What’s Aged the Best?
Macaulay Culkin breaking from his sweetheart image, both child performances, practical stunt work, the untouched dead-child bedroom, unsupervised childhood danger, and high-end direction
In the discussion (7)
Approx. transcript time · 00:16:14Read transcript
- Casting the Home Alone star as a murderous child is praised as an effective break from his public image. — Sean Fennessey
- Culkin can appear sweet or eerily malevolent, making the role credible. — Sean Fennessey
- Elijah Wood preserves some doubt that grief may be making Mark unstable.
- Practical cliff work, wide shots, and physical stunt staging give the film tangible danger.
- The untouched dead-child bedroom functions as a recurring wound that the story can reopen. — Bill Simmons
- The abandoned-building vandalism and freedom to roam recall unsupervised childhood play. — Chris Ryan
- Henry playing taps for the dead dog and adjusting his weapon after missing a cat sharpen his characterization.