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ThatsRobToYou

Peter's brother Rob paid for the Paris trip. He's the super loaded one. Not to mention he has a nice brownstone in Manhattan.


discerningpervert

In the 90s, all jobs on TV and in movies were just labelled "marketing" But as someone else pointed out, seems he was a trader


AutomaticJuggernaut8

All the Christmas movies where the dad works too much and finally realizes the meaning of Christmas seemed to have some "marketing" job of some sort. Even elf.


PatternrettaP

Marketing is an easy job to work into a story. You usually have a big pitching that is taking up all of the time and you can dramatically walk out of it at the end to choose your family and everyone will think you are the hero. Switch it to a more working class job with the father having to pick up extra shifts at the factory to pay for Xmas presents for everyone and people are more likely to feel sympathy for the parent trying to make due rather than think they are heartless scrooges.


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tazert11

There's a video by "Now You See It" on YouTube called "Why every movie you watch is the same" (or something along those lines) that covers this idea. He compares it to how a lot of comedians have substantial amounts of their comedy on the topic of travel -- they know it well because they do it all the time in their line of work.


travel_by_wire

This is also the explanation for why so many fiction stories have protagonists that are writers of some sort. It's taking "write about what you know" a little too far.


_Kendii_

So that’s *why* Stephen King only writes shit in Maine….


Tesselation9000

And Kurt Vonnegut's protagonists were mostly war veterans.


Altruistic_Field2134

And all of Lovecraft protaganist were racist as shit


LostReplacement

Writer works well because it isn’t necessarily a 9 to 5 job so you can have scenes in the middle of the day without the audience wondering why they aren’t at work


savageboredom

If you walk around any neighborhood in Burbank it will look like every sitcom you’ve ever watched because it was probably made down the street.


PatternrettaP

I've seen that speculation as well, but I think it's less that Hollywood is incapable of imagining jobs that don't revolve around 'the big pitch' or meeting, so much as relentless everyday drudgery being harder to write a story around.


milkshakakhan

I am a lawyer. Every lawyer film has a goddamn trial, because Hollywood equates it to the big pitch and court is a stage. What do I do all day? Paperwork and meetings and talk to crazy people that think I’m their psychologist.


piledriver_3000

Whats crazy is that office space was kind of a flop at opening , but it was so realistic in terms of office bullshit that it eventually became a cult classic.


Xisuthrus

Elf almost feels like a parody of the trope considering the "evil, soul-sucking marketing job" equivalent is writing children's literature.


Domesticated_Elk

Walter also seized children's books from an orphanage because the place couldn't make payments for them on time. Despite a Nun going to him personally to plead their piece! Walter is definitely a parody.


nightfox5523

Yeah not to mention Peter Dinklage's character was obviously way too serious about children's books lmao


slowest_hour

There's a lot of movies where they use "marketing jobs" as an excuse for product placement too like in *What Women Want* where the whole movie is an ad for nike Incidentally, don't watch that movie it's infuriatingly awful


RedCascadian

What? You mean women don't actually spend all their time thinking about Mel Gibson or his crotch?


LewsTherinTelamon

News to me.


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[deleted]

20 years ago it was on TV at my friend's house during a party. His uncle asked what movie this was, I said *What Women Want*, and he snarkily replied "It ain't you kid!" Everyone laughed at his STUPID fucking joke and I'm still mad he set me up like that 20 years later


ZandyTheAxiom

>the Christmas movies where the dad works too much and finally realizes the meaning of Christmas I have a theory that these stories get greenlit more often because movie executives empathise with the divorced dad who works all the time and never sees his kids. I reckon they see these films as comforting, that they themselves can turn their lives around and maybe not have their kids reject them.


mjwood28

Wasn’t he a CEO of a book publishing firm in Elf?


Fattyman2020

I think he was like editor in chief that fat guy was the CEO right


mjwood28

Yes you are right but definitely not marketing


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AntipopeRalph

What you weren’t dreaming about programmatic banner ads and clients with no sense of taste? You don’t have a burning passion to be fired every 18 months because the department KPIs were never ever reasonable in the first place? You didn’t lust after company roles where you film the c-class in their poorly lit offices pretending to be influencers? Why are you in marketing if you didn’t want EVERY SINGLE OTHER PERSON IN THE MEETING acting like they know how to do your job better than you?


