On this episode of WRIGHSTER OR WRONG, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden get into get into whether or not the NFL Players Association will be able to compel the league to release the rest of the 650,000 emails that are part of the investigation into the Washington Football Team, and sort through all of the different legal issues currently facing the NFL. Adam Schefter allowing former Redskins president Bruce Allen to edit and approve a story he wrote has kicked off a heated debate about journalistic ethics, and the guys get to the bottom of what is and isn’t acceptable for sports journalists when it comes to the entities they’re supposed to be objectively covering- including the student journalists at the OU Daily that have gotten under Head Coach Lincoln Riley’s skin. Brett Favre owes the state of Mississippi a whole bunch of money that was meant for needy families, so George and Ralph dissect exactly how culpable he is for accepting the money in the first place. “Blackfishing” is a term trending on social media, and it has to do with white women in pop music making themselves look darker or ethnically ambiguous- the guys wade into the world feminine beauty standards to try and figure this out. Last, in Best of Social Media, is the new Home Alone movie a remake, or a sequel?
Click any of the following links to listen to Wrighster or Wrong on your preferred Podcast platform
It may be the Christmas season for some of you, but it’s Home Alone season for all of us. Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York should air at least ten times each during the month of December. It’s an entertaining and fun movie that five-year-olds and fifty-five-year-olds will both enjoy.
Last year, I wrote about which film is better, Home Alone or Home Alone 2. (Home Alone 2 is slightly better than the original.) In the article, I discussed the poor parenting shown by Kevin’s parents, Peter and Kate McCallister. This year, I wanted to expand on their parenting technique and rank every bad decision they made in each film.
I will be grading the McCallister’s actions on the Bad Parenting Scale, 1-10, with 1 representing a great parent and 10 being the absolute worst parent. Were Kevin’s parents worse in Home Alone or Home Alone 2?
Home Alone
Blaming Kevin For The Pizza Debacle
https://youtu.be/9p0ZChSYIzk
As a middle child (Out of six children in my family, I’m third in the pecking order), I’ve experienced what it’s like to be the younger sibling and the older sibling. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that blame will fall on the older sibling nine times out of ten. It doesn’t matter what the younger sibling does. If an older sibling is involved, the blame will predominantly fall on their shoulders because they’re supposed to be “mature” and “responsible.”
Peter and Kate throw conventional wisdom out the door in the opening scene. Buzz, who is probably eight to ten years older than Kevin, antagonizes Kevin with his disgusting eating habits. As a man who despises olives, Kevin has every right to be upset that Buzz ate his cheese pizza. Kevin retaliates by tackling Buzz in the stomach, causing a chain reaction that leads to spilled milk and soda all over the family and their flight tickets.
Does Mr. or Mrs. McCallister question Buzz as to why Kevin would tackle him in the stomach? No. They let the entire family stare him down, forcing him to apologize for his actions. Then, Mrs. McCallister drags Kevin out of the room by his arm like a ragdoll. Kevin is not innocent, but his parents never gave him a chance to explain.
Bad Parenting Scale: 7.8
Allowing Uncle Frank To Call Kevin A “Little Jerk”
How did the McCallister parents let this slide? Uncle Frank is an asshole, and yet, Peter and Kate let him berate their child in front of the entire family. Stick up for your son!
Bad Parenting Scale: 8.5
Oversleeping
As the parents of the family, Peter and Kate are in charge of the wake-up. That’s their responsibility. To rely solely on an alarm clock the night before an international trip is foolish. I’m setting multiple alarm clocks including one that has batteries just in case the power goes out. Side note, not one person woke up early? Not one person went to the bathroom and noticed the power went out? Oversleeping is not a huge crime, but blood is still on the parents’ hands.
Bad Parenting Scale: 7.3
Forgetting Kevin At Home
Before I destroy the parents, Heather needs to take a lot of the blame for how she counted the children. She taps Mitch Murphy on the head, thinking it’s Kevin. How do you not ask the kid to turn around and face forward? Awful job by Heather.
Now, do I have any sympathy for Peter and Kate? Not one ounce. This is an egregious mistake. The duo banished their youngest son to the attic the night before and did not realize they forgot him until they were sitting in their first-class seats. Not only did they entrust a teenager with attendance, but failed to double-check for themselves to see if everyone made the trip. All Peter and Kate cared about were sipping orange juice out of a champagne glass.
