Kevin McCallister is in charge of the family home during Christmas once again. Only this time, he’s not entirely home alone with Google Assistant at his side.
In a commercial for the artificial assistant, Macaulay Culkin’s reprises his role from the 1990 holiday blockbuster Home Alone and enlists the help of Google Assistant and Google Home Hub.
When Culkin’s Kevin, now 28 years older but still living at home, realizes his parents aren’t there, he asks, “Hey Google, what’s in my calendar today?”
A Google Home Hub on the kitchen counter responds, “You have one event, called ‘house to yourself.'”
Hearing that he’s on his own, Kevin embarks on a series of short, memorable scenes re-enacted from the original film. This time, however, Google Assistant is at Kevin’s beck-and-call at every turn.
Starting in the master bathroom and realizing the bottle is empty, Kevin speaks to his Android smartphone, “Google, add aftershave to my shopping list.”
Jumping on his parents’ poster bed, Kevin shows that he has grown up when he commands, “Hey Google, remind me to clean these sheets later.”
A rose-colored Google Home Mini on a dresser responds, “OK, I’ll remind you.”
Skipping ahead, the commercial moves to a re-created scene from the original film in which Kevin is sitting in the den watching a classic black-and-white gangster film — which were original clips created for Home Alone. The doorbell rings and Kevin glances at a second Google Home Hub to view live video from a doorbell camera.
When he sees pizza delivery at the front door on the screen, Kevin asks, “What do I owe you?” Hearing the answer, “Nothing, you paid online,” Kevin switches the movie back on, and the pizza delivery guy hears the gangster say, “Keep the change, you filthy animal.”
After adjusting the house temperature by speaking to another but this time unseen Google-compatible device, Kevin moves to the dining room. When a white work van stops in front of the house just as a grandfather clock chimes, Kevin says, “Hey Google, begin Operation Kevin.”
Google Assistant responds to Kevin’s request with, “Operation Kevin underway,” setting off a series of home defense actions including locking a door, turning on a gas-log fire, and more.
Beyond the enjoyment from watching the original main character of a widely beloved film re-enact memorable scenes, viewers experience a slice of life, albeit an exaggerated, comic life, made easier at every stage by a smart home outfitted with a variety Google and Google Home-compatible devices, all instantly responsive to Kevin’s requests and commands.
Culkin’s antics in Home Alone also recently inspired a former NASA engineer to rig a glitter/fart bomb for porch pirate payback.