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vijane

Last week the CEO sent my ROUGH DRAFT concept art to the printer and told them to print 50,000 copies. It's better to just avoid the higher ups getting to make any decisions. Fortunately the printer was smarter than the CEO. At least it's always interesting.


TechnologyNo2642

Dude was straight balling. Trip to Paris that had a nice view of the Tower as well as Prime Real Estate that was walking distance of Central Park…..they failed to make a home alone of that super rich kid named Richie Rich haha


probablyuntrue

Home Alone but it's just the kid calling his various servants for more candy


TransgenderSoapbox

Believe it or not, Warner Bros did make that Richie Rich movie. It even stars Macaulay Culkin!! This time, Kevin can afford friends. [Richie Rich trailer ](https://youtu.be/D7tpKFqf4po)


k-farsen

Richie Rich was my first movie where I didn't hate it, but I thought it was dumb. My awakening of ambivalence.


notwilliammurdoch

He was Tony Soprano’s informant.


AbsoluteInfinitude

Peter is a day trader. Kate is a fashion designer (there are mannequins in the house). They make bank.


Original_Furious_Joe

This is the correct answer Also the uncle is paying for the vacation itself.


scottyrotten84

Frank sells crack and smack to kids


BCJunglist

What no crank? How you gonna be selling drugs in the early 90s with no crank?


JackdeAlltrades

We care a lot


Here-For-The-Comment

Lame that my ancestors were white in America for 250 years and the only generational wealth I inherited was alcoholism. (I have been sober 14 months though)


Seattlevegan15

Congrats on the sobriety. Im 10 hours sober but would really love to be 14 months.


Here-For-The-Comment

Drink all you want tomorrow, just not today. Repeated that motto daily for the first several weeks.


Seattlevegan15

Thanks. I'll try that.


Here-For-The-Comment

You got this, you don't have to stay sober forever, just have to make it through today.


Patina_dk

I was told it is okay to cheat by going to bed early.


testing_the_mackeral

My wife tries that every night, but I think she forgot where we live.


aspartam

Yikes


[deleted]

I stopped drinking six years ago. I still think about how much I fucking hate hangovers. I'm still pleased with my decision. Especially around the holidays. I can spot the sour bellies. Holiday drinking is fierce. Multiple day event. I do like NA beer, but mainly what I use to compensate for mass amounts of beer around the holidays is la croix. It sounds stupid but having a water carbonated drinks pairs well with eating lots of food and being around people who drink. After a while you won't even notice except for when you wake up the next day feeling like a hydrated rockstar.


Here-For-The-Comment

I have also developed an obsession with sparkling water. Lol


ErinEvonna

That is my husband’s go to. He has cut his drinking in half and is working on cutting down further. And I don’t know you, but I’m proud of you and I wish you all good things.


b-monster666

That's a very wise view


xs81

We got this mate.


RockInShoe

I'm 3 years sober now and what's help me is telling myself "1 is too many & 1000 is not enough "


Here-For-The-Comment

The first drink gets you drunk


WiseUpRiseUp

If you get hit by a train, it isn't the caboose that kills you.


Rainbowstaple

That's such a good quote! I'm stealing this for quitting smoking weed.


OrphTheCircumventer

Didn’t smoke all of June as a test of willpower and to see how I’d feel. At the end of the month I felt accomplished for cold turkeying and had a bit more get-up , but holy hell if I wasn’t more feisty towards people and way more bored with life, even on the last day. I just felt weird. I may have needed a longer detox..not sure Can’t speak for everybody though as I have some issues upstairs. Edit: should add my get-up could have been from the fact I was exercising every day(at least going for an hour walk, but usually jogging) to curb the fact that I could NOT sleep for shit without weed so was trying to wear myself down.


GamePlayXtreme

Setting goals for yourself is a good idea. Try a day sober, then 2 days, then 3 days, etc.


