Mac and Me



Director - Stewart Raffill (The Ice Pirates, Mannequin: On the Move)
Starring - Christine Ebersole (The Wolf Wall Street, Richie Rich), Jonathan Ward (Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, The Twilight Zone), and Jade Calegory (Alien Nation, Kids Incorporated)
Release Date - 1988
Genre - Comedy/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Eric's new in the neighborhood.  Mac's new on the planet"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

 

          When I was younger I spent a lot of time with my cousin.  He lived just a few houses down from me so it was nothing to go over and hang with him.  We would often ride bikes or roller blade when it was sunny out but if it was raining or snowing we would go in and play Jurassic Park on Sega Genesis.  I was an avid movie fan at that age and loved all genres.  He was out with his parents, my aunt and uncle, when he came across a used tape of Mac and Me.  I remember watching the movie and having him make fun of me (my name is Mac for those of you that don't know me personally) but I don't remember a lot about the movie itself.  With Halloween approaching I decided to toss it in.  I was under the impression this was a movie I had checked out when I a kid that involved aliens that go trick or treating.  After finally watching it I realized that this was not the film I remembered and google helped me determine that film was Spaced Invaders.    Though this was not the movie I thought it was I still had a lot of fun with it.  Thanks Scream Factory!

     The film follows a family as they make a move to a new town.  The difficulties of adjusting are amplified when the youngest, Eric (Calegory), discovers a strange creature that has the ability to do the wrong thing at the wrong time which lands Eric in trouble on several occasions.  He tries to keep him a secret and safe from the world but soon the government comes searching for it and Eric is forced to flee with Mac the alien, his brother, and the neighbors' kids to stop them from getting him.  

     I went into this excited that I was watching a sci-fi flick with Halloween in it but what I found was another movie I had completely forgot about.  I have no idea why I confused this film with Spaced Invaders but it doesn't matter because this movie fucking rules.  The acting in this one is pretty poor especially if you consider the budget and who was backing this one.  The film is notorious for product placement and was drawing in some big bucks from companies like McDonalds and Coke.  There was a lot riding on this project and the cast is just meh for most of the film.  With that being said, the film's star Jade Calegory is absolutely phenomenal.  His performance outshines the entire cast and makes most of the secondary characters feel almost like a parody of themselves.  The story for this one is more or less an E.T. rip off that definitely set the stage for those late 80s and early 90s children's movies that went straight to video.  The movie has intentional humor, unintentional humor, plot holes, and flat characters but finds a way to fucking work.  I don't know how but it does.  It really is a movie you have to see to believe.  Finally, the film has not blood and gore for you sick fucks.  We do get some practical effects.  I enjoy the look of the aliens and how they moved.  However, the film has some horrible CGI and visual effects.  There was a few times, especially during the car explosion, that I had to laugh at how stupid it looked.  Overall, Mac and Me is a timeless classic that has gained a sizeable cult following in recent years.  This blu from Scream Factory is gorgeous and any fans of cult cinema and 80s movies needs to own this.