Home Alone centers around a young boy by the name of Kevin McCallister, who defends his home from would-be burglars by using a number of traps that, in the real world, would have been lethal. Audiences have often criticized the excessiveness of the traps.
Mike Buresh, a defense attorney, recently offered his own analysis of McCallister's antics and how legally defensible they would be in the real world. He explained, "The provision in Illinois law that permits the use of force in defense of a dwelling is fairly permissive." He continued to defend the heated doorknob trap and others as "permissible under Section 7-2(a)(2) because he reasonably believed his acts were necessarily to prevent the commission of a felony in the dwelling, ie. Residential Burglary (Class 1 Felony)."
When it came to defending Kevin's apparent negligence when it came to contacting police, Buresh stated, "While I'm not willing to go on Lexis to research IL law on Christmas Eve, there is persuasive authority to support the proposition that the law should account for the individual's age in evaluating 'reasonableness.'" He later added, "Kevin's belief that he had caused his family to disappear and that he alone was responsible for protecting the home without police assistance should be viewed through the lens of a reasonable 8-year-old, and is therefore reasonable."
Home Alone was released in 1990 and became a Christmas classic. The movie won two several awards, including two Golden Globes and two Academy Awards. Its success spawned a film franchise consisting of two sequels and a direct-to-TV movie.
A Home Alone reboot is currently in development for the Disney+ streaming service.
Dan Mazer is set to direct the Home Alone reboot for Disney+, with Day and Streeter Seidel writing the script. Starring Archie Yates, Rob Delaney, Ellie Kemper Aisling Bea, Pete Holmes, Timothy Simons, Kenan Thompson, Ally Maki, Chris Parnell and SNL alum Mikey Day, no release date has yet been announced for the upcoming film.
Source: Twitter