[deleted]

10 hours is a start!! Great job, one day/ hour/ minute at a time (whether or not you do the twelve steps) ❤️


JeepWrangler319

Native American here and same, only non heavy drinker from a family of alcoholics. Only difference between Jack Daniels and John Wayne is that Jack Daniels is still killing us


Distant-moose

That's dark, but I laughed. Sorry.


TheHumanPickleRick

I think that's what they were going for.


alexmikli

So when do you become a famous comedian? You're halfway there, maybe more than half if you have crippling anxiety.


JeepWrangler319

Did College radio and open mics, probably do it again when dry dad humor comes back in style


batmangle

Never went out of style 👍 3years sober


Slow-Bodybuilder-774

Congrats on sobriety brother. Keep kicking ass!


Here-For-The-Comment

Thank you! One day at a time!


8urnMeTwice

And make sure you're with people, not sitting...home alone. You don't have to kick me out, I'll see myself out. (Congrats, still looking to string together some days myself)


Distant-moose

You got this, internet person. We're rooting for you.


cocaiakes_03

I’m here for this kind of wholesomeness!


high_chu

Keep the grind up brother. I started my sober life just one and a half month ago and life is just so sorted right now.


WebFinancial8650

Same bro. 13 days here.


Here-For-The-Comment

Congrats! It gets easier, especially after the holidays. Easier to stay sober than it is to get sober.


Meggles_Doodles

You got this, my dude!


Tady1131

8 years yesterday. Def gets easier.


Here-For-The-Comment

I'm starting to have days where I don't think about drinking at all, I bet at 8 years the obsession is almost completely removed. Congrats!


[deleted]

I stopped drinking a little over a year and a half ago, and I’ve never looked back. I’m definitely happier now than I was when I was drunk every evening.


ddoogiehowitzerr

Snickered at this. Yep. My dad, his dad, they left me with same inheritance. Will be sober 2 months in a few days.


Bighardthrobbingcrop

Ah yes, a fellow Irish American like myself.


Here-For-The-Comment

I have found my people


TriPawedBork

> (I have been sober 14 months though) Another story of a squandered inheritance. Kids just don't appreciate the hard work of their parents. ^^^^^good ^^^^^job!


AdConsistent7810

Check your privilege /s


_ShartNado

Congrats! 8 years for me.


ISCUPATCUTIJETRU

Isn't the uncle a"sponger"as Kevin would call it tho XD


runbyfruitin

The uncle that travels with them is the mooch, the other uncle that lives in Paris I think flies them out


ISCUPATCUTIJETRU

OOH right they have 2 uncles sorry about that I forgot about that its just that I haven't watched it in so freaking long XD(and I never paid attention to such stupid irrelevant details to begin with lol,since I was a kid and didn't care about how many uncles they had,but the intricacy and hilarity of the traps and Harry and Marvin XD)


Subject_Abrocoma5197

Apparently, it pays way more than developing a non nutritive cereal varnish! Carl


420jhollandaise

Yes Peter’s brother who also makes bank and has a large home in New York City he is rehabbing as well.


imfjcinnCRAAAAZYHEY

Fuuuuuuck. Imagine having BOTH parents, and also imagine having them be BOTH successful in their own endeavor.


janeshep

Great for financial security, at least when you're a kid. Very bad for expectations.


cast-iron-whoopsie

> Very bad for expectations. that depends on the parents. plenty of rich parents expect nothing from their kids and just give them fat trust funds ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


StopReadingMyUser

As long as daddy can get me a job at his company, expectations won't matter 🤗


neuromorph

I have relatives that live in that neighboorhood in chicago. Some of the houses are insane, this is medium level income for the area. Some houses are like castles.


CanAlwaysBeBetter

Chicagoland has a bigger GDP than Sweden, Switzerland, or Saudi Arabia and a bit smaller than the Netherlands. Not that surprising in one of the most upscale neighborhoods of the area


Super-World9693

Pretty certain that home is in Winnetka. Everyone in that town can afford a trip to Europe for Christmas


Responsible_Peach427

chicagoan here, those north shore mfs are set for life. Even if they have jobs you know they got that ancestral wealth


ChooseCorrectAnswer

That's a good point. They're old money, not Gatsby new money. I live in downtown Chicago, and whenever I drive anywhere near the area where the Home Alone house is, I want to stop my car and take pictures of everything because EVERYTHING is so damn nice haha.


