đź‘˝ Mac and What Did I Just Watch? The Weirdest Moments from Mac and Me
Some movies are weird, and then there’s Mac and Me—an unhinged fever dream of bad animatronics, chaotic product placement, and a McDonald’s dance scene that defies logic. From nightmare-fuel alien designs to an unnecessary cliff-diving wheelchair stunt, we’re counting down the 14 weirdest moments from the most bizarre E.T. ripoff of all time. Seriously, how did this movie get made? Let’s find out.
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Transcript
It's welcome back.
Speaker A:Welcome back.
Speaker A:Happy Tuesday, everyone.
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Speaker A:Welcome back to AJ Chat.
Speaker A:I am your host and today we're going to talk about the weirdest moments from Mac and Me.
Speaker A:Some movies are weird on purpose, others just stumble into the weirdness by accident.
Speaker A:And then there's Mac and Me.
Speaker A: been haunting audiences since: Speaker A:Meant to be a heartwarming ET style adventure and instead it became a fever dream of bizarre product placement, terrifying animatronics and one of the most unhinged fast food dance sequence in cinema history.
Speaker A:So today we're counting down the weirdest moments from Mac and Me.
Speaker A:The scenes that left us confused, horrified, or just questioning how the movie even got made.
Speaker A:Let's get into it, sit back, grab your popcorn and let's get started at number 15.
Speaker A:The opening scene.
Speaker A:The movie starts with NASA probe landing on an alien planet.
Speaker A:So far, so far so good, right?
Speaker A:Wrong.
Speaker A:Within seconds, a family of creepy naked, naked robbery looking aliens gets violently sucked into a spacecraft like they're getting vacuumed up at by an intergalactic Roomba.
Speaker A:That's exactly.
Speaker A:That's exactly no explanation, no buildup, just aliens getting hovered into a metal tube with their home planet watches in stunned silence.
Speaker A:It's not just that this moment is weird, it's just unsettling.
Speaker A:And the way they're stretching their limp bodies contort as they get pulled.
Speaker A:It makes them look like they're getting deleted from a low budget horror film.
Speaker A:And there's no emotional weight to it.
Speaker A:There's no dramatic music, just weirdly sterile robotic Sequence that makes it feel like these aliens accidentally getting abducted.
Speaker A:And the fact that nobody inside NASA even reacts to what's happening, that makes it even weirder.
Speaker A:Nobody reacts.
Speaker A:Right off the bat, Mac and me establish that it doesn't follow normal movie logic.
Speaker A:It's chaotic.
Speaker A:It's a fever dream of reality where aliens get casually vacuumed up into space probes and we're supposed to just, just roll with it.
Speaker A:Just, just roll with it.
Speaker A:It's okay.
Speaker A:At number 14, Mac's creepy animatronic design.
Speaker A:So let's talk about Mac and me himself.
Speaker A:E.T.
Speaker A:was cute.
Speaker A:Mac.
Speaker A:Mac, not so much.
Speaker A:His design is a definition of uncanny valley.
Speaker A:Bulging eyes that never blink all at the right time.
Speaker A:So they never blink at the right time.
Speaker A:Weird saggy skin and a mouth that always looks like it's on the verge of screaming.
Speaker A:And his limbs bend.
Speaker A:That makes no sense.
Speaker A:They bend in ways.
Speaker A:And the way he moves.
Speaker A:Slow, jerky, constantly wobbling makes it look like he's seconds away from collapsing into a pile of rubber.
Speaker A:And the weird.
Speaker A:The filmmakers leaned into it.
Speaker A:Instead of trying to make Mac look more expressive, they doubled down on the slow, eerie blinks and puppet like stiffness.
Speaker A:And every time he moves, it feels unnatural, like he's not sure how gravity works.
Speaker A:And instead of being adorable alien friend, he looks like something that escaped from an experimental lab.
Speaker A:So somehow the aliens, his family, look even worse.
Speaker A:I didn't even know it was possible.
