Mac and Me (1988) User Reviews (177)

A Hilariously Bad Exercise in Product Placement

[williampsamuel · 4/10 · 29 November 2018]

Mac and Me has a reputation as one of the most infamous movies Hollywood has ever produced- and with good reason. It is utter dreck, a shameless rip-off of ET and an extended exercise in gratuitous product placement. The only original ideas it has are utterly insane. And the alien costumes are sure to give kids nightmares.

The amazing thing is that for the most part this movie is not poorly made, at least from a technical standpoint. The acting is completely fine, even good by the standards of a children's movie. The directing and editing are perfectly competent. The photography is quite nice, with many good panning and aerial shots of the desert surroundings. There are some well-staged car chases and crashes that obviously required experienced stunt coordinators, and a number of entirely convincing explosions. This is clearly a movie made by professionals who knew what they were doing and had a decent budget to work with.

Which makes it all the stranger that the alien costumes are so horrifyingly bad. Or that this movie turned out so awful. Or maybe not so strange when you consider the script they were working with. From its inception, no-one was under the illusion that Mac & Me was anything but a blatant rip off. The little alien being stranded on Earth, befriending a young child, revealing his magical powers, and the pursuit by frightening government agents in black suits; all directly copied from Spielberg. They also manage to shoehorn in scenes lifted from Poltergeist, and a plucky sidekick who looks and sounds suspiciously like Punky Brewster.

And the entire time the product placement is blatantly front and center, until the whole project feels more like a series of advertisements than an actual movie. ET saw the alien take Reese's Pieces from a child's hand. In Mac and Me they pass packages of Skittles to each other. And drink Cokes nonstop. Seriously, several major plot points - including what can only be described as a resurrection- are driven by the aliens' overpowering need to acquire more Coca Cola.

And in one of cinema's most infamous scenes, Mac and friends engage in an extended dance off at a McDonalds' with Ronald McDonald, members of a football team, and several of the employees. The ending credits even include a credit for "Ronald McDonald, as himself." If you look very closely during the dance off scene, you can actually see the director in the background, waving a handful of bills, because even he wants you to know what a cynical cash grab this movie is.

Now by this point we've already seen adult sized aliens sucked face first into a vacuum cleaner, and our little protagonist fall off a cliff, wheelchair and all. But it's from the McDonald's scene onward that things really go off the rails into the realm of utter madness. In short order we're treated to the aforementioned resurrection via Coke, a shoot out with the cops, and a massive, fiery explosion in which half the cast appears to die. No points for guessing whether everyone is fine in the end. And I dare anyone not to burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the final scene, which takes place in a courthouse of all places.

Now I've mentioned that the aliens are ugly, but I haven't said just how ugly. These things look like someone crossed ET with a deformed pig and a blow-up doll, then decided to add horns in case audiences couldn't already tell that these things are of the devil. I cannot fathom how such monstrosities were allowed into a children's movie.

So yes, Mac and Me is absolutely awful. It is one of the most cynical cash grabs ever unleashed upon movie going audiences by Hollywood, and is pathetic in every respect except for most of its production values. And yet every minute of it is so gloriously inept, incoherent, and utterly insane that you can't look away. It is so perfectly awful and unintentionally hilarious that it can't possibly be the worst movie ever. This is an experience you have to see to believe. Preferably with lots of friends and some comedic help from Jonah and the 'bots.

Sheer Crap

[rjh2200 · 3/10 · 3 July 2005]

Mac and Me is one of those few movies that truly fly below the radar of most peoples' memories. I'm thinking that this is selective memory, because this movie makes such a crappy impression that it's hard to forget.

This movie's first strike is that it's a blatant rip-off of E.T, and they couldn't even wait till the next decade to try and capitalize on it. E.T. at least was a good movie that kids and adults alike could enjoy, if for different reasons. Mac and Me is clearly aimed at kids, but it falls woefully short by virtue of the fact that it's no fun for kids and the aliens are very disturbing in appearance. There are no jokes or scenarios that adults (or kids for that matter) would find funny. As noted by other reviewers, there are numerous product placements made in such an obvious way that it's laughable any ad exec would want to take part. In fact, most people that do remember this film remember most vividly the McDonald's break-dance scene. A pack of perfectly choreographed kids manage to fend off government thugs trying to get "Mac" by busting into an 80's break dance. In McDonalds. What? The most irritating part is the alien family. They live on some moon that US spacecrafts can visit and return to earth from (this is set in the present day of 1988, mind you). They drink a dark liquid (Coke, evidently) out of the ground. Throughout the film, they never show any sign of thought above the level of sea slug, they just mope around looking dumb, drunk, and without genitals. They waddle when they walk. They have some sort of mystical power by which they can resurrect the dead (huh?). Then, at the end of the movie, when you think that surely they go away, NO, they are naturalized as US citizens and given driver's licenses so they can drive a pink Cadillac convertible around. The government thugs have reversed the short-sightedness of their plan to study the aliens, and decide that they will allow space aliens to live among us, so long as they wear clothes from now on. This movie is just so random.

