in a bad way!
Back in the late 1980's, quite a few movies that were considered to be among the worst ever made were coming out to theaters. This was one of them, and I'm quite surprised that Steven Spielberg didn't sue for royalties when this E.T. rip-off was released to theaters in '88.
Honestly, if you take Mac And Me as a kiddie film, it's not bad. However, the fact that it's a rip-off of one the most popular films ever made, has a horrible script that not even Denzel Washington could improve on, and is filled with product placements galore just makes the film absolutely horrible.
I certainly remember that dance scene at the McDonald's; at the time, shows like Kids Incorporated and Kid Videos, which were corny and cheesy kiddie shows with lip-synching rugrats with attitudes were quite popular then. I have that scene etched in my mind, with a bunch of hip 80's pre-teens dancing up a storm. It was very painful to watch and it wasn't choreographed very well. The music was also quite bad. Also, Ronald McDonald earned a Razzie award as "Worst New Actor".
Although the film did have one redeeming benefit (some of the money it made would be donated to Ronald McDonald House, a worthy cause), you somehow wonder if the idea of starring a non-acting paraplegic child thespian was a good idea. There was probably a casting call for wheelchair bound kids, and the winner was the strangely named Jade Calegory. Jade? Jade?!? Isn't Jade a woman's name? I sure hope that's his middle name. Add in the fact that his character's name was Eric Cruise! Cruise? Cruise?!? Is he related to Tom Cruise?
If you've seen E.T., you've seen this one; it's the same film. Mac actually looks like a cute Yoda clone, but he really hasn't got the charm E.T. had. Also, tons of companies shill their wares in this film, led by McDoanld's, Coca-Cola, and Sears-Roebuck. Also, the cast is filled with horrible actors and is just so saccharine. It has no edge.
Sadly (or gladly), the film isn't on DVD, and I doubt it'll ever arrive on DVD (although it might) due to it's infamy. Still, if you ever see this film mentioned in the T.V. Guide, check this trainwreck out. See how long you can go before you start going MST3K on it.
