Review of Mac and Me (1988) by E E — 14 Jan 2013

As E.T. turned out to be a monster hit, Hollywood apparently decided to be a copy cat and made Mac and Me! Recycling many elements from the earlier film and adding extra pathos (particularly a paraplegic main character) and extreme product advertising, many were surely unsurprised that this one failed to make cinema history, despite a fascinating storyline.

This mostly unoriginal premise finds a single mother relocating to Los Angeles with her two teenage sons, including the handicapped Eric. Around the same time, a family of aliens gets sucked onto the planet and one of the child aliens (after a scary car chase/crash) hitches a ride in their minivan (!). After causing a bunch of trouble (especially when he manages to never be seen at first), he eventually makes good friends with the young boy and some other neighborhood kids. But inevitably, mounds of trouble lurk around every corner and Mac (aka mysterious alien creature) gets lonesome for his extraterrestrial family. Could this film possibly be formulaic?

A movie which makes no attempt to be original, undemanding youngsters not baffled by low budget productions may take a better liking to it than the general public. The constant references to product names (especially fast food and Coke) may explain where the film's funding originated. One may question, however what the random dance number at McDonalds has to do with the story!

Despite the film's good intentions and occasional cute moments, most viewers will wonder if it serves a purpose or if it was made strictly as a joke. Few will be surprised that the film flopped at the box office and the planned sequel was never made, despite the ending frame saying "We'll Be Back." Lies, lies and more lies! Look for Jennifer Aniston (in her film debut, amazingly) as an extra.