Thank god they never made a sequel to this (it appears that they wanted to - "We'll be back!") and thank God that this movie will sink to the bowels of society's collective consciousness. What makes this movie so bad is that it almost defies logic that such a bad film of total incoherence would come from a big budget release and a reputable studio.

Why would I watch this? I am a glutton for punishment!

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 15 October 2015]

"Mac and Me" was one of the more infamous box office duds of its time. While this would dissuade normal folks from watching it, bad movie buffs like me naturally gravitate to it because it is such a legendary flop. The biggest reason it failed--the public quickly saw it for what it really was--a blatant rip-off of "E.T.". And, this time even MORE corporate references are thrown in the viewer's face...with McDonald's and Coke references galore!! Instead of Reese's Pieces, they feed this god-awful corporate shill Skittles! And, to revive Mac's family who are on the edge of death, they feed them Coke!!!

The film begins with an incredibly ugly family of aliens mysteriously getting sucked into a US space probe. They are then deposited on Earth and their baby, Mac, is lost and must find its way home. In the process it meets a nice disabled kid and makes his life complete. But, when it's no longer safe, he and Elliot, I mean Eric, go on a cross- country race to find his parents and get him home--and evade capture. And to do this, they dress him up in a Halloween-type costume! Need I continue?!

So is the film any good? Well, if "ET" had never been made, sure it would have been reasonably entertaining to very young kids who didn't notice that the film was a giant commercial and who wouldn't notice the bad dialog and abounding clichés. But "ET" HAD BEEN ALREADY MADE several years earlier...so the film has zip when it comes to originality. You wonder how the folks associated with the film felt--they must have been really embarrassed at how blatant this was. And, at just about every turn it seems to do it worse than "ET"...and often MUCH worse. It's a vacuous, soul-sucking corporate mess of a film in so many ways.

When I saw this film tonight, it was decades after its original release and I was startled how ugly and expressionless Mac was. However, I had to remind myself that ET also looks pretty crappy when you see him today because we are used to much better special effects in 2015--though Mac is definitely crappier. The worst is when the dead, expressionless doll is riding on Eric's lap during the big chase! As for the outer space scene, however, I watched it on a very big screen TV and I was surprised because it looked so nice. This space scene along with actually hiring a disabled kid to play a disabled kid are about the only things that impressed me about the film. Otherwise, a pointless rip-off from start to finish---and not even bad enough to make bad movie buffs laugh. But enough overt corporate references to make this a GREAT film to use as a drinking game--taking a shot every time you saw these blatant ads! Believe me, you would get stinking drunk if you tried this!!

By the way, the kid calls the hideous little alien 'Mac'--an acronym for Mysterious Alien Creature. In no way was this meant to be like 'ET' for the Extra-Terrestrial....yeah, right! Also, perhaps it's just me, but this might just be the most whitebread, corporate and uncool film ever made--especially during the god-awful McDonald's dance scene.

Oh my, my, my...

[perni · 26 March 2003]

Okay, I'm going to assume the makers of this film knew they were making a cheap knock-off of the infinitely better E.T., and anyone who does not agree with me on this should have their brains examined. Look at the facts people! The plot is essentially the same: Weird looking alien gets separated from family and happens upon a family where the kids take him in. Then there's the fact that the dad in the family is gone (dead? divorcee? the movie never explains), and that the older brother is named MICHAEL! We get a cute little girl to play the Drew Barrymore character, there are government agents trying to find the alien, but in the end the finale is totally different (albeit ridiculous, but more on that later). But, to give the film credit, it is hilarious. I loved how the Mom assumed her handicapped, wheelchair-bound son Eric had somehow dragged plants into the house. And we can't forget the grossly obvious product placement (apparently the aliens drink Coke on their planet), the insanely ugly main character MAC (a name which is never actually used in the film I think), and a very 1980's dance contest in the middle of McDonald's. Getting back to the aliens: who the heck came up with their design? They are INSANELY unappealing and ugly. Granted, E.T. wasn't exactly beautiful, but he's Carmen Electra compared to the silly putty potato sack that is MAC. Oh, and I couldn't help but study the scene where the aliens first break out of the NASA satellite since it is so similar to the scene in Independece Day. Think about it: the government agents are peering through the glass window, trying to get a good look at what is making the scientists freak out through a haze of smoke, when the alien jumps out at them. It's weird, let me tell ya. And I swear, if I had heard Michael screech, "They're not gonna hurt anyone!" ONE MORE TIME...rrr. Just what made these aliens so innocent, anyway? Their electrical powers destory everything in their path, and they blow up a supermarket! Sure, they brought Eric back to life after they BLEW UP THE SUPERMARKET, but you would think someone else died in that explosion (which you really have to see to believe). Other great moments?

