It's no secret that many despise Home Alone 3. At least it had some kind of technical proffesionalism behind it. The first 2 (and a bit of the 3rd) movies also benefited from a very strong musical score that elevated them far beyond a typical family comedy. Home Alone 4 however has an extremely cheap score and feels rushed and empty.

The very lean running time means there is no house full of traps, not a lot of plot to be wrapped up and no emotional pay-off. Plus, if I am correct in assuming Kevin's age in this film, this happens the same Xmas he was Lost in New York. So what's it to be? Dad's girlfriend's house or New York? Plus Marv is played by French Stewart (who didn't even bother to grow a beard for the part) and the rest of the cast is a bunch of unknowns. And it's obvious this was not filmed anywhere near winter, the lack of snow robs the film further of any Xmas-y feel it might have had. And what's with the constant, terrible ADR? It's very distracting.

There were some funny parts to this film and the new kid playing Kevin did it well. But the hand-held camera thingy, the bare sets and lack of anything to do with Xmas make this film look like a poverty-stricken TV movie.

The DVD is in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen and has a mediocre Dolby 5.1 track.

Home Alone 4 is so bad, it makes Home Alone 3 look like a masterpiece. in reality, Home Alone 3 is only adequate, but the first two movies are sterling entertainment, I can promise you that. I am just wondering whether I am the only one who honestly thought Home Alone 3 would be the worst, because the characters were changed, but was proved wrong by this abomination. This movie has nothing to recommend it, not even the gadget-filled house. At least Home Alone 3 had some enjoyable scenes.

The first problem is that no one from the first two movies return, which is a really bad sign. Even the director was different, and obviously had little experience behind the camera. The plot was laughable, and don't get me started on how inconsistent it was with the first two films.

The acting was pretty terrible. Michael Wineburg could have been a great Kevin, if the script had been better. The reality, no one can top Macaulay Culkin as Kevin. Whereas Culkin was cute and self-assured, Wineburg tried to put some enthusiasm into the role, had the script allowed him to act. Instead he was the only redeeming merit, if you call it a redeeming merit, of the movie, whereas everyone else lumbered through their scenes. French Stewart also struggled with the script, and could have also have been great, had he the goofiness and charm of Daniel Stern. Really, he has the charisma of a squashed cabbage. The others were just as bad, if worse.

The script was full of tired and stale parallels of the predecessors, there was nothing else new. As a matter of fact, I don't think I laughed once when watching this movie. Not even when Marv falls off the chandelier. That raised a small curl of the mouth, but you can't help thinking you've seen it all before.

The script was absolutely repulsive, the direction was incompetent and the acting was stiff. Plus, it was perfectly obvious it was a TV movie, you could tell by the flat camera-work. Avoid! 1/10. (very seldom do I give a 1, but this abysmal film deserves lower!)Bethany Cox

It's the first Christmas since Kevin McCallister's parents separated. He lives with his mother Kate (Clare Carey) and two siblings. His father Peter (Jason Beghe) plans to marry his rich girlfriend Natalie (Joanna Going) and wants the kids to spend time with her. Kevin refuses at first. After continued abuse by his brother, Kevin decides to sneak away to his father. Prescott (Erick Avari) is the butler and Molly (Barbara Babcock) is the maid. The mansion is high tech. Marv Merchants (French Stewart) has dropped his Wet Bandits partner. With his wife Vera (Missi Pyle),they plan to kidnap a visiting Prince. Kevin fights them off again and again but nobody believes him.

The McCallisters seem to have lost a bunch of the kids. The new Kevin has the required cuteness and a bit of mischief. Having the parents separated puts a damper on any fun in the movie. The reunion is fully expected. It has too many moments trying to be serious. The tone is all wrong. Stewart and Pyle try their best to be wacky. It is stupid but not in a fun way. Even a simple thing like set design is weak. Natalie is supposed to be rich but the decor looks cheap. This is a sad continuation of a failing franchise.