Home Alone

[ This creates empathy for Kevin because he is unfairly treated. ]

"Say goodnight, Kevin," says Kay.

"Goodnight, Kevin," responds Kevin.

Kay drags Kevin into the hallway.

"Why do I always get treated like scum?"

The pizza boy is still standing by the front door, while the policeman

looks around the living room. Kay pays the pizza boy.

"Having a reunion or something?" asks the policeman.

"No, my husband's brother transferred to Paris last summer and both his

kids are going to school here ... I guess he misses the family."

The policeman smiles at Kevin. His gold tooth sparkles. Kevin notices this.

"He's given us this trip to Paris so that we can all be together."

"You're taking a trip to Paris?"

"Yes, we hope to leave tomorrow morning."

"Excellent. Excellent," answers the policeman.

"Excuse me, this one's out of sorts," says Kay as she pulls Kevin upstairs.

"Don't worry about me. I spoke with your husband already, and don't worry

about your home. It's in good hands."

Kay leads Kevin upstairs. "There are fifteen people in this house. You're

the only one who has to make trouble."

"I'm the only one getting dumped on," replies Kevin.

"You're the only one acting up. Now get upstairs."

"I am upstairs, dummy."

Kay opens the door to the attic.

"The third floor?" asks Kevin in horror.

"Go!"

"It's scary up there."

"Don't be silly. Fuller will be up there in a little while."

"I don't want to sleep with Fuller. You know about him. He wets the bed.

He'll pee all over me. I know."

"Fine, we'll put him somewhere else," answers the mother.

"I'm sorry," says Kevin.

"It's too late. Get upstairs."

"Everyone in this family hates me."

"Then maybe you should ask Santa for a new family."

"I don't want a new family. I don't want any family. Families suck!"

"Just stay up there. I don't want t see you again for the rest of the

night."

"I don't want t see you again for the rest of my whole life. And I don't

want to see anyone else either."

"I hope that you don't mean that. You'd feel pretty sad if you woke up

tomorrow morning and you didn't have a family."

"No I wouldn't" answers Kevin.

"Then say it again. Maybe it will happen."

"I hope that I never see any of you jerks again!"

Kevin walks up into the attic as his mother closes the door.

Kevin lies in the attic bed. His thoughts are heard: "I wish they would all

just disappear."

[This is Kevin's dream, his primary objective. ]

EXT: SKY: NIGHT

A full moon. Clouds cover the moon. Wind blows through the trees in front

of Kevin's house. The wind blows a plastic Santa Claus down the sidewalk.

It blows a red ribbon off a lamppost. It moves shutters on the window and

swings a light in front of the door. It shakes a Santa Claus wreath on the

door. A tree branch breaks and falls on some power lines, causing an

electrical blackout. The lights go out in Kevin's house. The LED on a clock

radio states 4:37 before it goes out due to power failure.

[ This is the inciting event that causes the world of the protagonist to

change. ]

EXT: KEVIN'S HOUSE: DAY

A man is knocking on the front door. Two airport express vans are parked in

front of the house. One driver knocks on the front door as the second

driver picks up the metal lawn boy statue. Across the street a power

service man is working on a voltage box.

"She said 8:00 sharp," says one of the drivers as he rings the doorbell.

INT: BEDROOM: DAY

Kay, while still in bed and under the covers, picks up her watch.

"Peter!" she shouts, as they both jump out of bed.

"We slept in!" they shout in unison, as they run out of the bedroom.

INT: KEVIN'S HOUSE: DAY

Everyone is frantically running through the house as they prepare for the

airport.

[ Funny because of the speeded up perception of time. ]

EXT: KEVIN'S HOUSE: DAY

A boy walks towards the van from across the street.

"Hi, I'm Mitch Murphy. I live across the street," he says as he talks to a

man packing luggage into one of the vans.

"You guys going out of town? We're going to Orlando, Florida. Well,

actually, first we're going to Missouri to pick up my grandma. Do you know

that the McCalisters are going to France? Do you know if it's cold there?

Do you know if these vans get good mileage?

"Gee kid, I don't know. Hit the road," answers the driver.

[Humor generated by the deviation from normal patterns of behavior: the

young boy who continuously asks questions without waiting for an answer,

and who irritates an "authority" figure. ]

INT: KEVIN'S HOUSE: DAY

Fast speed footage of the household in pandemonium.

[ Deviation from normal patterns of movement is humorous ]

"Heather, do a head count. make sure that everyone is in the vans," orders

Kay. "Where are the passports and tickets?"

"I put them in the microwave to dry them off," answers Peter.

[ Humorous because this is non-standard behavior which has plausibility:

truth from a different perspective. ]

EXT: KEVIN'S HOUSE: DAY