1201. Mac and Me (1988)

Similarly, I may just have a Zardoz poster in an expensive oak frame in the main room of our house.

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I guess this is the right film to watch on 7/4 because it does end with the heroes becoming naturalized citizens.

I still hope for a blunter (more militaristic) reel of propaganda that our newer hosts can dunk on, though.

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I watched Mac & Me on Showtime years ago. I didn’t think it was that bad of a movie in retrospect. I am glad it was chosen for MST3K. The episode is definitely one of the strongest in the revival.

Did you know that McDonald’s in the movie is an actual one? Well…kind of. Its address is 17030 Green Drive, in City of Industry, CA; it is closed to the general public and is only used for TV and movie filming - sorry to disappoint you if you want a Big Mac here!

Photos courtesy of Facebook!

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That’s okay, you’re allowed to have an incorrect opinion.

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There are worse movies than Mac and Me, and there are shorter people than Billy Barty. It’s all a matter of perspective.

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There are, indeed, worse movies. But that does not make Mac & Me a movie that should be considered not that bad.

I mean they dress Mac up as a teddy bear and it does complicated dance moves and absolutely no one ran out of that McDonalds screaming about the terrifying living toy.

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Mac and Me is indeed bad, but I find it to be a completely enjoyable kind of bad. This, along with Reptilicus, StarCrash, Atlantic Rim and At The Earths Core, were movies I was already familiar with before they hit MST3k, so it was with nothing short of absolute glee that they were featured in the show’s return. Alas, At The Earths Core proved to be my personal pick for weakest episode of season 11, but every other one of those episodes I listed above were great fun.

Riffing Mac and Me was probably like shooting fish in a barrel, yet the writers really rose to the occasion and my wife and I just died laughing the first time we watched it as part of The Gauntlet.

Our stand out moment for that episode is probably when Coca Cola is being administered to Mac’s dying family in the cave and Servo feels bad making fun of the suffering characters, Jonah praises his emotional maturity and then Crow goes, “Hey Jonah, look, she’s like, ‘which butt do I stick this straw in?’”

My wife and I were laughing so much! My stomach literally hurt from laughing at what they did with Mac and Me, and that’s coming from someone who was already well familiar with the movie itself. They really made it next level. Definitely a modern classic episode and a top 5 of the new series for me.

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Not judging anyone, but I honestly find the title character here way more disturbing than Munchie.

Makes you wonder who’d win in a fight.

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I’d love to see that!

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You are way behind, I’m afraid. It’s already been swapped out for a poster for The Human Duplicatiors. (I have a whole lot of movie posters.)

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It is bad. Really bad. If it wasn’t, Paul Rudd wouldn’t keep quoting it. Anything that inadvertently causes pain on the part of the viewer IS bad. Whether bad is bad is another matter. In what way is it bad? And is it unwatchable? That too is subjective and varies on the person. My sense is bad applies when whoever watching becomes aware it’s bad. Bad can become worse. Terrible, awful, indefensible. Those go further but to some apply. With Mac (1988), it is a legend and its badness is generally loved by those who care. People petitioned and asked for it to appear on the show. Dedication like that suggests a devotion born out of enjoyment. This is a bad with benefits. The kind of bad that made us fans of the subpar and of MST3K.

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DRAT!!! Oh well. Thanks for responding.

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Worse movies? Yes. But are they as watchable? There is a line where a movie exacts its price on the watcher yet the watcher returns. Again and again. The films MST taps tend to have some factor they want. And in turn, we want. Other flicks go further but no one wishes to follow. So yes Mac and Me (1988) is not the worst ever while it is the worst family film families sit down and watch on a regular basis. The package surrounding the bad work dictates whether the badness transcends into daily life. And on that score, Mac and Me succeeds in being relevant, frequently discussed, and the star of Paul Rudd’s highlight reel. And that’s something.

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I’m not sure Munchie can die. He’s in the box for a reason. Purgatory. Mac I believe is vulnerable. So advantage Munchie but if Mac’s parents are nearby? A draw. Would be interesting. Without a doubt.

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Some context about McDonald’s birthday parties in the 1980s as seen in Mac & Me (and parodied by Jonah & the bots) - people scoff nowadays but back in the 1980s, a birthday at McDonald’s was considered one of the best types of parties a child could have. There were performers who would show up at these parties dressed like Ronald McDonald, who’d entertain and do a few magic tricks.

Unless you’re a fellow 80s child like me, this is probably lost on modern viewers.

Though the McD’s birthday parties I remember didn’t have the Grimace come down from the ceiling to make sure you were having fun!

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I always wanted to have a McDonald’s birthday party. Or, failing that, be invited to one.

Alas, I failed at both.

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I’m waiting for Michael Keaton to walk out!!!

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This phantom McD’s must have both the old and the new exteriors somehow. Otherwise, how would you shoot your latest 1980s horror-comedy there without giving the game away 10 minutes in?

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It’s a set essentially. Not an actual store. So that’s possible.

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I just pictured going around to the other side of the complex and seeing the pre-Oughts (or 'Teens) version perfectly preserved.

I don’t think I’ve gone into a McD’s in a couple of decades, and going past the newer version with that fancy stone exterior still kinda’ weirds me out.

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