When Home Alone premiered, it was a big hit. Audiences everywhere loved the mischievous kid outwitting two robbers, using vicious booby traps to do so. It’s not difficult to see why the first film eventually became the franchise that it is today. Each of the five films are enjoyable, but Home Alone fans have to name the first and second movie as their favorites.
For one, it features the original actors that played Kevin and his family, plus Marv and Harry. Two, they’re classics that carry a similar vibe in how they play out. A kid defending his home (or his uncle’s, in the second film) from two nefarious criminals. In the spirit of Home Alone, we’ve taken 10 of the best quotes from the franchise. It wasn’t easy, but we narrowed it down.
“Funnily enough, we never lose our luggage.”
Kevin’s father Peter says this as he and his wife, Kate, are reporting Kevin missing from a police station in Florida in the second film when they realize they’ve lost Kevin. He and Kate immediately begin laughing while the officer on the other side of the desk remains silent.
He probably thought they were crazy or incredibly insensitive parents. Really, the officer just didn’t get it. We get it, considering what the McCallisters had been through with Kevin the year before. They may never lose their luggage, but they keep losing one of their kids–the same one at that. There’s got to be some kind of irony there.
“He’s only a kid Harry. We can take him.”
Marv’s famous words in the first film show how much he truly underestimated Kevin in the beginning. He and Harry had no idea what they were going up against, believing that all kids were stupid and they could rob the house with Kevin present without any problems.
They were in for a world of hurt–literally. Kevin’s sneaky, smart and clever, with an innovative approach to traps to boot. Marv thinking he and Harry were a match for Kevin? They never had a chance.
“This is my house. I have to defend it!”
Kevin’s a brave kid. Though he didn’t initially start out that way in the first film. He keeps finding ways to deter the robbers, but when they discover Kevin’s home alone and has been tricking them, everything changes. Kevin overhears their plans and decides to take action.
With a new resolve, Kevin begins the Christmas tradition that we know and love: Kevin outwitting Marv and Harry and essentially providing them utmost pain. Good thing Kevin had a penchant for somehow missing out on Christmas travels with his family–someone has to defend the house.
“May I do the thinking, please?”
Harry says this quote after he and Marv chased Kevin to a home in New York in the second film, where Marv declares they can charge and get him while Harry prefers to leave their battle plan to him.
Harry’s the criminal mastermind of the two and is clearly the leader, Marv the follower. Though, Harry’s smarts are no match for Kevin’s wits. When you look at it that way, Harry should’ve just let Marv go for it.
“That was the sound of a tool chest, falling down the stairs.”
Instead of moving away from the loud noise, Marv and Harry press themselves against the other side of the door, intending to hear better and decipher the source. A tool chest comes at them, hitting the door and slamming the two criminals into the wall.
Marv says the quote above in a funny voice, as his nose, as well as Harry’s, have been broken. Imagine Marv saying this in that distinct tone and with his face all crooked. We’re already laughing with you.
“This is Christmas! The season of perpetual hope.”
Kate was desperate to return to her son upon realizing she’d left him home alone. She was overcome with guilt and frantic. She took insane measures to ensure she made it back to Kevin as soon as she could, bargaining for spots on flights and riding with a polka band from Scranton to Chicago.
That’s real motherly love there. She exclaims this quote to an airport worker when she’s told she can’t get a flight from Scranton to Chicago, after she’s come so far and is now so close to home. She’s right. Christmas is about perpetual hope and miracles. It’s a nice quote, though said in frustration. It reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas.
“Nobody throws bricks at me and gets away with it!”
This quote, courtesy of Harry, is absolutely hilarious. He shouts this at Marv, accompanied with Harry kicking Marv and telling him to get up, after Marv has already been hit by multiple bricks directly in the head.
Harry never took a single hit. Really, it’s Marv who took all the hits, but Harry takes it personally and doesn’t seem to care much over Marv’s well-being. Harry’s blatant disregard as Marv lies stammering on the ground is one of the most hilarious moments of the second film, and this quote makes it all the funnier.
“You guys give up, or are you thirsty for more?”
Kevin’s pretty badass. He’s already inflicted more torture than most people can stand by this point, so kudos to Marv and Harry for having a high tolerance to pain. Kevin’s thoroughly enjoyed watching the two criminals suffer up to this point, and this quote clearly indicates that the fun (or torture) is far from over.
Kevin’s planned everything perfectly, and he pushes Marv and Harry to their very limits until finally, Kevin emerges as the victor. In Kevin’s words, a kid always wins against two idiots.
“Wow. What a hole.”
Marv’s not kidding. When he finally manages to break into the home of Kevin’s uncle in the second movie, he declares that he’s reached the top–only to skyrocket downwards in a painful-looking fall.
When he comes to, he cracks his back and says the quote above. It’s hilarious, especially if you can visualize the scene exactly as you read this. Marv tends to have some of the funniest lines in the franchise, but this is definitely one of his top five lines.
“As long as we each have a turtle dove, we’ll be friends forever.”
Kevin can be a troublemaker, but he’s a sweet kid at heart. He says this to the pigeon lady that he’s befriended in New York at the end of the second film. She’s lonely and clearly needs a friend, and Kevin does that for her, giving her a turtle dove on Christmas Day no less.
Home Alone is a comedy, but it doesn’t forget to include something in the nature of the true spirit of Christmas. Kevin kept his promise–he could never forget her. She did save his life, after all.