Speaker A:They barely move.
Speaker A:Their mouths hang open in a way that makes them look constantly horrified.
Speaker A:And their skin texture makes them look like an overcooked sausage.
Speaker A:I'm not kidding.
Speaker A:If the goal was to make them look like a lovable alien from the movie, this design at all did not help.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I didn't.
Speaker A:It didn't.
Speaker A:If this was supposed to be like a lovable alien, just like E.T.
Speaker A:this did not.
Speaker A:The design did not help.
Speaker A:And number 13, mom's reaction to Eric's near death experience.
Speaker A:One of the most baffling things about Mac and me is how nobody reacts to anything like a normal human being.
Speaker A:Case in point, Eric's mom.
Speaker A:After moving into their new home, Eric is a main kid in the wheelchair.
Speaker A:Literally crashes through a fence, plummets into a ravine.
Speaker A:And what does his mom do?
Speaker A:She basically shrugs it off like he tripped over a curb.
Speaker A:Now screaming.
Speaker A:No rushing to check for injuries, no ambulance, just you.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:Alrighty then.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:The movie plays it off like it's no big deal.
Speaker A:Even though the kid just got launched off a cliff at a high speed.
Speaker A:And let's not forget, Mac is watching the whole thing.
Speaker A:The whole thing happened.
Speaker A:He's watching the whole thing from the bushes, just casually stalking him like a creepy, tiny, naked cryptid.
Speaker A:The movie expects us to believe that a single mom wouldn't immediately lose her mind over something like this.
Speaker A:But no, she carries on with her day.
Speaker A:Because Mac and me operate on a level of logic that only exists within itself.
Speaker A:It doesn't make any sense.
Speaker A:At number 12, the grocery store Mayhem.
Speaker A:So let's set the scene.
Speaker A:Mac, this is horrifying.
Speaker A:Rubber alien ends up inside of a grocery store.
Speaker A:And instead of staying hidden like a very good alien would do in a disguise, the absolute, he absolutely loses it.
Speaker A:Knocking over shelves, breaking bottles, causing complete chaos.
Speaker A:This would already be weird.
Speaker A:On its own, it's already weird.
Speaker A:But the real kicker, Nobody reacts.
Speaker A:Nobody reacts appropriately.
Speaker A:Customers just kind of stare in mild confusion.
Speaker A:The employee barely tries to stop him.
Speaker A:And security, well, they're nowhere to be found.
Speaker A:It's as if everyone in this town has already seen a nightmare.
Speaker A:Creatures rampant through stores before.
Speaker A:It's like they're used to it.
Speaker A:And the best part, Mac looks completely unbothered.
Speaker A:Wobbling around like a drunk toddler, destroying everything in sight.
Speaker A:The scene is weird because it makes you wonder, does this town know about aliens?
Speaker A:Are they pretending not to see him out of politeness?
Speaker A:We don't see him, don't worry.
Speaker A:This world of Mac and me makes zero sense.
Speaker A:And this scene is perfect example of how it expects us not to question anything.
Speaker A:It's just weird.
Speaker A:I never love him.
Speaker A:Mac's design.
Speaker A:Disguise.
Speaker A:Disguise, not design.
Speaker A:At one point, the kids decide Mac needs to blend in.
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker A:Of course.
Speaker A:So their brilliant idea, let's dress him up in human clothes.
Speaker A:And let me tell you, if Mac looked terrifying before, he now looks a thousand times worse.
Speaker A:They stick him in a wig on a with a trench coat.
Speaker A:And somehow this is supposed to help people pass as a normal child.
Speaker A:And the end result, A tiny, dead eyed alien that looks like he's on the run from the FBI.
Speaker A:His proportions are all wrong.
Speaker A:His movements, they're still awkward and unnatural.
Speaker A:And the wig makes him look like a cryptid trying to infiltrate a society.
Speaker A:Instead of making him look human, it makes him look like an alien trying way hard not to get caught.
