The Poster Memorabilia blog

Feeling at Home with The Bad Guys

Harry and Marv, tracked down decades later — one at a film festival, one at a Netflix party.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

Sometimes, I end up liking the villains more than the hero. Don't get me wrong, I like rooting for the protagonist just as much as the next guy, but if the antagonist is more entertaining, I always like them more. This is exactly what I felt when I watched Home Alone for the first time.

Look, I never really liked child actors in the first place. I commend Macaulay Culkin for his great performance in the movie, but I was always just annoyed at his character. He was too much of a brat for me to root for him, which is probably why I ended up taking Harry and Marv's side.

“Sometimes, I end up liking the villains more than the hero.”

It also helps that Joe Pesci plays Harry, and he's one of my all-time favorite actors. I still find it a hoot that he got cast in this sort of movie, and in the same year Goodfellas went into theaters, too. Talk about versatility. The guy could've been massive if he continued acting.

I suppose I should still be grateful that he keeps popping up now and then, like when he starred in The Irishman in 2019. That was a comeback for the ages, and it even earned him an Oscar nomination. I'm so glad I saw it when it premiered at the New York Film Festival.

It was also there that I got to meet the actor and get his autograph on my Home Alone movie poster. He was very reserved despite being in the spotlight, wearing a hat and a big pair of sunglasses, almost as if to hide his identity. But I recognized him right away.

He didn't interact with fans much, so I got pretty lucky that he still went my way, and I got him to sign my poster. He didn't look annoyed, but with his famous poker face, you never know. What I am sure about is that his signature is the one I'd never part with.

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The same goes for Daniel Stern, who played Marv, when I met him at the LA premiere of Game Over, Man! the year before. It was only a Netflix original comedy, but I heard Daniel Stern was in it, so I went to the premiere to see him and get his autograph on the same poster.

While Pesci was hard to gauge, Stern looked much happier. He had a big grin as he interacted with fans. I'm glad he stuck around even after Home Alone. He was one of the funniest parts of the movie, and he deserves to have a long career in films.

You know, for playing robbers who were ready to hurt a little kid, Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern ended up being some of the nicest celebrities I ever met. Pesci was a bit more reserved than Stern, but at least he didn't have the ego of other movie stars I've crossed paths with. These two are why I still like Home Alone and Home Alone 2 despite my annoyance with the main character (not Culkin; I think he's good in it).

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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