* Three bad '80s tunes in the span of 15 minutes. * The fact that none of the scenes had anything to do with the rest of the film. For example: MAC somehow hijacks a toy truck and gets chased by dogs. Another example: The hilarious scene where Eric's wheelchair goes out of control and flies down a ravine (!!!!!), leading his Mom to think he's suicidal (actual dialogue: Why would he do something like this???"). * Gigantic boom box and break dancers! YES! * The final scene, which defies comprehension.

I can best compare this movie to Teen Witch, another ridiculous 80's family film. Although I would have to say that Mac and Me is the more insane feature. 4/4 for hilarity, 1/4 for quality.

MST3K

[coryleonard-62603 · 1/10 · 25 November 2018]

Mystery science theater 3000 just riffed this movie. If that doesn't tell you everything you need to know, I don't know what will.

"Mac" = Cheese.

[GlennCT · 1/10 · 3 March 2003]

I know it's a little silly to write a review of a film 15 years after its release. But this poorly done film made its way onto one of my cable movie channels last night, and I feel the need to have a violent, outward reaction outside of the projectile vomiting I experienced.

People, this film is bad. Really bad. Bad like "Showgirls" bad, where it's so bad, it's both insulting and laughable simultaneously. And forgive me, but anybody who finds this 95-minute commercial for McDonalds and Coca-Cola to be warm-hearted or well done in any way knows not a thing about what makes a movie good, and needs a great deal of emotional counseling.

First, let's reiterate that point about this being an extended commercial. Folks, it is. The product placement in this film is shameless.

Next, there are basic things that make a film "good," like strong acting, a well-written script, superior camerawork or quality special effects. "Mac and Me" has none of these. Wooden posts would have made for better actors. The script clunks and thuds with every ridiculous, uninspired line. And the alien creatures of the film, with their bug-eyes and protruding bellies, look about a life-like as melted candles.

I also have to make a point of just how much of a rip-off of "E.T." this film was. Not only is the plot just a poor carbon copy, but even the title of this attrocity becomes an act of thievery when it's revealed that "Mac" stands for "Mysterious Alien Creature." I'm not even the biggest fan of uber-cutesy "E.T." either, but at least there the attempts at manipulation are somewhat subtle. Here, the filmmakers fell just short of subtitles at the bottom of the screen that said "LAUGH HERE" and/or "CRY NOW."

And the cherry atop Stewart Rafill's bile sundae? The scene inside a McDonald's (Our aforementioned sponsor) when normal, everyday patrons suddenly and spontaneously spring to life into a choreographed dance sequence. Yeh, that happens at the Greasy Mac's on Route 1 near my house every freakin' day.

Saps only will buy into laughable hunk of junk... for the rest of you out there, I recommend this movie only if you're looking for new additions to your Ten Worst List.

One of my favorite films as a child

[Idocamstuf · 5/10 · 19 December 2002]

I watch this movie now and I realize how ridiculus it is, but when my sister and I were kids we loved it. I know its really just a lame copy of E.T., but we didnt care. We thought that the aliens were hilarious, all of the whistling and stuff, and that handicapped kid that went rolling down the hill at about 300 miles an hour(which we would play over and over again). My sister used to compulsively rent this movie over and over again. I know adults would never enjoy this movie, but most kids probubly will. I give it 5 out of 10.

The Top Twenty-Four Ways Mac & Me is Cheesy

[thesar-2 · 1/10 · 16 February 2014]

1. The drinking game I played for every product placement I saw in Mac and Me was over within 20 minutes when I nearly died of alcohol poisoning.

2. If the Special Olympics were as hilarious as when wheelchair-bound Eric rolled uncontrollably down a hill, off a cliff and into a body of water, I'd be someone's sponsor just so I can see it for myself in person.

3. No, no, McDonald's. The line "Why don't you stop by for a Big Mac?" was completely subtle.

4. As were: "You know what I feel like?" – "A Big Mac?"

5. Nice touch on the Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter overtones in the score…despite being a kid's movie.

6. Jennifer Anniston's acting debut was Mac and Me. Later, she starred in Marley & Me. Is Murdering Me coming soon?

7. It shouldn't have taken two times for Mac to be sucked hard for us to get the hint the writers were trying to tell us something.

8. I usually try to avoid spoiling movies, but… E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. There you go.

9. Mac gets stuck in a tree, dogs threaten to rip him apart and they cue the heart-felt music. I haven't laughed that hard since wheelchair-bound Eric plunged 50 feet into the water.

10. Ironically, it does take a lot of coke to enjoy a feature like this.

11. Code name: "One Hundred X-Ray?" Really?

12. I waited the whole movie for the dance party inside and out of McDonald's and it was so worth it. Everyone was having a blast and I want my next birthday party there, too!

13. Sometimes Mac can fly and sometimes he can control electrical objects, but when running from the suits, Mac chooses to ride on Eric's lap down another hill in his speeding wheelchair. ??

