Macaulay Culkin’s at Home in ‘Getting Even’

In “Getting Even With Dad,” a straight-arrow 11-year-old (Macaulay Culkin) whose mother has died gets dropped off in San Francisco with his father, an ex-con (Ted Danson) who has ignored him. The boy tries to foil his dad’s final heist and fix him up with a female police investigator. (Rated PG.)

Anyone who was hoping that by now Macaulay Culkin would have outgrown the “Home Alone” character can forget it.

He may be 13, but he’s still cute. He still outsmarts every bad guy, parent and cop he runs into. (This time it’s documented: His character tests in the “95th percentile.”) And the kids still think it’s pretty funny.

“He’s so good for the part of the little kid who thinks up all these things and puts out all those traps and stuff,” said Katie Knutson, 10, who came to the show with her friend Renee Bohles, 9. She said they came because “we thought it was going to be like ‘Home Alone.’ ”

Though the relative lack of pratfalls and bricks to the head puts this film in the kinder, gentler league, there was still enough slapstick to keep the kids happy.

“I thought it was great,” said Todd Loewen, 9. “This one has a lot more action than ‘Home Alone 2,’ and ‘Home Alone’ I’d say is about the same.”

In this movie, the boy, Tim, hides the loot stolen by his father and partners in crime, then blackmails his father into pretending he likes having him around for a week and into taking him to all of San Francisco’s amusements. Because the partners don’t trust him, they tag along, becoming targets for the boy’s devious mind.

In the process, Danson warms to his father role and starts passing on to his son the wisdom he’s learned--how to pick up girls.

Renee said her favorite part came when the dad starts to fall for a woman they meet on the street, not knowing she is a police officer.

“The little boy keeps on asking her out again and again and again. I liked that part,” she said.

She also liked a miniature golfing scene, when a con, thinking a victory will win back their loot, throws a childish tantrum.

Todd’s favorite part was when Tim manages to outsmart and lose a policeman who is following him on the subway.

Todd had been to San Francisco and also enjoyed seeing familiar sights. (There is also a brief scene of exotic dancing, a pedophile joke and a gay joke.)

The kids agreed Tim was justified in getting even with his dad, who treats him badly, acts as if he doesn’t want him around and never answered the letters his son sent to him in prison. One of his techniques is the ever-popular sarcastic put down:

Dad: “How’d you get so smart?”

Tim: “I don’t know. It certainly doesn’t run in the family.”

Or,

Dad: “I know you’d never rat on your own flesh and blood.”

Tim: “Just try me.”

Of course, Tim is not only smarter but also more responsible and a much nicer person than his father. He waters plants. He replaces worn-out toothbrushes. Maybe he was adopted.

As might be suspected, there are heartwarming, tear-jerking moments at the end. When the characters shed a few tears, so did Renee.

Already, she said, she’s looking forward to Culkin’s next movie, “The Page Master.”

Surely by then he will have outgrown “Home Alone.”