Who directed the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone?

Chris Columbus directed the 1990 Christmas comedy Home Alone. The film was written and produced by John Hughes, whose earlier teen comedies had made him a major Hollywood filmmaker. Columbus was hired to direct after Hughes developed the story about a boy accidentally left behind during a family Christmas trip.

Home Alone stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, a child who defends his suburban house against burglars Harry and Marv. Its central premise combines family comedy, slapstick, and holiday adventure, helping it become one of the most commercially successful Christmas films ever made.

Columbus later directed Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and the first two Harry Potter films. A common mix-up is crediting Hughes as director because he wrote the screenplay and shaped the production, but Columbus directed the finished movie.