14. Oh, and try not to be in tears from laughter after that chase scene's over.

15. Skittles? Seriously? Stop.

16. "How long have you been in lingerie?" might not be the best question to ask the most blatantly obvious sex offender working at Sears.

17. There were more discounts in this movie than on McDonald's value menu. Like Discount Drew Barrymore, Discount Dee Wallace, Discount Henry Thomas….

18. I'm probably taking the lines "I sucked him up…and then we blew him" way out of context.

19. Traveling billions of miles for a three-minute rock collecting experiment might sound like a waste of NASA's talent and money.

20. And how they missed the straws the aliens used for mud slurping should get at least one of them fired.

21. But, the genius of getting the spacecraft across the galaxy in less time than it takes the Enterprise, would probably get someone a raise.

22. Maybe Joe Arpaio saw this movie and that's why he is the way he is.

23. The end taught me three things: Ronald McDonald is a real person, aliens can reanimate life but not fix dead legs and the MacFamily will be back. Or…so they promised before anyone actually saw this.

24. The moral of the story is simple: You better be rooting for either the Chicago Bears (on WGN) or the Chicago Cubs while having a Coke. Only the weird neighbor roots for the Dodgers, but he probably eats at Burger King, anyways.

The worst thing humanity has ever created

[euryan · 1/10 · 31 March 2017]

This movie will make you wish you'd never been born. Each minute that you continue to watch this movie you will find your will to live quickly being sucked out of you. If you haven't killed yourself by the time everyone busts out dancing in the McDonalds, that will surely send you into a hatred for life for which you may never recover. Unfortunately I don't own a gun or I would have taken my own life and saved myself from having to watch the second half. The scene where they drive Mac into the desert and he holds up his hands and does this stupid whistle to find his family which are almost dead in a cave made me start bashing my head against the wall in hopes that I would black out. Sadly I did not, and I now I must live the rest of my life with the nightmarish memories of this movie. I feel depressed and hopeless. I pray everyday that aliens really do exist and that they kill every last person on this planet. We don't deserve to survive as a species if we can make a movie like this.

Hey everyone, dance party at McDonald's; let's go!

[Ronald_Mexico · 5/10 · 6 December 2005]

The dance party scene was such subtle product placement. I can't say why exactly, but for some reason I was left craving a Big Mac after watching the movie. Hmmm....

If anyone can watch the dance scene and tell me exactly why it was in the movie, I would love to hear it. Also perplexing were the jogging scene with musical score (even Phil Collins at his worst would have been an improvement) and the cameo by that annoying red-headed kid from 'Different Strokes'. Perhaps someone who has watched the movie repeatedly and considers it a cult favorite could enlighten us....?

I do like the fact that the producers cast a kid in a wheelchair as the star, but the writing was awful and the plot was laughably bad. It was an ET knock-off right up to the end, where you will find a shocking conclusion rivaled only by "The Usual Suspects"!

A very bad film.

[jantis · 1/10 · 22 July 2005]

I love kids movies. I have two children and have always enjoyed watching their movies along with them. I worked in an elementary school for several years and have seen a plethora of fantastic children movies.

But this movie was terrible. In fact, I rate it as the worst movie I have ever seen. Why? Several reasons...

1. It is a blatant attempt to ride the coattails of ET and similar alien-friend movies from this era. Unfortunately, I think it sat on the wrong coat.

2. The film used pity tactics to attempt to draw in your emotions rather than effective writing or visuals, and those tactics failed miserably.

3. The special effects were horrible even for the time. I can relate to chronological limitations in relation to special effects and can respect a film that meets or exceeds the effects available for it's time. But there were plenty of good sfx films out by the time this film was released and this one simply didn't bother with any sfx budget.

4. The dialog was awful. This is an example where no amount of good acting could compensate for the dialog.

5. In relation to reason #4, there was no good acting to attempt to overcome the bad dialog. That might not even be the blame of the actors themselves, as there are simply times when you can't rise above your surroundings.

6. The cheesy marketing and glaring promotions within the film take an already terrible movie and turn it into a true mockery.

7. I have seen B-Movies that were more enjoyable to watch. However, out of morbid curiosity, I watched this film from opening to closing credits.

From start to finish, from effects to acting, from dialog to directing - Mac and Me is a very bad movie. Just because a film is made for children does not mean it's OK to be terrible. Children's films, just like any genre, have a majority of moderately enjoyable films, a number of gems, and their share of stinkers. This is a true stinker.

And yes - my children thought this movie was horrible, too.

A true cult classic

[bradye21 · 10/10 · 20 April 2011]

You must see this movie immediately. It is so epically bad, that it's amazing. Every scene is just complete madness, it makes you think everyone involved in the movie must have been on hard drugs. The cliff scene, the McDonald's scene, and the 5 minute scene where Eric is jogging (well...) with his mom while a power ballad plays in the background. EVERY scene is a winner. After each scene, you can't wait to see what madness awaits in the next scene. You can't stop. You'll want to watch it again. You'll want a sequel after the "We'll be back" is shown at the end, but you will never get one. The alien puppets as well as the studio this was shot in were likely burned shortly after filming completed (which was probably about a week after it began).

