Sunday, 3 April 2011

THE B-LIST: QUESTIONABLE MUSICAL MOMENTS #6 – MAC AND ME

Most everyone who has seen Mac And Me agrees that the people behind the film should be put down like the sick animals they are, for their own good and the good of the whole world. Not only is the movie a blatant lawsuit-worthy rip off of E.T., but to try and drag even more sympathy out of the viewers, the filmmakers decided to make the main kid who befriends the alien crippled. And don’t even get me started on the product placement. I’ve seen commercials with less product placement than Mac And Me. Take for example this completely WTF scene in which the kids take the god-awful hideous alien (way to frighten the children who make up your target audience, guys), who is mercifully disguised in a bear suit (sorry Nick Cage, Mac And Me did it first), down to the local McDonalds where an impromptu dance scene breaks out. Because, you know, if you’re going to make your lead character crippled, you darn sure better include a dance number, right?

And before you ask, no, I have no idea what the ambiguously gay football players are doing there either?

Look, I’m only bringing up Mac And Me because it’s Lent. And as Pope Benedict XVI explained in his Lenten address this year, “The Lenten period is a favorable time to recognize our weakness and to accept, through a sincere inventory of our life, the renewing Grace of the Sacrament of Penance, and walk resolutely towards Christ.” And in performing an inventory of my life, I’ve had to face the fact that I’ve done some really bad things. Including way back in 1988, when as the assistant manager of a movie theater, I made people pay good money to see Mac And Me. I’m so sorry. If any of you are by any chance reading this, please forgive me. I promise, I’ll never do anything like that again.

Whew, I’m glad that’s off my shoulders. Now I can, as His Holiness suggests, continue that “journey of conversion towards Easter [which] leads us to rediscover our Baptism” so that we may “renew our acceptance of the Grace that God bestowed upon us at that moment, so that it may illuminate and guide all of our actions.” I feel so much better now. You know, maybe all of you should take a moment this Lent to inventory your lives as well.

Just don’t expect the process to be pretty.

macandme

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