Bad Parenting Scale: 9.8
Calling The Police And Only The Police To Check On Kevin
https://youtu.be/VZdjWTeh9eE
I don’t have a child so take this criticism with a grain of salt. If I was Kate McCallister, my first call would not be to the police. My first call would be to a family member in the area. From there, then I would try a friend, a neighbor, or a babysitter. If all else fails, then I would call the police. Clearly, the police were not interested in babysitting children in 1990s Chicago. While I don’t fault Kate for calling the police, I do criticize her for only making one call to the police. I find it hard to believe that the other children and Leslie could not get in touch with anyone. I refuse to believe it.
Bad Parenting Scale: 8.4
Home Alone 2
Punishing Kevin For The School Concert Fiasco
https://youtu.be/IT7-T-pqCCs
Beat that you little trout sniffer. Kevin sabotaging the concert is more egregious than spilling milk over the plane tickets. Public embarrassment is a hell of a lot worse than private embarrassment. Kevin’s hands are not clean, that’s for sure. However, how can Kate and Peter be so naive when it comes to Buzz and his antics? Buzz humiliated Kevin in front of the entire audience. His punishment? Apologize to the entire family. That’s it. Clearly, Buzz can get away with murder. Everyone can see through Buzz’s bullshit except Kate and Peter. To punish Kevin and only Kevin is bad, but not a sin.
Bad Parenting Scale: 7.5
Kate Taunting Kevin In The Attic
https://youtu.be/ki04Fub1Apc?t=160
“You got your wish last year. Maybe you’ll get it again this year.” Excuse me, but is Kate the mother or a middle school bully? Why would you taunt your kid after FORGETTING HIM AT HOME THE YEAR PRIOR? Immature behavior from Mrs. McCallister.
Bad Parenting Scale: 8.9
Losing Kevin At The Airport
I don’t want to cut Peter and Kate any slack, but I think that’s about to happen. I will cut them the smallest slice of slack, similar to the size of Squidward’s first bite of a Krabby Patty.
Unlike the previous year, Kevin makes it to the airport. Kevin hangs with Peter until he made the costly mistake of switching the batteries in his recorder. That mistake is on Kevin. Running after the wrong man in the brown coat is on Kevin. Not confirming the face of the man with the brown jacket on the plane is on Kevin.
In spite of this, Kevin is a 10-year-old kid. The parents need to act like adults and take some responsibility. Kate did not double-check on her kids at the airport and Peter ran the 40-yard dash in the terminal of hanging behind with Kevin. Bad parenting to lose Kevin, but not as bad as the first film.
Bad Parenting Scale: 9.1
Realizing Kevin Was Missing At The Miami Airport
https://youtu.be/lPqTZkg_RAI
Even if the flight attendants assured Kate they would make sure everyone got on the flight, Kate should have stood her ground and counted the kids herself. Peter also outran Kevin in the terminal and never turned around to check on him. Just turn your head to the door once you get on the plane to make sure your family boards. Stop flying first class and start sitting with your family.
Bad Parenting Scale: 9.0
Poking Fun At The McCallister Family Travel Tradition
If you constantly spill coffee on your shit, it’s ok to poke fun of yourself. When you lose your child in an airport, I wouldn’t be laughing at my mistake. If I was the cop, I would’ve thrown Kate and Peter right out of the office. This behavior is more infuriating than forgetting Kevin at the airport.
Bad Parenting Scale: 9.4
Final Score On The Bad Parenting Scale (Average Of 5 Scores)
Home Alone – 8.4
Home Alone 2: Lost In New York – 8.8
Peter and Kate were worse parents in Home Alone 2: Lost In New York. Despite reuniting with their son in both movies, they won’t be winning any “Parent of the Year” awards anytime soon.
Were Kevin’s parents worse in Home Alone or Home Alone 2? Leave your thoughts in the comments or tweet us, @unafraidshow.
It’s Christmas Eve. Most of us are celebrating with our family, friends, and loved ones. If you choose to spend some of that time watching movies, I have some help for you when deciding what to watch. Don’t waste your time watching other Christmas movies before you finish these 12. It just so happens that some of the greatest Christmas movies of all-time are not kid-friendly, so I have included the ratings. The best Christmas movies are those you can watch year in and year out and still be entertained. Be sure to leave a comment or drop an email unafraidshow@gmail.com. Here is the definitive list of the 12 Best Christmas movies of all time:
12. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (PG-13)
Come hell or high water, Clark Griswold is determined to have a great Christmas. He hassles his wife and kids while trying to make sure the lights, tree and everything else is perfect. Between unplanned family members showing up and not getting a holiday bonus at work all hell breaks loose.
