At first blush, the film Mac & Me looks like just an ET ripoff. That fact is probably the best thing about it, because the film was also supposed to serve a darker purpose- to promote a variety of products, but mostly McDonald's.
In fact, the film comes to a grinding halt so that the characters can visit the Southern California McDonald's where all of the company's commercials are filmed. This visit turns into an impromptu dance sequence where kids 'get down' with Ronald McDonald. It's as cringe inducing and ridiculous as you can imagine. McDonald's never tried such a transparent promotion again.
