Essay Questions

What does this film teach us about the importance of family?

When Kevin first wakes up on Christmas Eve, and finds himself alone in the house, he is overjoyed, because the night before he was sent to his room, he feels, quite unjustly, since both his brother and his cousins were baiting and teasing him, but he was the one blamed for the argument because of his retaliation. He feels resentful of his family and so is happy to find that he is on his own and can do whatever he likes.

However, after he finds Old Man Marley at church, watching his granddaughter sing in the choir, he begins to realize how important his family is to him because he sees the old man's loneliness and realizes that what he and the community had considered to be a sinister persona was in fact overwhelming sadness. He finds himself telling the old man to reconcile with his son because the father son relationship is so important. This makes Kevin realize that his bond with his father, and his family, is important as well.

Kevin begins to miss his family when he wakes up on Christmas morning, and is disappointed when he wakes up and is still alone; his joy when he hears his mother come through the doorway downstairs is unconfined. When the rest of his family arrive home their reunion is happy, and even Kevin and Buzz are happy to see each other because they realize that although their predominant role in life is to annoy each other, it comes from a place of love. When Kevin sees Marley and his son greeting each other outside of the old man's house, it again emphasizes that of all of the gifts exchanged during the Christmas season, the greatest is that of love and family.

Why are the burglars called the Wet Bandits? Why is this name so important to Marv?

The burglars are nicknamed the Wet Bandits by the media because they leave the water running in the homes that they burgle. This was, of course, a complete accident, as neither Hal nor Marv would have the forethought to actually create a persona intentionally, but now that an unwitting act of forgetfulness has spawned a nickname, Marv is proud and anxious to continue creating their public profile. To this end, he is beginning to be a liability as far as breaking into homes goes; he is far more preoccupied with finding a sink that he can overflow than he is with finding the good stuff to steal, or making a quick getaway. His public identity is becoming more important to Marv than his career as a criminal, because he can see fame and possible fortune, which is extremely attractive to him.