Mac and Me

The things you learn when listening to the commentary on Shout Factory's "Mac and Me: Collector's Edition" Blu-ray. Not only do Jennifer Aniston (I knew this) and Nikki Cox (CW's "Unhappily Ever After") appear in the infamous dance sequence in a McDonalds, but the writer of the song is none other than pop songstress Allee "Neutron Dance" Willis who recently wrote the score for the musical version of "The Color Purple."

But what's most shocking is that despite a 15-minute interview with director Steward Raffill and audio-commentary with him, the director of such '80s classics as "Ice Pirates" and "The Philadelphia Experiment" (and recent travesty "Standing Ovation") doesn't quite get how bad his movie is and how it's beloved for that very reason.

"Mac and Me" is notorious for being one of the worst movies ever made. It's not just because it's a super low-budget rip-off of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial." It's not because of "classic" scenes like a wheelchair-bound boy tumbling down an incline and off a cliff. It's not because of the random aforementioned dance scene with customers randomly breaking into a completely choreographed dance routine. And it's not because of the obvious product placement by McDonald's and Coke. It's because so much of it is so poorly handled, it's become a cult-fave. Even Paul Rudd likes to show clips of it on any interview show he's on rather than the clip of whatever movie he's promoting.

It's too bad because film historian Marc Edward Heuck tries really hard to walk the tightrope of wanting to discuss notorious scenes with the director, except the humorless Raffill just keeps defending the film as if it's a classic for other reasons. He speaks of the difficulties of the low budget, the swift production time, the perils of not having computer effects at hand like movies nowadays. (Someone should mention "E.T." was made six years earlier and still managed to be believable.) He's so unaware of how bad his film is that you sort of just have to pat him on the head and move on.

That said, "Mac and Me" is gloriously awful which makes it a fun watch. The best special feature is "Down to Earth" which interviews songwriter Allee Willis who clearly knows the film is a stinker but isn't allowed to really say so. She has quite a pedigree so that, alone, is impressive. For those who enjoy a little Easter Egg, if you highlight "Original Trailers" from the "Extras" menu, a videotape will appear in Mac's hands. If you click on it, you can watch the VHS version of the film in its entirety.

Honestly, if you don't know about "Mac and Me" it's hilarious nostalgia will be lost on you. But for those that know its history (it has a 3.5 on IMDB), it's a fun, kind of cute, and unintentionally hilarious return to a disaster that so many of us hold dear.

MAC AND ME
Blu-ray Collector's Edition
$22.97
www.shoutfactory.com