Speaker A:And the worst part, the worst part of the whole thing, nobody questions it.
Speaker A:He walks around in broad daylight, interacting with people, interacting with people.
Speaker A:And nobody.
Speaker A:So as so much as blinks as what's happening.
Speaker A:It's like the movie wants us to Believe this is normal.
Speaker A:Like this is absolutely normal happening.
Speaker A:Which is just makes the entire thing feel like a surreal dream you just can't wake up out of.
Speaker A:And number 10, the McDonald's dance scene.
Speaker A:So you have to really.
Speaker A:I need you to picture this.
Speaker A:I need you to close your eyes and picture this.
Speaker A:The kids go to a McDonald's birthday party and somehow this turns into a full blown choreographed dance number.
Speaker A:And when I say choreographed, I mean cheerleaders, break dancers, and Ronald McDonald himself all busting out professional level moves.
Speaker A:I mean, they're like, that's my dance moves.
Speaker A:And meanwhile, Mac is in the middle of it, flailing his tiny alien arms around.
Speaker A:And for some reason, everyone just kind of like goes with it.
Speaker A:It's a scene that does not belong in this movie.
Speaker A:It's like a commercial that got out of control, except it's an actual movie.
Speaker A:There's no setup for why this is happening.
Speaker A:No logical explanation, Just suddenly dancing and somehow Max awkward movements make it even more surreal.
Speaker A:He looks like he's malfunctioning while everyone else is acting like this is just totally normal.
Speaker A:This is one of the most legendary product placement of all time, but also one of the most insane.
Speaker A:It's so random, it's so bizarre, and it almost feels like the movie momentarily turned itself into another genre entirely.
Speaker A:Okay, and we're at number nine.
Speaker A:So this kind of goes with the last one.
Speaker A:So this is the dance number.
Speaker A:This goes with the last one.
Speaker A:This is kind of with it.
Speaker A:It's with the.
Speaker A:The same.
Speaker A:The McDonald's dance scene.
Speaker A:So this one should be talked about too.
Speaker A:So let's talk about the infamous scenes in Macami.
Speaker A:The completely unhinged dance scene from McDonald's.
Speaker A:And if you've never seen it, let me explain.
Speaker A:This isn't just an ordinary fast food outing.
Speaker A:The entire place is packed, packed with people doing synchronized dance moves like a fully choreographed 80s music video.
Speaker A:And in the middle of it all is Mac.
Speaker A:I never said it in the last one, so I'm going to say it right now.
Speaker A:He was in a giant teddy bear costume, break dancing on the tables, grooving like he's auditioning for Solid Gold.
Speaker A:If you don't know what that is, look it up.
Speaker A:Meanwhile, Ronald McDonald himself makes a casual appearance, just standing there as if this is all normal.
Speaker A:Day at work.
Speaker A:And the strangest part, none of this was explained.
Speaker A:There was no buildup, no reason for the dance off.
Speaker A:It just happens.
Speaker A:And like some bizarre fever dream, it's a peak 80s product placement.
Speaker A:But instead of making you crave McDonald's.
Speaker A:It just makes you question this whole reality that they're in.
Speaker A:Did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:Well, not really.
Speaker A:I still don't understand why he was in that bear costume.
Speaker A:Not really.
Speaker A:It, it doesn't serve a purpose.
Speaker A:Except to cement Mac and Me as one of the most surreal movie experiences of all time.
Speaker A:At number eight, Mac's family nearly dies in the desert.
Speaker A:And four, a movie that's mostly known for goofy product placement and unintentional comedy, Mac and Me has a weirdly grim moment that feels totally out of place.
Speaker A:I'm talking about the scene where Max alien family is literally dying of dehydration in the middle of the desert.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:The movie goes from dancing battles at McDonald's to straight up survival horror in the, in the matter of minutes.
Speaker A:Mac and his family, by the way, look at, look like they're dehydrated.
