After making $100,000 for Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin became a successful child star and appeared in the movie My Girl and, of course, Home Alone 2. Culkin has shared that it's tough for him to sit down and watch the film, and now that he's 40 years old, it definitely makes sense that he wants to think about other things.
People enjoy making some sugar cookies and eggnog and watching Home Alone by the light of the Christmas tree each year, and it's only logical that fans would come up with some theories about this incredibly popular film.
There's one Home Alone fan theory that says the old man is actually Kevin. Let's take a look.
The Fan Theory
Culkin shared a photo of a Home Alone themed mask which made fans very happy, as everyone loves being reminded of this great holiday movie, no matter what time of year.
That's why this fan theory is so fascinating and entertaining.
The theory goes that when Kevin meets Old Man Marley, he's meeting his future self. According to a post on Reddit, this fan explained that Marley is Kevin and "his purpose in 1990 is to alter his own tragic childhood."
The fan explains that the movie involves some time travel, as Kevin grows up and becomes a husband and father. The fan wrote, "As Kevin's son reaches adulthood the old wounds from the Christmas of 1990 start to open up and Kevin's new family begins to unravel as did his parents." The theory goes that Kevin is getting divorced and his son doesn't want to talk to him, and so he goes back to this past Christmas so he can fix everything.
The theory continued, "Young Kevin and Old Kevin meet at church on Christmas Eve and Old Kevin shares a bit about his life to his younger self, who becomes more confident that he can defend his home. At this point in the film, Old Kevin reaches an epiphany with the help of his younger self and realizes how important his family is despite any fear he many have for hurting them."
It's an interesting theory to hear about, especially since Old Man Marley has such a profound influence on Kevin and they connect so much in the movie.
Other Fan Theories
There are some other fun theories that fans have come up with about Home Alone.
One theory says that Uncle Frank is the mastermind behind the Wet Bandits and Harry and Marv are his employees. According to Mamamia.co.au, this is because Frank disliked Kevin. That does seem logical, as there was a lot of tension between these two characters.
Another fan theory says that Peter McCallister lives a life of crime. Why did someone post about this on Reddit? The idea is that Peter's job is never explained and yet he has a really big, fancy home. This theory also explains why when Peter answers the doorbell, a policeman is standing there (of course, it's Harry pretending to be the police). Peter seems upset and like he has something to hide.
It's sweet that fans are so invested in this Christmas movie that they want to think about the real meaning of the story. According to E Online, people are still so excited about the movie that they visit the North Shore, Chicago area where the movie was filmed.
According to E Online, a resident named Ann Smith was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune last year and shared, "Most people who live on the street love it, and think it's a lot of fun. It was a big deal having the movie filmed here, and it's still a big deal. Any time I'm walking by that house, I see someone out in front, taking pictures."
Making Home Alone
Chris Colombus, who directed the movie, was interviewed by Independnent.co.uk about making the film and shared some wonderful memories about Macaulay Culkin. He said, "No one else had whatever quality Mac had. He felt like a real kid but was also incredibly charming and extraordinarily funny. He just had this charm. Mac was slightly imperfect too, which was great. One ear was kind of bent, he didn’t look like other kids – but everyone who met him fell in love with him and for me, that’s a movie star."
Raja Gosnell, the movie's editor, shared that Columbus and Culkin worked closely together as Colombus would help him with "how the rhythm of a line might go." Gosnell compared it to "a ping-pong game" and as Colombus would read a line and Culkin would then say the line next. Gosnell explained, "Mac nailed the comic timing and facial expressions."
Whether or not the fan theory about Kevin seeing himself in the future is true or not, it's definitely a fun idea to think about the next time everyone sits down to watch Home Alone again.