Best viewed while extremely tired or under the influence of something.

This movie is a gem!!!

[Kerry_Bradford · 7/10 · 19 August 2021]

First, I watched this movie by way of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 so that alone and them picking out the funny bits as the movie was playing was simply hilarious!

As a movie by itself, yes, it's a ripoff of E. T. for sure but it's one of those movies that are so bad that it's good/funny/nostalgic. Not taking it seriously, I believe alot of people who haven't seen this yet would have a good time. The acting and alien designs alone are funny as all get-out. I oddly recommend seeing Mac N Me if only for the laughs.

A hateful experience.

[Jordan_Haelend · 1/10 · 31 December 2004]

This is without a doubt the single most atrociously insulting movie I can remember, and I mean that it insults the viewer in what amounts to an almost violently aggressive way. The fact that it rips-off "E.T." in almost every plot-point is bad enough; but did the filmmakers HAVE to turn the basic idea into a giant plug for a well-known burger franchise? Anyone who can't see the exploitation for what it is must be obtuse to the point of imbecility.

The little alien is badly designed. It's incredibly ugly, and the only time when the aliens stand-out favorably is when they do their haunting whistling. Otherwise, forget it.

The lead in this, Jade Calegory, deserves some praise. He never let his own real-life disability slow him down and he's actually a pretty accomplished actor. It's a shame that he had to be in this. If he ever had hopes of an acting career, it was effectively MURDERED by his appearance here. It had to be embarrassing for him, unless he's got thicker skin than I give him credit for.

I do, however, have one wish: if anyone who is reading this can make it happen, PLEASE put this out on Region 1 DVD, at least! It would be a hit, if only because so many people would buy it to see how awful it really is.

And it is.

Wow, this brings back memories. Too bad nostalgia doesn't defend the realization of awfulness. What a stinker.

[MovieAddict2016 · 26 September 2004]

When I was a child I watched some very bad movies; some were so bad, they made Cool as Ice look like the original Rebel Without a Cause. I'm talking about grade-A quality garbage, here.

Mac and Me was a film I frequently watched – an embarrassing, agonizing, shameless marketing scheme fueled by McDonalds featuring a plot ripped off of E.T. And I ate it all up – I used to love this movie.

Watching it now is like a slap in the face. Wow, it's that bad. When I was younger I didn't notice the numerous references to Mickey D's and Coca-Cola – I just marveled at the sight of strange alien beings whistling to music that played only in my head. I considered Mac and Me to be the pinnacle of film-making. Or perhaps I'm discrediting myself – I wasn't that stupid, but I was naïve enough to believe, at least, that it was a fun movie, and unlike anything I had ever seen before.

Well, at least one opinion remains -- it is unlike anything I've ever seen before – a rip-off so bad beyond words that it's almost as unbelievably awful as another shameless E.T. knock-off, Pod People, my choice for the worst film of all-time – and another 'so-bad-it's-good' gem that is actually so bad it becomes good, then bad again, where it continues in this cycle until it becomes downright petrifying.

The film's protagonist is wheelchair-bound Michael (Jonathan Ward), an adolescent who moves to a new city and finds himself meeting up with a strange puppet – err, alien – named 'Mac' (I guess?), who waddles around like E.T. and is searching for his parents, who were picked up by a NASA space probe and are now out in California doing who-knows-what. Apparently they're not too eager to find their son since they spend the duration of the movie crawling at a snail's pace under the glare of the sun, stopping every now and again to emit sounds similar to that of a drunken elephant, making patterns in the air with their extended index fingers (now, where have I seen that in an alien-oriented movie before?).

I could write an entire book on the faults of Mac and Me. To fit them into a single article almost seems ridiculous.

Primarily it's just plain dumb, although it is also a horrendous mess from a technical standpoint. Its plot resembles that of RoboCop3 – sloppy and vague. Direction is equal to that of a standard TV commercial, only one of the more boring sorts. The acting also compares to a television commercial, only in ads the people aren't always expected to actually say anything other than stare at the camera and smile like they're enjoying whatever product is being pushed. Some of that applies to Mac and Me since it is such a commercial, buy-this-product-after-you're-done-watching-the-movie sort of experience – unfortunately there is the odd moment where the movie doesn't focus on its bizarre alien creatures or Coca-Cola or Ronald McDonald or brand wheelchairs or space exploration companies and demands its so-called 'actors' speak their lines. I'd rather be stuck having to watch fake prosthetic extra-terrestrials quack and make weird noises than suffer through one more 'actor's' attempt at bringing life to the project. My guess is most of the cast were hired from a nearby McDonald's restaurant – seeing how McDonald's funded, promoted, and endorsed this movie, as well as the fact that their company logo is shown from beginning to end. It's about one hundredth as fun as those BMW commercials with 'The Driver,' and one thousandth as subtle.