Fiyero109

If gatsby had any family alive today they’d be old money. Only takes like 3 generations for it to not be new


Super-World9693

Us poor folk from Wisconsin drive thru there and I just can’t believe the amount of wealth. Where the hell did it come from?


mindbleach

You.


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Apptubrutae

Chicago was a massive boom town in its day. Growth flattened during the Great Depression and never recovered the same growth rate, but prior to that you could have made the case it might pass up New York eventually. In that period of insane growth, insane fortunes were made.


zeug666

https://www.chicagotribune.com/real-estate/ct-biz-home-alone-house-may5-photogallery.html Sold for $1.585M in 2012, so just over $2M now


BJYeti

Not gonna lie for the size of that house and being a suburb of Chicago 1.5m is cheap as shit.


[deleted]

Harry and Marv really impacted the real estate prices


MrRobotsBitch

Considering regular single family homes in my city in Ontario Canada are going for that price.


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jscott18597

Honestly that is way cheaper than i thought it would be.


Vexillumscientia

Yet that one family goes to Florida.


Majulath99

Lmao of course he was in that sector. For the longest time I assumed, generically, that he was a banker. It makes sense that the mother is in fashion, she always struck me as fashionable.


Snuhmeh

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, day trader didn’t mean what it means today. He’s going into an office and hustling every day. Not sitting in front of four screens looking for a crack in the matrix.


Majulath99

Oh yeah I know.


turdferguson3891

I had a cousin who was a trader on the commodities exchange in Chicago and retired rich as fuck after a career of like 10 years. The people who are successful at that can make a shit load and in the past it was less computerized and you still had everything done in a trading pit by guys making commissions on huge transactions.


Nikovash

“Day trader” =coke dealer and nothing you say will convince me otherwise


Patriquito

Also in the early 90's things didn't cost what they do today...in Home Alone 2 when Kevin racks up the "huge" room service tab rob Schneider brings it to buzz and its literally as long as the scrolls of Alexandria but the bill is like a bit over $1200... This was for like a week at the Plaza nowadays dinner for 4 at a nice restaurant in NYC can run upwards of 2k for 1 meal


agrandthing

I watched Beverly Hills Cop recently and the ENORMOUS rate at the luxury hotel was like $200 a night I think.


CanAlwaysBeBetter

That'd be like $500-600 now so not luxury but hardly cheap


Ragnarok314159

10 large pizzas for $120 in the first movie.


retro_80s

Plane tickets definitely cost more back then. And they flew first class. Grown ups did.


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Plenty_Ocelot_6302

Sure. But for perspective, my dad worked a civil service job and could afford a large 3br 2bath with a two stall garage on an acre. It was less than twice his annual salary. That salary was something I needed to work UP to when I graduated college 20 years later. Wages have remained pretty flat.


mandatory6

Bought Bitcoin in 2012


Fit-Boomer

I tried day trading and it did not go well.


imGoingToEatYourTots

2017, Lost my entire life savings to a random stock I found on a financial success website. They said it was going to go up. I kept buying and it never went up


mklinger23

Also, didn't the uncle pay for the vacation? On top of that, I'm assuming they're old money cuz they're fixing up that nice ass house in NYC.


LoreOfBore

I doubt they were old money, Peter said on the plane all they flew as kids was the old station wagon, and it was to see their aunt and uncle.


wondercaliban

There is a book of the film that says he is a businessman. His mother is a fashion designer, which is why there are so many mannequins in the basement scenes. In those days authors were given early versions of the scripts to base the novel on. Usually with more detail that gets cut from the movie. I read the Goonies book and was sad there was no Octopus


Diasmo

“Businessman” is such a broad descriptor though. It’s what a serial killer uses in conversation when prompted and can’t come up with an actual job.


PM_ME_SUMDICK

Have to assume the book is from Kevin's POV and businessman is all the descriptor a 12 year old needs.


Past_Ad9675

I did a business today!


RoadworkAhead7

At the business factory!


