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Kevin McCallister is back, but his hijinks have matured.
Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin is embracing nostalgia just in time for the holiday classic’s 35th anniversary. As part of a Home Instead ad campaign, the actor reprised his role as the movie’s scheming protagonist, now all grown up. But instead of defending his house against a pair of nefarious (and incompetent) burglars, Kevin has a new goal: protecting his aging mother from everyday dangers.
The “Home But Not Alone” ad spot begins with Kevin laying out “Mom’s safety plan,” which involves bubble wrapping the house, pouring salt on the icy steps, eliminating fire hazards, and nailing the carpet to the floor.
Chatting with one of his many siblings on the phone, he says, “I’m just worried about Mom being by herself, y’know? What if she falls down or gets snowed in? They never did catch that South Bay Shovel Slayer.”
Home Instead/YouTube
In the midst of some intensive bubble-wrapping, Kevin is interrupted by the frightening sounds of a shovel hitting snow… only to reveal that it’s Old Man Marley’s granddaughter clearing the sidewalk. Following in her grandad’s footsteps, she sets the shovel aside to give Kevin some much-needed advice.
“Have you tried to talk to her about getting a little help?” she asks.
“I’m afraid to bring it up,” Kevin admits.
“The scariest part is starting that conversation, then at least you’ll know and can stop worrying about it,” she tells him. Then, channeling some of her grandfather’s intense energy as the music swells, she adds, “It’s not easy. But how you feel about family is a complicated thing.”
After a pause she asks, “How was that?”
“It was just like your grandfather!” Kevin gushes. “The face, the eye, the boots! It gave me chills. You nailed it!”
Elsewhere, other spots from the ad campaign see Kevin ordering his mother a pizza, picking up her groceries in a hilarious recreation of his grocery bag fail from the movie, and finally leaving her at home — without having to worry about her safety.
Don Smetzer/20th Century Fox
Culkin has not been shy about celebrating the legacy of the holiday film that launched his career. Last year, the former child star embarked on a multi-city tour, A Nostalgic Night With Macaulay Culkin, in which he screened the film for an audience before taking part in a Q&A.
During a show at the Rosemont Theater in Illinois, he told the crowd that when the iconic house featured in the movie was up for sale, he considered tossing his hat in the ring. “I had half a mind to buy it — just for giggles,” he said, sharing plans to turn it into a “movie fun house” where people could sled down the stairs just like Kevin does in the movie. But in the end, he decided against it.
“I got kids,” Culkin said, referencing the two sons he shares with actress Brenda Song. “I’m busy, man.”
The actor also alluded to his struggles with child stardom, noting that his relationship to the franchise remains complicated. In his words, starring in the movie “was kind of a curse and a blessing.”
Watch Culkin reprise his role as Kevin McCallister above.