The dialogue is classic stuff. Conversations usually consist of at least one marketing plug, sometimes more. Here's an example of some great screen writing:

Michael: Gee Mac, I don't know where your parents are. It's tough being in a wheelchair. I'm still adapting to this new home. By the way, in case you didn't get it by now, I don't have any friends except you! Where are your parents, Mac?

Mac: Blurp! Beep! Weeeooop!

Michael: Oh darn.

Annoying Brother Ripped Off of the Brother from E.T.: Gee, how the darn are we gonna get Mac to his parents?

Michael: I don't know. Let's go discuss it over a two-dollar quarter pounder with cheese at McDonald's. First one there's a Coca-Cola! By the way I heard that McDonald's is the number-one food chain in America with over one million restaurants nationwide! That's a whole lotta greatness! Hey look, it's a Krispy Kreme truck – I wonder if the driver, Mr. Shack, is still selling radios.

Granted, that conversation doesn't appear in the film – because it's too good. What I just wrote would qualify for a an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay after being compared to 'Mac and Me.'

Then there's the most memorable and infamous scene, which is when Mac is left home alone during a school day, and 'accidentally' throws a huge orgy with all the eager NASA scientists. Wait a minute, wrong movie. The best (or worst) part of Mac and Me actually takes place at McDonald's (!). It begins as a birthday party, becomes a dance competition, and ends as a frantic showdown between Ronald McDonald and a bunch of football players (?!) and, of course, Mac, doing flips through the air dressed as some sort of animal (another '?!'). Don't ask, because I don't think there's an answer, other than this: $$$

The movie is one huge conglomerate of '80s conglomerations, if that makes any sense. What a wonderful film! (Not.) If you can put up with the wooden acting, bizarre (often downright confusing) screenplay, annoying stereotypical characters, and merchandising plugs…then you really are a sad pathetic waste of space and are exactly the type of candidate they're looking for to pen 'Mac and Me II: The Quest for More Money.' (I had to fit a Mel Brooks reference in there somewhere. After all, he paid me to. And I think that's the entire approach to 'Mac and Me.')

This isn't a movie! It's a stinking McDonald's commercial!

[gavin-thelordofthefu-48-460297 · 2/10 · 16 October 2012]

I couldn't believe my eyes. I... I just couldn't believe it. I have just encountered a movie so bad even as an ET rip-off, but I've also heard from Wikipedia.org that this was made to promote McDonalds to kids. Given the information, I understand why this movie got seriously panned by critics. The story is unoriginal and predictable not to mention plagiarizing elements from Steven Spielberg's classic ET. The dialog is terrible, the direction is messy and unfocused and the pacing is too sluggish for itself. The acting is not only over-the-top, but completely wooden with the exception of Jade Calegory for his emotional performance as the main lead. Even the script is lifeless with moments that are completely unfunny and lacks some wit, charm, and heart to it. The second saving grace, much like Jade Calegory's performance, goes to the music from Alan Silvestri. Not exactly his best score, but still pretty good.

Overall, Mac and Me isn't exactly the worst movie I've seen, but it's still a horrible film that needs to be avoided. A sequel was planned, but given the horrible reception in this piece of crap and it's failure at the box office, it never got made.

I hate, oh I hate those grotestque monsters... and this "movie (advertisement)"

[belldave50 · 1/10 · 2 August 2016]

You know, I used to walk by this as a kid at my local Blockbuster and look at it and for some reason never wanted to see it. Now I feel a divine hand was at play to keep my love for E.T. and all that is good in the world from being emotionally sodomized.

It's truly beyond words how much I hate this advertisement and movie that would've been horribly sued if it hadn't bombed.

Throughout this movie I was let down each time the grotesque stupid creatures didn't die a horrible, torturous death.

The people were just generally bad actors and uninteresting.

I just can't respect this as a real movie. It's soooooo much ET and such a blatant advertisement for diabetes water: coca cola, and MacPoop food.

And those aliens... those horrible animatronics and faces that are disturbing to look at. It really highlights how amazing that Spielberg's movie could make an alien that could be seen as almost grotesque, lovable.

Man, these producers in the 80's must've really, really thought children were stupid.

Do not see this whatever you do. Save yourself!

A Brave Effort from our Capitalist Comrades!

[onepotato2 · 1/10 · 9 May 2007]

As is to be expected, in the wake of the very successful E.T., some massively derivative imitators were released. In '86 Flight of the Navigator used Paul Reubens' Pee-wee Herman voice as that of an alien ship which befriends a boy who just wants to get home. To be sure that was a smarmy, 2nd-hand effort. But by far, the other much worse product came with 1988's "Mac and Me." This was so much more appalling, that "Navigator" was instantly blown out of everyone's collective memory. Mac and Me is so heinous that it could melt the brains of the unborn.

Remarkably, the movie is so burdened by wall-to-wall garbazh, that stealing the entire plot of another movie could be the least of it's problems.

