1. They’re Both Set at Christmas
First of all, let’s get the obvious out of the way - Die Hard and Home Alone both take place during the Christmas Holidays. And while this isn’t the main reason they’re similar films, the fact that they both take place in the lead up to Christmas and feature a character who’s thrust into a situation that involves fighting the bad guys inside a single building, well, need we say more!
2. The Heroes Fight With Their Family
Speaking of family, John McClane (Bruce Willis) and Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) each have a big tiff with their loved ones before the main course of the film is set in motion. McClane argues with his estranged wife while visiting her at the Nakatomi Plaza in LA, while Kevin fights with his entire family in their Chicago home, before they accidentally leave him, well, home alone!
3. The Heroes Fight the Bad Guys Alone (Until the End)
Something else John McClane and Kevin McCallister have in common (besides the fact they each have a surname that starts with “McC”) is that they’re forced to take on the bad guys all on their own - at least until the very last minute. In Die Hard, John is saved by his LA cop Officer Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson), and in Home Alone, Kevin’s neighbor Old Man Marley (Roberts Blossom) saves him from Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern).
4. The Bad Guys Are Professional Thieves
While there’s a big difference between Hans Gruber’s bandits and the Wet Bandits Harry and Marv, they’re all professional thieves nonetheless. Sure, the Wet Bandits only target well-to-do homes, while Gruber and his men are cold-blooded murderers who set their sights a lot higher than household goods. But either way, when it’s the time of giving, they all like to do some taking!
5. The Heroes Are Very Charismatic
There’s no denying that John McClane and Kevin McCallister have very similar personalities. McClane is a New York cop with an attitude, who certainly knows how to hit bad guys where it hurts before even using any guns, while Kevin is equally talented when it comes to taunting his enemies and belting out iconic one-liners, and can be just as snarky with his own family in the same way that McClane is with his!
