Oh, boy. So much wrong here. First off, I live in the Chicago suburbs. Clearly you don’t. Plenty of people have swimming pools “in a place that snows half the year” (note: it doesn’t). These are middle class people. You don’t need to be wealthy to own a pool, and the fact that we actually have all four seasons here is irrelevant to the cost.
Second, who are his wealthy neighbors? Todd and Margo? They’re clearly yuppie wannabe snobs. They act rich, but that’s the joke. They’re really no better off than THEIR neighbors, the Griswolds. They also have a smaller house and fewer possessions with no kids. So they can afford some expensive things like the stereo, but that doesn’t make them wealthy. And the Shirleys (Clark’s boss) don’t even live in the same neighborhood.
Lastly, Clark isn’t using the bonus to pay for the entire swimming pool. He needs it to pay for the deposit. He specifically says he doesn’t have enough in his account to cover it otherwise. The Griswolds have a “big” house (even that is debatable), but otherwise don’t have a lavish lifestyle. Someone in the top 5% who isn’t a spendthrift wouldn’t be kiting checks to pay for a pool.
So sure, the Griswolds are upper middle class. But they’re not rich.
The really rich uncle paid for it. In the opening you learn their niece lives with them and her parents are in Paris. I believe it’s their ridiculously expensive house in the second movie that is being renovated in NYC as well.
So, the house it was filmed in and suburb they were supposed to be from is “Winnetka” which is a northern suburb and where a lot of exceptionally rich people live. Houses in that area go for millions. Though, it’s possible they were a house broke family. The mom was also supposed to be a fashion designer and it was the uncle who paid for the Paris trip.
Edit: house is currently pending sale for over 5mil, and pictures show there’s a full basketball court and home movie theatre inside. Wow
Oh, boy. So much wrong here. First off, I live in the Chicago suburbs. Clearly you don’t. Plenty of people have swimming pools “in a place that snows half the year” (note: it doesn’t). These are middle class people. You don’t need to be wealthy to own a pool, and the fact that we actually have all four seasons here is irrelevant to the cost.
Second, who are his wealthy neighbors? Todd and Margo? They’re clearly yuppie wannabe snobs. They act rich, but that’s the joke. They’re really no better off than THEIR neighbors, the Griswolds. They also have a smaller house and fewer possessions with no kids. So they can afford some expensive things like the stereo, but that doesn’t make them wealthy. And the Shirleys (Clark’s boss) don’t even live in the same neighborhood.
Lastly, Clark isn’t using the bonus to pay for the entire swimming pool. He needs it to pay for the deposit. He specifically says he doesn’t have enough in his account to cover it otherwise. The Griswolds have a “big” house (even that is debatable), but otherwise don’t have a lavish lifestyle. Someone in the top 5% who isn’t a spendthrift wouldn’t be kiting checks to pay for a pool.
So sure, the Griswolds are upper middle class. But they’re not rich.
Watched Home Alone tonight trying to figure it out. 1990. Were they rich?
Holy shit yes, I don’t care about relative anything, have you seen that house? That’s rich.
Flew so many people to the other side of the world they didn’t even notice their own kid missing? How rich you have to be for that?
The really rich uncle paid for it. In the opening you learn their niece lives with them and her parents are in Paris. I believe it’s their ridiculously expensive house in the second movie that is being renovated in NYC as well.
Plane tickets from New York (?) to Paris in 1990 at Christmas time for an entire family would have been expensive as hell
I thought the rich uncle paid for that. Haven’t seen it in a while, but anyway yeah, they weren’t hurting that’s for sure
It was Chicago. Nearly all of John Hughes’ movies take place in Chicago.
So, the house it was filmed in and suburb they were supposed to be from is “Winnetka” which is a northern suburb and where a lot of exceptionally rich people live. Houses in that area go for millions. Though, it’s possible they were a house broke family. The mom was also supposed to be a fashion designer and it was the uncle who paid for the Paris trip.
Edit: house is currently pending sale for over 5mil, and pictures show there’s a full basketball court and home movie theatre inside. Wow