Speaker A:Wrinkled potatoes are wandering aimlessly in the desert completely helpless.
Speaker A:They're weak, starving.
Speaker A:And at one point Max dad collapses like he's about to die right there on screen.
Speaker A:And the film really lingers on this like way too long.
Speaker A:It's generally unsettling, especially in a movie that just showed us Ronald McDonald casually vibing in a fast food parking lot.
Speaker A:And then out of nowhere, Eric and his family decide to just hand them a Coke like it's going to fix everything.
Speaker A:And guess what?
Speaker A:Guess what?
Speaker A:It does.
Speaker A:Apparently the world of Mac and me Coca Cola isn't just refreshing drink.
Speaker A:It's a life saving elixir for dehydrated space aliens.
Speaker A:It's not the weirdest form of product placement I've ever you've ever seen.
Speaker A:I mean, if it's not the weirdest, I should say if it's not the weirdest product placement you've ever seen, I, I, then I don't know what it is.
Speaker A:Because that is the weirdest product placement ever.
Speaker A:That the only thing that'll save you from your dehydration is Coca Cola.
Speaker A:So did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:I mean, I, I mean I guess it showed that Max family needed help.
Speaker A:But the tone shift was so wild, it felt like the movie was briefly becoming like a survival drama before snapping back into unintentional comedy.
Speaker A:The next Mac and his family rob a gas station.
Speaker A:So far we've seen Mac dance at a McDonald's, revive his family with a Coke and watch his human friend plummet off a cliff.
Speaker A:But did you know that Mac and Me also has a full on crime scene?
Speaker A:Because yes, Mac and his family rob a Gas station.
Speaker A:And broadly in broad daylight.
Speaker A:Picture this.
Speaker A:Picture.
Speaker A:Come on.
Speaker A:Picture.
Speaker A:Max dad, who again looks like a sun dried raisin, stumbles into a convenience store.
Speaker A:With zero awareness of human customs, he starts grabbing food, smashing things and causing total chaos.
Speaker A:The store clerk, understandably horrified by the weird naked alien, panics and tries to stop him.
Speaker A:But before anyone can process what's happening, Mac's entire family barges in and it's like a coordinated heist.
Speaker A:And just when you think it can't get any weirder, Mac pulls out a gun.
Speaker A:Yes, in a family friendly movie about lovable aliens, we get a scene where Max dad, straight up, finds a firearm and waves it around inside the store.
Speaker A:What happens, Nick?
Speaker A:Absolute pandemonium.
Speaker A:People scream, cops show up, and somehow Max family and his end up making a run for it like intergalactic fugitives.
Speaker A:Oh, my God.
Speaker A:Did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:Maybe it was supposed to show how Mac's family struggled to survive, but the way it plays it out makes it look like a bizarre alien crime spree.
Speaker A:At number six, the wildly inappropriate ending.
Speaker A:I can't stop smiling.
Speaker A:Now, let's talk about Mac and me's finale final.
Speaker A:Because this is where things go from weird to straight up deranged.
Speaker A:The climax involves Max, alien friend, getting into a shootout with police outside a grocery store.
Speaker A:No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker A:I am not making this up.
Speaker A:Max dad, still looking like he just escaped from the crypt, holding a newfound favorite weapon, a pistol.
Speaker A:Well, cops are surrounding them.
Speaker A:Eric's trying to help, gets caught in the chaos and is literally is literally killed with an explosion.
Speaker A:The movie shows his lifeless body as his family mourns.
Speaker A:For a second, they're sitting there thinking, wait, did the main character just die in a kid's movie?
Speaker A:Don't worry, don't, don't worry.
Speaker A:Because just as quickly as he died, Mac and his family magically revive him using unexplained alien powers.
Speaker A:And then the movie just ends.
Speaker A:The alien, now fully adapted to Earth life, drive away in a pink convertible, wearing human clothes as if nothing insane just happened.
Speaker A:And the final shot of freeze frame of Mac blowing a giant pink bubble gum bubble.