11. Miracle on 34th Street (PG)
You can’t go wrong with either version of this Christmas classic. It’s the story of a man on trial for claiming to be Santa Claus. It is impossible to leave Miracle on 34th Street off the list despite only needing to see it once.
10. Gremlins (PG)
There’s far more naughtiness than niceness on display in the 1984 horror-comedy Gremlins. There is a mystical Chinese creature known as a “mogwai” named Gizmo. It looks cute and cuddly, but when fed after midnight or touched by water it gives bubbling birth to mischievous monsters.
9. The Best Man Holiday (R)
The Best Man Holiday is completely underrated as a Christmas movie. It has everything you want. There is football, family, food, presents, and surprises. You laugh and cry when friends and family get together for the first time in 15 years.
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (G)
Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees everywhere during the Christmas season. Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant, and Charlie Brown accepts. He tries to restore the proper Christmas spirit and teach those around him.
7. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (PG)
You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. You really are a heel. You’re as cuddly as a cactus, you’re as charming as an eel, Mr. Grinch. You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel! A classic Dr. Seuss book adapted for the movies. The people of Whoville get their villain and hero in one.
6. Bad Santa (R)
Bad Santa is a hilarious dark comedy. Santa Claus is a cold-hearted, drunk, sex-addict, and thief who robs department stores. The story ends well when Santas ends up finding hope and a heart in from a little boy who is determined to give him a Christmas present.
5. Die Hard (R)
I cannot believe that some people have the nerve to debate the validity of Die Hard as a Christmas movie. It is set on Christmas Eve, John McClane delivers the gift of freedom, there’s a pregnant woman, and it has a great Christmas Song (Christmas in Hollis by Run DMC).
4. Home Alone (PG)
There is no limit on the number of times that a person can watch and enjoy Home Alone. Macaulay Culkin is forgotten at home by his family as they leave on a trip. He is forced to battle a couple of dimwit thieves who he catches in the act of robbing a home.
3. It’s a Wonderful Life (PG)
Not only is this a Christmas movie, but it is also a classic movie despite the genre. Few films define Christmas like Frank Capra’s 1946 fantasy starring Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, who, on the verge of committing suicide, is visited by an angel who shows him the true importance of his life.
2. Trading Places (R)
Trading Places doesn’t get enough praise as a Christmas movie. This movie embodies everything about the Christmas spirit. It starts a few days before Christmas and ends after New Years Day. What better way to embody the Christmas spirit than by charity, love, and a little payback!
1. A Christmas Story (PG)
Absolutely and unequivocally the Best Christmas movie of all-time! This movie teaches you about bullying, leg lamps, washing your mouth out with soap, and air rifles. It is impossible to forget the best line from the entire movie, “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
When I think of the perfect Christmas movie, one franchise comes to mind and that’s Home Alone. What’s not to like about the Home Alone franchise? The first two movies are hilarious, heart-warming, and most importantly, the most quotable Christmas movies of all-time. It’s rare to have two classic movies in the same franchise, but I’ll put Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York up with any Christmas movie out there.
This month, Home Alone will celebrate its 29th anniversary (Nov. 16) and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York will celebrate its 27th anniversary (Nov. 20). Almost three decades later and these films are still extremely rewatchable. That being said, which one is better, the original or the sequel? Which movie has the better young Macaulay Culkin performance? There are no right answers, but then again, I have the right answer. Let’s break it down, shall we?
Better Plot
If you have never seen either movie, first of all, are you a normal human? Secondly, what basic plotline would grab your attention more?
“An eight-year-old troublemaker must protect his house from a pair of burglars when he is accidentally left home alone by his family during Christmas vacation.”
“A nine-year-old troublemaker accidentally boards a plane to New York instead of Florida and must defeat a pair of criminals who seek revenge in an NYC apartment.”
The first plot doesn’t make a lot of sense. Why would a kid have to defend his house from burglars? Why would burglars attempt to fight a kid? The second plot has more storylines built-in. A kid misses his plane to Florida, ends up in NYC, and has to fend off revenge-seeking criminals. I’ll take the second plot, which belongs to Home Alone 2.
