Straight-laced, type-A personality Joy Miles has to take an unscheduled road trip to drive her forgetful, yet opinionated, mother-in-law, Loraine, from Louisville, Kentucky to Savannah, Georgia. Although initially impatient and frustrated, Joy begins to realize her true affection for Loraine as she takes a front-seat-view of how this strong-willed yet free-spirited woman manages the emotional transition of learning to live life after losing her spouse. Despite their many differences, and with light-hearted adventures at every turn, they discover how much they respect and even need each other.

《小鬼当家》是约翰.休斯1990年推出的假日强档节目。它不仅为广大电影爱好者带来了无限快乐，也使此片成了美国电影史上总票房排名第九的影片。这是美国有史以来拍得最好的喜剧片。两年之后，休斯编写导演的《小鬼当家》的续集《小鬼当街》，同样成为热卖的喜剧片。