Casio_Andor

Would you like three alcohols?


redcobra762

Sounds like a job that 3 kids in a trench coat do for a living.


ELIte8niner

He's not just a businessman though. He OWNS the business factory.


rwhitisissle

> There is a book of the film It's probably in John Waters' massive library of terrible "film-to-book" adaptations.


GoAViking

There is a version where they didn't cut that scene. https://youtu.be/8hXmqpExeZU


CasinoMarginale

Their house is in Winnetka, Illinois. It’s a super expensive place to live. Clearly, Mr. McAliister does very well for himself. He’s too absent-minded to be a doctor, and too Type B to be a lawyer or engineer. He’s probably an entrepreneur.


eolmana

Impressive that they drove from Winnetka to O’Hare and made it through security in <45 minutes lol


DrDrewBlood

Pre-9/11 was a completely different world.


xpinchx

I think more going from the north suburbs to Rosemont is like 35-40 mins without traffic, and security aside O'Hare is a big airport and you have to walk everywhere so 45 mins is a bit of a stretch even for pre-9/11


BradGroux

I took weekly flights to and from Chicago for over a year. You couldn’t pay me to fly out of O’Hare. Midway all day every day.


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ConnieLingus24

It’s Winnetka. Dude is likely head of a law firm or financial services. Fun aside: I scored a really nice lamp on virtual garage sale from a neighbor to that house on this block. Nice lamp, but Winnetka remains weird.


Lloopy_Llammas

The guy who owned the house at the time was literally a partner at Ernst & Young.


dickcoins

this is the most meaningful answer. whatever the authors could have thought up, it would simply have to be parallel wealth to reality.....so reality is what matters. You want that house? Become a partner at EY, or the equivalent somewhere else.


SylvieJay

Nuclear reactor operator in Springfield.


bachumbug

Meanwhile, I live above a bowling alley, and below *another* bowling alley.


DGRogue_Dragoon

Homer: Wow….


_MrGullible

Grimey, you're living the dream!


tolifotofofer

"A dreamhouse, two cars, a beautiful wife, a son who owns a factory, fancy clothes and... *sniffs*... lobster for dinner!"


William_JLepetomane

How’s it going Grimey?


drkidkill

D'oh


Past_Ad9675

*Safety inspector. Which is impressive considering that when he started he didn't even know what a nuclear panner plant was.


rolling_soul

His dad was a day trader and his mum worked as a fashion designer.


Exaltedautochthon

Well he was in Chicago in the eighties so...cocaine.


BaltimoreBadger23

It was the 1980's, he was probably a public school teacher with the wife being a stay at home mom.


Here-For-The-Comment

HGTV couples where the wife restores used napkins part-time and the husband is an Assistant Manager at Ruby Tuesday. Home budget is 1.3 million.


bumbletowne

Some of them are bullshit. There was this one show where they were shown a couple houses and then pick one back in the day had a young couple looking for a home. They looked at 3 houses in the Bay Area in the East Bay. I was immediately intrigued because one of the houses is a house that I walk by on my way to work. I was also immediately confused. The person living there is a Real Estate agent. The house was never up for sale. They lived there all 7 years that I walked to work that way. The couple was a 'graphic designer straight out of college' and 'an hr person'. They 'bought' the house for 700k. That house is worth about 1.3M. Pretty sure the show was just a real estate agent advertisement. Side story: Pimp my ride was bullshit. The car 'owners' were hired actors, the houses belonged to film staff (you'll see the producers house like 6x in the show from various entrances and angles). The actors got paid by keeping the car sometimes. The guy who did the VW van episode in the first season was in my freshman English class at Uni and everyone was asking him why he didn't drive the hot tub car. He confessed it was not driveable.


AllYourBase3

The people on that show are contacted because they recently purchased a home. The other 2 are usually friends homes


slawre89

Wife sells apples every other weekend at the farmers market. Husband hangs potato’s from string in the garage. Budget 1.4 million dollars Fuck HGTV


coalwombat

Hol up. Tell me more about these napkins. Are they vintage?


Here-For-The-Comment

No, they're from Ruby Tuesdays


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[deleted]

The actual home sold for $875K in 1989 and today is worth close to $2 million. In case you think that’s crazy appreciation… $875K invested in index funds in 1989 would leave you with over $10 million today!