An unrelated movie, called "East Side Story," came out in 1997. It's a sort of "That's Entertainment!" of Soviet era propagandistic musical numbers on topics as naff as productivity objectives, living in a workers paradise, ideological purity, etc.. Mmmm... delicious! That's what you get when the machinery of state has no natural competitors. But "Mac and Me" is what capitalism would be bringing you morning, noon and night if powerful fans of ca$h never had their avarice checked by people who know better; critics and people with taste. As one cynical remark goes: If Thomas Edison had an MBA he would have just kept making larger candles.

This speed-course in half-assed, capitalist film-making includes, as noted, a plot lifted intact from a more successful movie (Why reinvent the wheel?), takes the form of a 90 minute McDonalds commercial (You want to lose 90 minutes of selling time?), interrupted by Coke commercials, has an alien that looks like a 4 dollar rubber fetus (because it is a 4 dollar rubber fetus), a (sym)pathetic hero in a wheelchair, and a script produced after sniffing the finest glue one could buy at the 99 cent store. Did $omebody $ay MAC-Donald$?

Somehow the execs didn't imagine we'd notice the endless shilling, maybe 200 percent more than in a typical movie, while taking their express-elevator ride to profit hell. So let's acknowledge these brave geniuses, who strived to make capitalism safe for uh... more capitalism, by name so they make it into the history books; Producers Mark Damon, William B. Kerr, and R.J. Louis; AND so this review is inescapably linked to their names in internet search results.

Of course there are questions that capitalism does't answer. Why do the aliens heads look like human scrotums? Why do they walk like babies with a load in their diapers? Why do they like whistling the first few notes of "Happy Trails (to you)?"

This is the lowest point in movie history, in any country, ever. Whoever would try to displace this as the "Worst Movie Ever Made" must first use it as a checklist to make sure their movie fails as spectacularly in as many places.

The all time stupidest movie...

[Sparquelito · 1/10 · 3 February 2006]

.....in the history of all time stupid movies.

I watched this with some close friends, back in the summer of 1989 when it first came out on video. Out of deference to the young children who were were seated on the carpeted floor watching the film (and actually enjoying it), we adults stifled our laughter, and wiped our tears as quietly as we knew how.

Mac and Me was just plain dumb. Beyond dumb. Beyond the valley of the SHADOW of dumb. What a dog of a movie.

What really got me, aside from the McDonald's dance scene, was the overt commercial advertising. McDonald's, of course. I understand how a hack-company like McDonalds would be willing to tie themselves to such a stupid project.

But Coca COLA?

Coca Cola should be ashamed of themselves for plugging their sugar water so shamelessly. (In case you don't remember, Coke was featured throughout the film, and in the end it was the magical cure for whatever was ailing the goofy aliens.)

Good gosh. I can't believe I just wasted 60 seconds of my life posting a review of Mac and Me. (Shakes head sadly)

Dreadful, really...

[xtonybueno · 1/10 · 8 May 2000]

Hands down one of the all-time worst I've seen. I'm simply astonished that this was actually released theatrically. *Minor Spoiler* (as if anybody would care)

Note that before the end of this film, there is a note stating, "We'll be back". Whatever did happen to the proposed sequel to this one?

Everything you've heard is true. Manipulative, sappy, and derivative in every conceivable way. I've heard that The Wizard contains the most products in any film (Back to the Future is another runner-up), but I can't imagine any movie with more thinly-veiled ads than this mess. Ridiculous musical sequence, shameless plugs, misuse of the word "H*LL", a traffic accident which was almost certainly fatal and is laughed off by the main characters, and those are the good parts! This one may have been worse than Street Fighter, but then again, maybe not. Avoid at all costs. That anyone rated this movie a "10" proves that too many jokers are allowed in IMDb. Seriously, I don't see how ANYBODY could find this movie a "10", and I do know some children who found it somewhat enjoyable. Perhaps the fact that no one ever attempted to further the adventures of Mac and his kin offers some evidence that God's grace shines upon us all. Mac and Me is a wretched excuse for entertainment that is literally not even worth the film on which it is printed.

Don't lose your time, please

[taliesin-8 · 1/10 · 22 March 2006]

It's a pitiful remake of ET. It seems someone thought "now, why don't we make ET again (without consent of anyone) and try to put a lot of merchandising in it".

I saw ET as a child, and i laughed and cried, and i really identified myself with Elliot. The history is brilliant, and 20 years later my kids still love that film.

I saw Mac and Me when i was a child too, and it made me angry, furious. How did they dare to rape my memories of a pretty good story ? The plagiarism was so obvious that it made me forget about anything good in this movie. I still recall that hideous bubble gum ball at the end promising that they would be back, and that memory has haunted me for years.

Don't watch this one, please. Please.

Possibly the worst film I've seen.

