Show Business: Home Alone Breaks Away

A wide-eyed boy's comical coping makes a holiday hit

Nearly every year, it seems, John Hughes gives moviegoers a surprise Christmas present: an amiable, unassuming film that blossoms into a smash entertainment. Last year it was National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Two years before that it was Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Both were a bit loud and raucous for some people, but this year Hughes' offering has a universal appeal and looks like the breakaway hit of the season. Home Alone, released on Nov. 16, has already grossed more than $50 million, and is causing jubilation in the executive suites of 20th Century Fox. "The figures we're getting, from both big...

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