Speaker A:And the words, we'll be back, we'll be back slapped on the screen, teasing.
Speaker A:A sequence, a sequel sequence.
Speaker A:Sorry.
Speaker A:Thankfully, thankfully, that never happened.
Speaker A:Does it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:No, absolutely not.
Speaker A:It was a fever dream ending to a fever dream movie.
Speaker A:There was a fever dream ending and one of the most insane finales ever put on film.
Speaker A:Oh my God.
Speaker A:I don't even know what to say right now.
Speaker A:At number five, we've got.
Speaker A:We kind of talked about this before.
Speaker A:The unexplained alien powers.
Speaker A:One of the weirdest things about Mac and me is that it never explains what Mac's powers actually are.
Speaker A:One minute he's barely able to function outside his weird alien desert coma, and then the next he's performing telekinesis, bringing people back from the dead, manipulating electronics with his mind.
Speaker A:At first Mac just does small things like making a can of Coke float towards him, of course.
Speaker A:But then suddenly he's controlling an entire car without touching it, repairing electronic electrical wires with.
Speaker A:Without.
Speaker A:With his hands and literally reanimating a human corpse.
Speaker A:I mean, Piccolane.
Speaker A:Pick a lane.
Speaker A:Pick.
Speaker A:Elaine, Is he lost?
Speaker A:Is he a helpless alien or some kind of like a space wizard?
Speaker A:And the movie never explains where these powers came from.
Speaker A:Are all of Mac's species this strong?
Speaker A:Are they secretly gods?
Speaker A:Should we be worried about them?
Speaker A:We never find out because a movie is too busy showing us Mac in a bear suit jamming Adam McDonald's.
Speaker A:Did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:I guess it explains how Eric gets revived, but it also makes us wonder why Mac doesn't use these powers sooner to help his dying family.
Speaker A:I mean, again, classic Mac and Me logic.
Speaker A:Classic.
Speaker A:We have a few left.
Speaker A:The random road trip sequence.
Speaker A:If Mac and me didn't already feel like a two and a half hour, a two hour, I'm sorry, not half two hour commercial for McDonald's and Coca Cola.
Speaker A:This next scene seals the deal.
Speaker A:Out of nowhere, the movie turns into a bizarre road trip montage.
Speaker A:And instead of developing the story, it just doesn't.
Speaker A:For a solid five minutes, we're watching Eric and his family and Mac just drive around random locations, sipping Coke and shopping.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:It's basically a product placement highlight reel.
Speaker A:They stop at a gas station, get sodas, look at the scenery and keep driving while upbeat 80s music plays in the background.
Speaker A:There's no conflict, no stakes, no reason for the sequence to exist.
Speaker A:It's just an extended vacation advertisement for an alien.
Speaker A:And let's not forget Mac is still in the cursed teddy bear suit.
Speaker A:So for this entire montage, there's just a dead eyed bear creature sitting in the car, silently observing humanity.
Speaker A:It's like out of a horror movie.
Speaker A:He's still in that bear suit.
Speaker A:Except nobody acknowledges how deeply unsettling this is.
Speaker A:And did it serve a purp?
Speaker A:I mean, just a Coca Cola ad disguised as a road trip?
Speaker A:That Somehow made it even more confusing in the movie.
Speaker A:And okay, so I miscounted.
Speaker A:There is not 15, it's 14.
Speaker A:So we're down to the final two.
Speaker A:And the final two, we've got the exploding grocery store scene.
Speaker A:If Mac and me was already pushing the limits of absurdity, this scene just blows it up.
Speaker A:Literally out of nowhere.
Speaker A:The movie decides it needs a high stake moment.
Speaker A:So they throw a full blown grocery store explosion and somehow the aliens are at the center of it.
Speaker A:And here's what happens.
Speaker A:Mac and his newly reunited alien family wander into a grocery store because you know what?
Speaker A:Why not?
