There's no doubt about it — many people love watching Home Alone each December. While there's a long list of favorite Christmas movies, there's something unique about the story of a kid thrilled to be on his own at the holidays... until some criminals show up and he has to battle against them. Of course, Kevin doesn't bat an eyelash and has fun with that, too.
Fans debate the merits of Home Alone and Home Alone 2, but one thing is for sure, the cast of characters in the first movie range from evil to sweet. While some are fan-favorites, others make a lot of mistakes or just don't seem like people worthy of forgiveness — even during the holiday season.
Uncle Frank
Kevin's Uncle Frank is definitely the least likable character in Home Alone. He hates Kevin and doesn't seem to treat the rest of his family very well, either.
Frank should appreciate the fact that he has such a large family instead of acting like he's too good for them all the time. This character doesn't ever redeem himself and he's always arrogant and self-involved, like when he won't pay for the pizza delivery and says that it's his brother's house.
Peter McCallister
Would a good parent forget his child at home and go to the airport with the rest of his family? This question is at the heart of Home Alone and it makes it tough to like the McCallister patriarch.
Peter seems like he makes a lot of money and takes care of his family, but he's a bit selfish. The greatest of his worries is not being able to shave while on vacation in France, when he should definitely have noticed that his son wasn't on the plane with everyone else.
Kate McCallister
Catherine O'Hara is known for playing Kate in Home Alone but even though the actress is beloved, the same thing can't really be said for the character.
While it's true that Kate attempts to get back home to Kevin and becomes totally consumed with that goal, how could she really forget about her son in the first place? It's hard to sympathize with her because while she has many children, that doesn't mean that it's okay to only think about some of them.
Harry
There are many funny Home Alone memes featuring Harry and Marv, and Joe Pesci's character is definitely a bad person. He robs innocent people and doesn't think twice about it. He thinks that just because people have money and nice houses, it's okay to steal from them.
Harry is slightly more likable than Kevin's parents since at least he and Marv provide some comedic relief in the movie. The idea of criminals trying to go after a young child is scary, but they're so bad at it that people have to laugh at them every single time they watch Home Alone.
Marv
Daniel Stern's Home Alone character Marv is a bit easier to like than Harry, who had the bright idea to rob houses during the holidays.
Marv is at least hilarious to watch, and since he's not very smart, he can't help but fall into all of Kevin's clever traps. Marv is one of the most entertaining characters in the movie as he has a lot of moments when he's slipping and falling all over the place.
Buzz McCallister
Kevin's sibling Buzz is pure evil as far as older brothers go, and he makes Kevin's life miserable.
For that reason, Buzz is a hated character in the Home Alone universe, and audiences wish he would go easier on his little brother. Unfortunately, Buzz thinks that he's cool and the whole family supports him and blames Kevin when Buzz is always the one in the wrong.
Fuller McCallister
Fuller isn't the nicest kid around, as he takes deranged glee at wetting the bed, grinning at Kevin while everyone is enjoying a pizza dinner.
There isn't a lot to love about this character, but he's just a child, and he's definitely better than Buzz and the other kids in the movie. It seems like Fuller he was given more attention, he might be a nicer person, so he has some potential.
Gus Polinski
John Candy played many beloved, funny characters, and Gus Polinski in Home Alone is one of the most likable in the movie.
Kate meets this musician and he offers her a ride, which is very kind of him since she's a total stranger. Gus talks to her about how horrible she feels for leaving Kevin at home and the scenes between them are incredibly moving. If it wasn't for Gus, Home Alone would be a silly movie without so much emotion, so he plays an important part here. John Candy was also an actor who really leaned into his roles and brought so much heart to his characters.
Old Man Marley
Kevin is very kind to Old Man Marley once he hears the truth about him.
Because Marley has a sad tale of how he stopped seeing his family, he endears himself to the audience and makes everyone realize that it's a bad idea to judge someone before getting to know them. He's also very compassionate and caring toward Kevin, who does need some adult supervision and kindness, even if he doesn't think so.
Kevin McCallister
Kevin gets up to a lot of trouble but he is so adorable, full of charm, and wise beyond his years that audiences have always adored him.
Whether shaving, eating junk food or plotting against the Wet Bandits, there's so much to love about Kevin. He's also a sympathetic character even before his family forgets him while going to the airport for Christmas vacation since everyone is so mean to him at the beginning of the movie. Fans would gladly have watched many more sequels to Home Alone simply because of Kevin.