Winner – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Better House
Home AloneHome Alone 2: Lost in New York
New York City brownstones are cool, but the McCallister’s Chicago residence is my dream home.
Winner – Home Alone
Better Proof That Peter And Kate McCallister Are The Worst Parents Ever
One of the underlying themes of the Home Alone series revolves around parenting. Peter and Kate McCallister SUCK as parents. How the hell do you leave your child behind not once, but twice? When/If I become a parent, my routine for leaving the house will be as followed: phone, keys, wallet, and child. The selfish McCallisters only care about arriving at the airport in order to enjoy Christmas in a foreign climate. How about you check to make sure you have your children before saying “bon voyage” to Chicago?
What makes you a worse parent, forgetting about your child before a flight the first time or the second time? Some may argue it’s the second time, but in Home Alone 2, getting lost in an airport and boarding the wrong flight is possible. You’re still a shitty parent, but I can throw you the tiniest of bones. In Home Alone, there are no excuses. Forgetting about your child who slept in the ATTIC is the more egregious offense.
Winner – Home Alone
Better Use Of The Angels With Filthy Souls Series
https://youtu.be/GcOsVzSOqoQ
“Keep the change, you filthy animal,” or “Merry Christmas, you filthy animal?” I’ll preface this argument by saying Home Alone 2 has the funnier scene. Between Tim Curry’s “I love you,” to Cliff’s “It’s a lie,” the scene is comedic genius. However, the better use of the Angels With Filthy Souls happens in Home Alone. Not only does Kevin use the movie to purchase a pizza (Kevin left a shitty tip, but no 8-year-old knows how to tip), but he successfully scares off Marv from burglarizing his house during the afternoon. It was the first of many wins for Kevin.
Winner – Home Alone
Better Old Person Who Saves The Day
Full disclosure, Old Man Marley and Pigeon Lady still scare me to this day. Both Old Man Marley and Pigeon Lady are old, social outcasts who provide Kevin with sage wisdom and loving advice. I think of them as Kevin’s grandpa and grandma. Old Man Marley saved Kevin from having his fingers eaten by Joe Pesci, but his “talent” is shoveling salt onto the sidewalk. Whoop-de-doo, Basil! Pigeon Lady was a badass who could control the minds of pigeons and manipulate them to attack her enemies. Ok, so not all of that is true, but Pigeon Lady and her bird friends saved Kevin from being shot to death. Pigeon Lady gets the nod.
Winner – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Better Performance From The Wet Bandits
https://youtu.be/-Xe0AzKBLzA
This is by far the toughest category. Kevin may be the heart of the Home Alone series, but Harry and Marv aka the Wet Bandits are the backbones. Without the stupidity and the charm of the Wet Bandits, this movie doesn’t work. Between their iconic one-liners to their near-death experiences, Harry and Marv are the worst criminals known to man and we love them for it. This category is a wash.
Winner – Tie
Better Traps
The Wet Bandits would have had a hall of fame career as criminals had it not been for a boy genius with a thrill for the dramatics and love for torture. In both films, Kevin created deathly traps that would kill most people. The first moviehas the iconic paint bucket trap as well as the tarantula scene. But, Kevin took his mischevious mind to the tenth power inthe sequel. The electrocution, the hat explosion, the staple gun, and the rope-burn still make cringe. However, my favorite is still the brick throw. Suck brick, kid!
Winner – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Better Ending
Waking up on a white, snowy Christmas to your mom and family is a pretty good ending. However, just like Kevin, I’m a sucker for Christmas trees and New York City has the crème de la crème of Christmas trees at Rockefeller Center. Kevin could have gone anywhere in New York City, but he chose one of the most magical (and touristy) places to go and for that, I salute him.
Winner – Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
In the end, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York narrowly beats Home Alone. However, you truly can’t go wrong with either film. It’s one of the few times that both the original and sequel are top-notch. If I don’t see you over the holiday season, Merry Christmas, you filthy animals.
P.S. We don’t talk about Home Alone 3, 4, and 5. However, we can talk about how a young Scarlett Johansson was in Home Alone 3. Save that fact for a snowy day.
Which is better, Home Alone or Home Alone 2: Lost in New York? Leave your thoughts in the comments or tweet us, @unafraidshow, or email us at immad@unafraidshow.com.
