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By the power invested in me I declare the month of August to be known, now and forever, as “Mac & Me Awareness Month.” 

The Story of “Mac & Me”

Five years after its theatrical release, the VHS of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” was set to hit store shelves in October of 1988. The hype for this video was huge. 

Enter McDonald’s (yes, the fast-food restaurant), who teams up with a handful of investors to create the “Mac and Me Joint Venture” production company. Not only are they going to take advantage of the upcoming “E.T” VHS release, they’re going make ANOTHER ALIEN MOVIE FULL OF BLATANT PRODUCT PLACEMENTS.

Remember how the Mars company was approached to have “M&M’s” placed in “E.T.”, but foolishly turned down the offer?  Upon seeing E.T.’s long, awkward digits pick up those candy-coated chocolate bits, ”Reese’s Pieces” sold thousands upon thousands of packages. McDonald’s wasn’t going to suffer from the same fate in making their celluloid masterpiece.

Totally ripping off “E.T.”, “Mac & Me” has a scene where the Mac, the mischievous alien, places Skittles all over the floor for no apparent reason! Also, Mac loves placing flowers in Coke cans and gains strength by sipping Coke through a straw! This should clue you in to what the rest of the movie’s like: a totally unnecessary mess. A smattering of products presented in ways irrelevant to the story.

Let’s throw in some political incorrectness, bad acting, and musical scenes to suck compared to one up E.T.!

Okay, so here’s a quick rundown of the “story”:

• A lunar rover, taking samples on the moon, sucks up a family of humanoid aliens (family of four: dad, mom, child and baby). 
• Upon returning to earth, the aliens dramatically escape the high security base, making things explode by apparently having magical, electrical powers. 
• The baby alien, Mac, becomes separated from the rest of his family by hiding in the back of a van owned by a single mother, and her two sons, moving to California. 
• The younger son is in a wheelchair, and after some mischief Mac reveals himself to the boy and they become friends.
• Mac yearns to reunite with his family, the boy somehow knows this.
• Government officials try to track down Mac, the boy disguises him in a teddy bear outfit, and a chase ensues beginning at a musical McDonald’s birthday party.

First off, the aliens.  E.T. is funky looking, yet lovable. These aliens have faces that can be likened to a blowfish suffering from mild Down’s Syndrome. Combine that with an ever-shaking, saggy naked humanoid body, and you’ve completed your recipe for supreme unattractiveness. Good job!

Second off, the kid’s in a wheelchair. This is fine, adding diversity to a family film and all, but something completely shocking, something equally as comical as it is politically incorrect, flashes upon the screen. When looking for Mac in his backyard, the boy loses control of his wheelchair, flying down a hill as his breaks snap off. He then falls hundreds of feet down a ravine, splashing violently into a lake below. WHAT?! See for yourself:

Thirdly, the movie doesn’t know what it wants to be. There are elements of action, drama, comedy and musicals combined with chase scenes, explosions and bad special effects. There are times where hard language is used by the government investigators. Then there are times when little Mac tears threw the wall with a chainsaw. Then there are times where people are having a dance party at McDonald’s. WHAT?! Again, see for yourself (this is after Mac is disguised as a very mobile, unassuming teddy bear):

Conclusion: This Movie’s So Bad, It’s Good: It’s “Mactastic”

This movie wasn’t out to win an Oscar, folks. It was made to capitalize off a fad, to sell Big Macs, Skittles and Coke. This being said, I loved the movie as a kid, my sister and I watched it religiously.

Many shows and movies from the 80’s/90’s suffer from what I’ve coined as “Full House Syndrome,” meaning you may have sworn by them at the time, but when you watch them now they completely and utterly suck. Conversely, there is now the term “Mactastic,” where new greatness emerges from those old shows/movies that you hadn’t previously noticed.

I hate to say it, but the two scenes above make me laugh harder and longer than anything else I’ve ever seen in my adult life. Same goes for the unexpecting friends I’ve shown the clips to over the years. They’re both incredibly random, out of left field pieces of movie magic that are hard to come by, even in slapstick comedy films.

“Greg, ‘Mac & Me’ Has Captured My Heart, How Can I Spread Awareness?”

Great question, theoretical reader! Gracing theater screens August 12, 1988, “Mac & Me” just celebrated its 10th Anniversary. What not a better time to reach out to others, to make the world aware of the hilarity and good times of this beloved film?

Please click “Share” below and forward this post to as many acquaintances, friends, family, clergy and public officials as possible! Thank you, and “Happy Mac & Me Awareness Month!”

Tags: 1988, going-on's, humor, Kidz Korner, Mac & Me, Mac & Me Awareness Month, McDonald's, movies

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