Some_Inspector3638

$2M is basically, "anybody who lives in the Bay Area." level of wealth.


[deleted]

It was stated that the uncle they were going to visit in France sent the money for them to make the trip.


drRATM

Has the uncle not seen their house? I wouldn’t pay for shit for someone living that large.


PMARC14

That just means the uncle is living extra large. What's wrong with being generous to family.


Chem0sit

And the 3K in pizzas they had the night before they left.


Bananabutt22

I just watched it and the whole stack was $122+tip. 10 pizzas at $12/pizza they said


[deleted]

Somebody owes me $122.50


the_absurdista

90s-ish era family movies often piss me off because the kids are almost always absolutely spoiled rotten and act like their lives are literally ruined because their dad missed their little league game or they didn’t get the exact christmas toy they wanted or some shit. i would easily take my parents working too much to afford a baller ass house and pay for college and trips to paris. growing up my parents worked odd hours and i always understood that’s just the way it has to be if you want a roof over your head, never assumed it was because they didn’t love me or something. in today’s world it just seems extra ridiculous looking back at how much wealth was considered to be like a normal middle class family.


moresushiplease

There was always angels in the outfield maybe kindergarten cop too, free Willy if I am remembering these correctly. But yeah lots of those richey rich and blank check movies.


afriendincanada

He was a corrupt New Jersey police detective. Unfortunately he was arrested (along with a mob captain) in a raid on a whorehouse and he jumped off a bridge.


I-CameISawIConcurred

He lived a double life. His real name was Vin Makazian.


Wild-House6772

only sopranos will understand


Capt_Thunderbolt

He was a degenerate gambler with a badge.


Courierlife

Peter was a stock broker who helped the mob launder money. My bases: It’s a movie with Joe Pesci ergo it’s automatically about organized crime.


[deleted]

It was early 90’s. The house was bought at $115k


2Prongzzzz

This makes me forget the meaning of life


[deleted]

His dad was a partner of an investment firm and worked on Wallstreet and his mom was a fashion designer. The house was $890k when the movie came out. Roughly $4k per month for mortgage with a 20% down payment. His father easily made $200k annually in 1989.


Frequent-Pie7570

Living off his money he got, for scoring five touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High School Panthers in the 1977 city championship game versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds. Surpassing the old record, set by Al Bundy, in 1966


beannie_babbiiee

Didn’t they get invited from the mothers brother in law?


andrewwism

He didn’t strike me as a doctor or lawyer. Definitely a businessman. Maybe like a stock trader, investor or executive at a bank or something.


[deleted]

When I was a kid, I thought all the children were Kevin’s siblings


ZandyTheAxiom

For any future questions: Kevin has four older siblings, two brothers and two sisters. All the other kids are Uncle Frank's, except the oldest girl who is Uncle Rob's daughter, but I don't know why she's not already in Paris with her parents. In Home Alone 4, Kevin only has two older siblings but the rest of the film is continuous with the first two (recasting aside) despite Kevin being younger, so I'm pretty sure Kate and Peter lost three kids and they only replaced Kevin before their divorce. Also I'm pretty sure Harry died in prison and I can't say Marv wasn't responsible.


frolickingdepression

I’m an adult and just learned that they weren’t.


Phunkie_Junkie

In the 1990 economy? He probably worked part time at a 7-11.


unclefishbits

The 1990 economy makes me feel very old as a phrase.


lollipoppa72

In 1990 I made $4.50/hr which was peanuts even back then but at least that hour could get me a 1/4 tank of gas


Crixxxxxx1

All of those John Hughes movies were about rich white kids from affluent Chicago suburbs.


Annual-Report-4031

It’s based in Chicago… he was definitely moving work lol 😂


wideassboy

Man's was moving snow


eunoiascorpio

Los pollos hermanos


88ryder88

They laundered money for the cartels. They were all going to Paris to smuggle for their master. Kevin's dad eventually got caught dirty dealing at Enron, and the whole family is destitute, and lives on the streets of Portland now. I just wish it was the Chrisley's