Speaker A:And immediately things spiral out of control.
Speaker A:The aliens start freaking out, knocking things over.
Speaker A:And while customers scream in terror at the sight of them.
Speaker A:Then, just as the chaos peaks, the police arrive, guns drawn.
Speaker A:Because apparently they've decided that the best way to handle weird, naked, confused aliens as well, shoot at them in sight.
Speaker A:And then, as if the scene wasn't weird enough, the store, it explodes.
Speaker A:There's no real explanation.
Speaker A:One second it's a tense standoff, the next, boom.
Speaker A:Fire, debris, chaos.
Speaker A:And somehow, despite being at the ground zero of a massive explosion, Mac and his family just walk away.
Speaker A:Walk away.
Speaker A:No injuries, no burns.
Speaker A:And you know what?
Speaker A:They're fine.
Speaker A:Did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:No, not really.
Speaker A:The movie just needed a big dramatic moment.
Speaker A:So they blew up a grocery store and gave us nothing in return.
Speaker A:That was classic Mac and me.
Speaker A:Classic, classic.
Speaker A:And the final one, because my counting was a little, a little off, it was the chase scene with the alien family.
Speaker A:All right, so we've had alien break dancing, teddy bear disguises, grocery store explosions, missing.
Speaker A:A full on police chase, of course.
Speaker A:Because Mac and me is nothing if not relentless in its madness.
Speaker A:This scene happens when Mac's human friends finally reunite him with his alien parents.
Speaker A:Who by the way are still wandering around the desert like confused Sims characters.
Speaker A:But instead of getting a heartwarming moment, the movie immediately shifts into a full speed chaos.
Speaker A:The cops show up, and despite the alien immediate threat, and suddenly we're in the middle of a high speed chase through the streets.
Speaker A:And if you thought the sound of it sounds insane, it gets better.
Speaker A:Because guess who's driving?
Speaker A:The aliens.
Speaker A:The same aliens that have spent the whole movie looking dazed and barely able to funct.
Speaker A:They're the ones that are driving.
Speaker A:And somehow they suddenly know how to drive.
Speaker A:And not just drive, but outmaneuver cops in a full speed, high speed pursuit.
Speaker A:Oh, oh, and did I mention that the aliens don't speak a word of English?
Speaker A:And yet they somehow understand how traffic laws work.
Speaker A:They stop at red lights, they swerve around other cards and even pull off some decent driving stunts.
Speaker A:I mean, I can suspend disbelief, but at this point, it's just ridiculous.
Speaker A:So did it serve a purpose?
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:Just another completely unnecessary action sequence that left audiences even more confused than before.
Speaker A:So at this point I have to ask, was Mac and Me even trying to be movie or was it just a series of bizarre corporate sponsored fever dreams stitched together?
Speaker A:Because between we have the the cliff diving teddy bear horror suit, unexplained alien powers, and full on McDonald's musical number.
Speaker A:It never stops.
Speaker A:It ever stops.
Speaker A:Finding new ways to be weird.
Speaker A:And that's why Mac and Me is unforgettable.
Speaker A:It's not just bad, it's legendary.
Speaker A:It's legendary in its weirdness.
Speaker A:It's a kind of movie that makes you question reality and leaves you with more questions than answers.
Speaker A:And.
Speaker A:And for that, it deserves its own place in cinema history.
Speaker A:What about you?
Speaker A:What's the weirdest moment in Mac and me that sticks with you when you think about it?
Speaker A:What's the weirdest moment?
Speaker A:Let me know.
Speaker A:I'm curious.
Speaker A:Leave a comment below and if you enjoyed this episode.
Speaker A:Be sure to subscribe, leave a review and check out all my past episodes of AJ Chan as.
Speaker A:Again, thanks for tuning in and I'll see you next time.
Speaker A:Have a great, great Tuesday.
Speaker A:Thank you all.
Speaker A:Have a great night.
Speaker A:Bye Bye.
Speaker A:Sa.