[JesusPlayingGolf · 1/10 · 19 March 2009]

Wow. The incredible level of suckage in this film is amazing. A brief synopsis: So the film starts out on a barren planet. There is a family of aliens roaming around trying to drink stuff out of the ground when they are able to find it. The aliens resemble skinny Mickey Rooneys, if he was naked with reddish skin and stoned out of his gourd. A NASA pod thing lands on their planet to take samples, accidentally sucking up the entire family who apparently have no bones. In what is probably the shortest mission in NASA history, the pod takes off and leaves about 45 seconds later.

The pod gets back to Earth, freeing the extra-terrestrial family into a science lab. The youngest alien gets separated from the family and ends up in the van of a family moving to a new home. The main kid in the flick, Eric, is crippled, adding a level of manipulation that probably had Disney drooling. But he's a lame crippled kid, not like the one at the end of Sidekicks, who I'd like to believe turned into a badass.

Anyway, the alien destroys the house, because he's a dick like that and everyone blames Eric. Distraught, Eric goes for walk (read: roll) out behind his house, where there's a hill. The brakes go out on his wheelchair (Meineke missing a prime ad spot in this product placement free-for-all) and Eric rolls uncontrollably downhill and plunges off a cliff from about 50 feet in the air. The alien (who I guess is the "Mac" of the title, must have missed that part) saves his stupid ass from drowning.

After having his life saved, Eric decides to try and take Mac's. So with the help of his neighbor, a gruff-voiced girl presumably around his age, they trap him in a vacuum cleaner which damn near kills the thing. Here's where advertising comes in. The kids save the alien by giving him Coca-Cola, utilizing the soft drink's well documented medicinal properties. With everyone happy and alive, they dress Mac up like a teddy bear and go to a party at McDonald's where everyone is dancing because McDonald's is awesome like that.

Some government guys chase them around (through a Sears) and they end up finding Mac's family in a mine in the desert. They were near death and with the help of some more Coca-Cola, that magical elixir of the gods, the kids heal the whole family. They then bring the aliens back to town where they cause a huge explosion that kills Eric. Yep. The crippled kid gets blowed up. But the aliens bring him back to life (surprisingly enough, without the use of Coca-Cola). So everyone now loves the aliens. And in the most retarded ending I've ever seen, they become U.S. citizens and drive around in a Cadillac.

But don't worry, the story isn't the only sh-tty thing here. The acting, special effects, cinematography and music are all awful. It is hilarious in its awfulness, though. But it still may be the worst film I've seen.

I love this movie for all the wrong reasons.

[Mr-Fusion · 8/10 · 2 March 2014]

Don't let that 8 rating fool you; "Mac and Me" is an awful movie. A blatant (nay, shameless) ripoff of "E.T." - right down to the broken home and identical neighborhood - it's hard to believe such crap was earnestly marketed to kids. But viewed in the right context (with friends, beer flowing), this movie makes for a night of comic hilarity.

It's not just the terrible product placement (Coca-Cola, Skittles and Valvoline are all in your face . . . also there's the random dance party at McDonald's that grinds the movie to a halt), but the low-rent makeup effects on the aliens, who have only one facial expression: surprise! Add to that the really bad white family we have to side with, the token bad-guy Feds, and the quality of acting that's just a shade above "Troll 2" that make "Mac and Me" so unbelievably shoddy.

It's just not a movie you can take seriously. So I can't give this flick a bad rating because I had way too many mean-spirited laughs during the entire ride. That dummy going off the cliff in the wheelchair (in a serious drama moment . . . that's what you can expect here) is priceless. And what blows my mind is that the guy who directed this movie also wrote it! You have to believe in this nonsense pretty hard to put that much work into it.

I'm not sure there's a better example of something so bad that it comes out the other end smelling of ironic roses.

8/10

Mental programming brought to you by McDonalds.

[GISmovies · 6/10 · 5 June 2002]

Mental programming brought to you by McDonalds. The brilliant marketing geniuses at McDonalds manufactured this movie in 1988. It's so obvious and contrived that it's a bad movie classic. Product placement, Bad dialogue and a Musical song and dance number (in a McDonalds nonetheless) makes this movie a cult classic. I suggest renting this movie and eating a big mac and fries at the same time. 6/10

A 90 Minute McDonald's Commercial

[r-brasher · 1/10 · 23 April 2011]

I admit it. I knew ahead of time that this so-called "movie" (it's a commercial folks!) was going to be the most obnoxious time waster, even worse than "Underdog"! But I still had to see for myself just how obscenely bad it really is. So, I went to YouTube (no way was I going to plunk down one red cent to rent this piece 'o crap) and proved myself right.

Bad acting, shameless product placement,the most stupid looking aliens in cinematic history and totally unoriginal storyline (E.T. anyone?), not to mention an 80's break dance scene included for no apparent reason only makes one wonder how this could have made it to "straight-to-video" let alone theatrical release. And don't get me started on the ending!

In other words, I Hate, Hate, Hate, Hate, HATE this movie-uh,I mean this McDonalds commercial.

Rating: a redundant 0 out of *****