Why Uncle Frank Is the True Villain of the Home Alone Movies

While Bamman still has positive memories of the experience on Home Alone 2, there’s a sense that more could have been made of his character in a move that would have surely further fleshed out his position as a secondary villain of sorts.

Says Bamman, “There was a little bit more waiting around, which is always tedious, because they were using the family much more as extras and just in the background.”  And Culkin may not have returned for the next sequel,  but in hindsight it felt like a missed opportunity to not then refocus Home Alone 3 on Uncle Frank’s son Fuller, played by a young Kieran Culkin.

Bamman certainly believes it was a “terrible mistake” to jettison the McCallister family cast, particularly as it would have been an opportunity to further flesh out his role. Then again, in doing so, it may even have turned Uncle Frank into a more likable character, losing his villain status in the process.  Also given the visibility of Uncle Frank and the film’s success, Bamman hoped the role would lead to bigger and better things but, despite a solid career of film, TV and stage work in the years since, it’s not quite worked out that way. Yet at 81, he’s made peace with that.

“I hoped it would sort of trampoline me into more character roles, but it certainly has helped my retirement fund and I appreciate it,” he says. “It certainly changed my visibility. After the film first came many, many people would recognize me. Some still do. Earlier this year, I was going through the security line at an airport and the TSA officer who was patting me down was on the floor, examining my shoes, and he looked up at me and even though I had a mask on he said, ‘You’re Uncle Frank aren’t you?’”

Ultimately, Bamman’s just happy to have done something that has earned recognition. He may not agree with the notion of Uncle Frank as the film’s true villain, but the fact his performance has generated so much online discussion and evoked so many memories for fans out there—including this one—is satisfying to say the least.

“That’s what almost any artist wants: to have the work recognized,” Bamman says. “Now that I’ve realized and been shown how important the character was in the film, I would have probably wanted more screen time. I didn’t know what was going to happen with the movie.”