On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the cult Christmas film “Mom I missed the plane”, one of the young actresses returned to the very complicated filming of a scene which had required several thousand extras and several days of filming .
Mom I missed the plane: the Christmas classic
When we talk about cult films, Mom I missed the plane figures in a good position for people who grew up in the 90s. For many children born in the 1980s (and their parents), the VHS of the feature film sat proudly on the shelf, between those of the Disney cartoons and of Jurassic Park. Since then, mostly at Christmas, the annual viewing of the film directed by Chris Columbus has become a tradition which we never deviate from (and TV channels either).
Released in December 1990, Mom I missed the plane features eight-year-old Kevin McAllister (Macaulay Culkin), who inadvertently finds himself on his own during the Christmas holidays after his family “forgot” him in the huge house that will become the target of two thieves. First frightened by the latter, Kevin will then do everything to defend his home by using inventiveness and gadgets to trap the two thugs, while waiting for his parents to return.
Produced for a budget of approximately $18 millionthe film will bring in nearly 480 at the worldwide box office and will propel Macaulay Culkin to the rank of child star (he never hesitates to wink at this role).
The airport scene: a filming hassle
Among all the cult scenes of Mom I missed the plane, there is of course the one in the Chicago airport where the whole McAllister family runs breathlessly to catch their flight to Paris. And filming this one was no small feat!
On the occasion of the film’s thirtieth anniversary, actress Senta Moses Mikan, who played the role of Tracey McAllister (one of Kevin’s cousins) had indeed confided some shooting memories at The Hollywood Reporter. She notably returned to the complicated sequence of the airport, which had required large resources and several days of filming. She said:
There were thousands of extras, all of whom knew the moves they had to make so that none of us were in danger as we raced through O’Hare’s American Airlines terminal. And we were running really fast. I remember that we ran into each other several times, like bumper cars (…) honestly, this scene could have ended in disaster, but nobody was hurt. It’s a Christmas miracle.
Among other anecdotes, she tells in particular that The Little Nero’s famous pizzas that the family eats for dinner the night before departure were “disgusting and cold” and that Catherine O’Hara amused the gallery by making dolphin noises. “A real hidden talent” according to Senta Moses Mikan.
Finally, she remembers that Joe Pesci (who plays one of the two thieves) had a hard time keeping himself from swearing in front of the children, and that Chris Columbus had asked him to use the word “fridge” instead of “fuck “. She also remembers that Pesci played the fool with his gold tooth and that it made the young actors laugh a lot.
