Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "three-act-structure"
Home Alone Plot Structure – Part Three
We have arrived at the final act of Home Alone. Act Three of any story is the shortest since the story is wrapping up, and the plot should arrive at a resolution.
In the last post, we left Kevin being surprised by Harry and Marv as he opened the basement door at his neighbor’s house.
Is it curtains for Kevin?
HOME ALONE - ACT THREE
An enraged Harry and Marv finally catch the devious 8-year-old who caused them so much trouble throughout the evening. The battle-scarred duo tells Kevin their plans to do to him what his traps did to them.
Unknown to them, their plans will never happen.
We’re entering what’s known as…
Climax/Obligatory Scene: “third-act final showdown between Hero and Adversary that resolves the main plot question once and for all” (Edson 137).
At 1:30:18, Marley arrives and knocks Marv and Harry unconscious with his snow shovel, then picks Kevin up and takes him home.
But wait. Isn’t the story's hero supposed to save the day and defeat the bad guys? Yes. Kevin wins the day since he has already called the police before escaping his house and running to the Murphy’s. It was lucky for Kevin that Marley arrived, but the cops would’ve shown up anyway and arrested Harry and Marv, which means Kevin’s actions resolved the story.
We watch from Kevin’s point of view as the Wet Bandits—spelled W-A-T by Marv – are arrested and driven away by the cops.
Now, there’s one more story thread to tie up, which brings us to the…
Denouement: “wraps up the plot loose ends and relationships” (Edson 137).
At 1:35:51, Kevin and his mom resolve their previous conflict and hug it out. Then, the rest of the family arrives home and is amazed by Kevin’s ability to survive independently. We get a nice emotional moment when Marley reunites with his family before Buzz yells, “Kevin! What did you do to my room?” and the movie ends.
It’s a tidy finale for all the chaos that’s transpired, and I’ve always wondered how long it took Kevin to clean and repair all the damage to the house.
Final Thoughts
As writers, it’s important to remember the importance of plot and plot elements that help keep the story moving and create conflict and drama for your hero. Kevin definitely drives the action in Home Alone, and his antagonists, Harry and Marv, get what they deserve by the story’s end.
What did you come up with for your plot elements for Home Alone? Were they similar to mine or different? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Happy Holidays, and I’ll see you next time!
In the last post, we left Kevin being surprised by Harry and Marv as he opened the basement door at his neighbor’s house.
Is it curtains for Kevin?
HOME ALONE - ACT THREE
An enraged Harry and Marv finally catch the devious 8-year-old who caused them so much trouble throughout the evening. The battle-scarred duo tells Kevin their plans to do to him what his traps did to them.
Unknown to them, their plans will never happen.
We’re entering what’s known as…
Climax/Obligatory Scene: “third-act final showdown between Hero and Adversary that resolves the main plot question once and for all” (Edson 137).
At 1:30:18, Marley arrives and knocks Marv and Harry unconscious with his snow shovel, then picks Kevin up and takes him home.
But wait. Isn’t the story's hero supposed to save the day and defeat the bad guys? Yes. Kevin wins the day since he has already called the police before escaping his house and running to the Murphy’s. It was lucky for Kevin that Marley arrived, but the cops would’ve shown up anyway and arrested Harry and Marv, which means Kevin’s actions resolved the story.
We watch from Kevin’s point of view as the Wet Bandits—spelled W-A-T by Marv – are arrested and driven away by the cops.
Now, there’s one more story thread to tie up, which brings us to the…
Denouement: “wraps up the plot loose ends and relationships” (Edson 137).
At 1:35:51, Kevin and his mom resolve their previous conflict and hug it out. Then, the rest of the family arrives home and is amazed by Kevin’s ability to survive independently. We get a nice emotional moment when Marley reunites with his family before Buzz yells, “Kevin! What did you do to my room?” and the movie ends.
It’s a tidy finale for all the chaos that’s transpired, and I’ve always wondered how long it took Kevin to clean and repair all the damage to the house.
Final Thoughts
As writers, it’s important to remember the importance of plot and plot elements that help keep the story moving and create conflict and drama for your hero. Kevin definitely drives the action in Home Alone, and his antagonists, Harry and Marv, get what they deserve by the story’s end.
What did you come up with for your plot elements for Home Alone? Were they similar to mine or different? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.
Happy Holidays, and I’ll see you next time!
