly wrong and is one of the best scenes in the film. Truthfully none of the booby traps really stand out as especially memorable. This makes the first (and even the inferior second) film a masterpiece in comparison, but I have spent my time with a lot worse. And I didn't mind spending time with the cast representing this forgettable 80 minute Christmastime farce. But I think I can speak for many (especially considering the rating for this film is so low) who feel as I do about the Home Alone franchise: enough already.

Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is a TV movie and the fifth installment of the Home Alone franchise.It stars Christian Martyn, Jodelle Ferland, Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples.It is the second film of the franchise that does not focus on Kevin McCallister but rather a new kid in Finn Baxter.Despite having new characters and a new setting,it pays several homages to the first film. The Baxter family moves from California to Maine.Finn is somewhat suspicious that the house is haunted with a ghost.Later his parents and his sister leaves the house and got stranded across town,Finn finds himself all alone at home by himself and he has to defend his home against three thieves.While this is probably better than the third and fourth mediocre film of the Home Alone series,I felt that it is time to end the series.After telling the same story and providing nothing new,then it is time put an end to the franchise out of respect to the original film,which happens to be beloved by many viewers around the world.

The Home Alone franchise pumps out a fifth attempt at recapturing what the first two managed to achieve. In this sequel, the Baxter family moves into a creepy old house in which people believe may be haunted. The young Baxter child named Finn is left home alone (with his sister...) while his parents go off to some fancy Christmas party. Meanwhile, there are three thieves who want to break in to the house and try to retrieve a very expensive painting. Finn discovers their plan, and in true Home Alone fashion, sets up numerous booby traps that will no doubt lead to some bruised and battered bad guys.Home Alone 5 does a few things well. I liked the location shots of the creepy old house, and I really liked the villains in this film. In fact, I found the most enjoyable parts where when the three thieves were on- screen. Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples are terrific as the bumbling criminals. Everything other than that is a failure. The boy is never REALLY home alone. His sister is locked in the basement downstairs after trapping herself in the walk in vault where the expensive painting is. I did not like some of the acting from the family, and I did not like the direction they took with some of the characters. The mother is written as just some over-hyper super bitch, who doesn't seem to give a damn about her kids most of the time. It was a weird dynamic between her and the rest of the family. Oh and like every other who tried to match him, The child actor in this one is no where close to Macaulay Culkin and his performance in the original films. He isn't bad, but with these sequels you can't help but compare to the best of the best.Home Alone: The Holiday Heist does try, a lot more than the dreadful Home Alone 4 did. However it just isn't a great movie nor does it add ANYTHING to the Home Alone franchise. I always appreciated the third film because it branched off a bit from the usual cookie-cutter plot of the previous two Home Alone films, but this one stuck to simplicity. 4/10