"Alone for Christmas" is another film from "The Asylum." They often produce ripoff films of blockbusters or "mockbusters," as they are called. This one fits into that category except the subject of the ripoff is Home Alone rather than their contemporary fair. It's an accomplishment that this film manages to be more enjoyable than some of the Home Alone Films.
I think to enjoy this film the most you should be between the ages of 7 and 13 and like dogs. The dogs here talk but not like most movie dogs do. Their voice actors speak in an intentionally cheesy manner. They are in on the joke. A dog in the main role is already unbelievable so it doesn't matter what he sounds like. Might as well make one dog sound paranoid and the other like a bored salaryman. One even sounds like an emasculated cuck because he couldn't protect the family.
Bone, the main dog, defends his homesite from the intruders by setting up elaborate traps. Many of the traps have analogs in some of the Home Alone films. I do appreciate the effort to parody its influence. Bone causes one burglar to become stuck to stuffed animals which is inherently funnier than tar and feathers. Hot objects, soap and scattered toys abound.
The film's primary set, the house is small enough that we see nearly all of it. The traps span the entirety of the house. Bone is even caught because he miscalculates how one trap will cause a bad guy to eventually rush toward him. I appreciate the attention to scale. When the burglars are under distress there are funny sound effects to accompany the physicality of the trap. For example, the man covered in stuffed animals squeaks whenever he walks.
Kevin Sorbo makes top billing despite his brief appearance in the film. His character is a parody of Captain Quint from Jaws, and a good one. He enters with authority and his footstep sounds are exaggeratedly heavy. He proceeds to fish for the Bone using an actual fishing rod! He never laughs during any of this even as he recalls the various scars chihuahuas and other tiny dogs have inflicted on his body. The performance is worth the purchase of the DVD alone.
"Alone for Christmas" is a rare surprise. It has every reason to be insufferable. Instead, this clever family Christmas film has enough conviction to be actually funny sometimes while maintaining the cringey genre tropes it must have. I think if I were 8 it would get a perfect score.
I think to enjoy this film the most you should be between the ages of 7 and 13 and like dogs. The dogs here talk but not like most movie dogs do. Their voice actors speak in an intentionally cheesy manner. They are in on the joke. A dog in the main role is already unbelievable so it doesn't matter what he sounds like. Might as well make one dog sound paranoid and the other like a bored salaryman. One even sounds like an emasculated cuck because he couldn't protect the family.
Bone, the main dog, defends his homesite from the intruders by setting up elaborate traps. Many of the traps have analogs in some of the Home Alone films. I do appreciate the effort to parody its influence. Bone causes one burglar to become stuck to stuffed animals which is inherently funnier than tar and feathers. Hot objects, soap and scattered toys abound.
The film's primary set, the house is small enough that we see nearly all of it. The traps span the entirety of the house. Bone is even caught because he miscalculates how one trap will cause a bad guy to eventually rush toward him. I appreciate the attention to scale. When the burglars are under distress there are funny sound effects to accompany the physicality of the trap. For example, the man covered in stuffed animals squeaks whenever he walks.
Kevin Sorbo makes top billing despite his brief appearance in the film. His character is a parody of Captain Quint from Jaws, and a good one. He enters with authority and his footstep sounds are exaggeratedly heavy. He proceeds to fish for the Bone using an actual fishing rod! He never laughs during any of this even as he recalls the various scars chihuahuas and other tiny dogs have inflicted on his body. The performance is worth the purchase of the DVD alone.
"Alone for Christmas" is a rare surprise. It has every reason to be insufferable. Instead, this clever family Christmas film has enough conviction to be actually funny sometimes while maintaining the cringey genre tropes it must have. I think if I were 8 it would get a perfect score.