Home Alone: The Holiday Heist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Home Alone: The Holiday Heist |
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DVD cover
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | Peter Hewitt |
| Starring |
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| Music by | David Kitay |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Kim Todd |
| Cinematography | Peter Benison |
| Editor(s) | John Coniglio |
| Running time | 87 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Fox Television Studios |
| Distributor | 20th Television |
| Budget | $11 million |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC Family |
| Original release | November 25, 2012 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Home Alone 4 |
| Followed by | Home Sweet Home Alone |
Home Alone: The Holiday Heist is a fun comedy film made for TV. It came out in 2012. This movie is the fifth one in the popular Home Alone series. It features actors like Christian Martyn, Jodelle Ferland, and Malcolm McDowell. The film first showed on ABC Family (which is now called Freeform) on November 25, 2012. It was part of their special holiday TV shows. Unlike most Home Alone movies, this one is not about the McCallister family. But it still has many nods to the older films. People had mixed feelings about the movie, but many thought it was better than the fourth one.
Contents
Movie Story
The Baxter family moves from California to Maine. They settle into their new house during the Christmas season. Ten-year-old Finn Baxter (Christian Martyn) and his older sister Alexis (Jodelle Ferland) love technology. They spend a lot of time on their devices. Finn often plays video games, and Alexis is always on her phone or computer.
A New Home and a Ghost Story
Finn's dad wants him to make new friends. Finn meets his neighbor, Mason (Peter DaCunha). Mason tells Finn a scary story. He says a gangster's ghost haunts the Baxters' new home. This makes Finn feel very nervous.
The Thieves' Plan
One day, the family leaves to go Christmas shopping. A group of thieves plans to break into their house. The group includes Sinclair (Malcolm McDowell), Jessica (Debi Mazar), and Hughes (Eddie Steeples). Hughes is a new safecracker. They want to steal a very old and valuable painting. It is an Edvard Munch painting worth $85 million. They do not know anyone lives in the house. They cannot find the painting in the basement safe.
The Baxters come home, and the thieves quickly run away. That night, Finn's parents, Curtis (Doug Murray) and Catherine (Ellie Harvie), go to a Christmas party. Finn and Alexis stay home because they were grounded. Finn cannot play video games, and Alexis can only use her phone for emergencies.
Finding the Secret Painting
The thieves plan to return that night. They think the house will be empty. Sinclair tells Jessica and Hughes about the painting. It is called The Widow. It is a portrait of his great-grandmother and her family. It was stolen many years ago.
Meanwhile, Finn explores the house and finds an extra video game controller. He looks for new batteries. He accidentally drops one into the basement. Finn asks Alexis to go with him to get it. They find the safe unlocked. Behind it, they discover a secret room. Inside the room is the painting Sinclair is looking for. Finn gets scared by the portrait and runs away. Alexis accidentally sets off a trap and gets locked in the room.
Setting Up Traps
A snowstorm gets worse. Curtis and Catherine have to stay at the Christmas party. They worry about their kids at home. With Alexis locked up, Finn goes to a hardware store for supplies. He wants to break her out, but he can only afford string.
Finn then sees the thieves and hears them talking. They plan to break into his house. Finn rushes home and tells his online friend Simon (Bill Turnbull) about the danger. Finn quickly sets up many booby traps around the house. He puts ice on the patio, just like in the first Home Alone movie. He uses a snow blower to blow marbles in the garage. He also sets up a carton of tar, a coal-filled stocking, and some bad-tasting gingerbread cookies. He even makes cotton balls and flour fly out of the sink.
The thieves have to go through all the traps. They get hurt, and Jessica gets covered in tar. Soon, Curtis and Catherine are able to drive home. Simon uses Finn's online game name and his parents' credit card details. He calls them to warn them about the danger. But Finn's parents think Simon is playing a trick and call the police on him instead.
The Thieves Are Caught
Back at the house, Sinclair, Jessica, and Hughes catch Finn. They put him in their car. Sinclair and Hughes go to open the safe. But Mason saves Finn! He throws snowballs at Jessica, who is now very messy. She is eventually knocked out by the snowballs.
Sinclair and Hughes get into the safe. They find the painting and Alexis. Alexis threatens to destroy the painting. Finn escapes and frees Alexis. He then triggers a trap that locks Sinclair and Hughes in the basement. The police officers who had detained Simon see this on Simon's TV. Mason traps Jessica inside a snowman. The police arrive and arrest the thieves.
The family gets four museum passes and $30,000 as a reward. This is for catching the bad guys and getting the painting back. Finn's parents apologize to Simon. They send him a plane ticket to go home and spend Christmas with his family.
Christmas Day
On Christmas Day, Finn gets a snowboard and a new game for "Robo Infantry 3". Alexis gets a tablet computer. Finn and his dad get a camping guide. Finn decides to take a break from video games. He goes snowboarding with Mason, who is now his best friend. The movie ends with the thieves getting their mug shots taken at the police station. A police officer makes a portrait using their mug shots.
Cast
- Christian Martyn as Finn Baxter
- Jodelle Ferland as Alexis Baxter
- Malcolm McDowell as Sinclair
- Debi Mazar as Jessica
- Eddie Steeples as Hughes
- Ellie Harvie as Catherine Baxter
- Doug Murray as Curtis Baxter
- Ed Asner as Mr. Carson
- Peter DaCunha as Mason
- Adriana O'Neil as Gabby Maranta
- Bill Turnbull as Simon Hassler
- Chris Sigurdson as Clerk
- Evan Scott as Santa Claus in sleigh
Making the Movie
Development
This movie was first called Home Alone: Alone in the Dark. Work on the film started in March 2012. It was made by ABC Family and Fox TV Studios working together. These two companies also worked together on Home Alone 4 in 2002.
Filming Locations
The movie was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
See also
In Spanish: Home Alone: The Holiday Heist para niños
