Thursday, September 28, 2017

Movies

Movie Review

May 22, 1992

A Defrosted Caveman At the Prom

Published: May 22, 1992

Here is a simple quiz to gauge whether you should even think about seeing "Encino Man." Do the phrases "He's dope" and "She's buff" seem like compliments or insults to you? If they sound like insults, you might as well put on your reading glasses and curl up with a copy of "Modern Maturity" or a video of "Thirtysomething." This film isn't likely to play well with anyone who has strayed very far from the age of 15 or the vicinity of a high school.

It is the story of a Cro-Magnon guy who goes from frozen fossil to prom king in just a few days. Dave (Sean Astin) is clean-cut and geeky, searching for popularity by digging a swimming pool in his backyard. His best friend, Stoney, has a tangle of hair, a headband, neo-60's clothes, a hiccupy manner of speech and a chillin' vocabulary impenetrable to parents. That is, he is played by Pauly Shore as a millimeter away from the comedian's persona on MTV's "Totally Pauly."

When Dave unearths a caveman frozen inside a glacier, the friends thaw him out, clean him up and pass him off as Linkovitch Chomofsky, an exchange student from Estonia. With his tousled hair, hightops and wide-eyed stare, he turns into the coolest guy at Encino High. He dances around the halls and turns into a perfect hip-hopper without even trying. He makes primitive cave drawings on a computer. Brendan Fraser plays Link as an endearing caveman, suggesting some of the guileless charm of Tom Hanks.

But the real question is whether Dave and Stoney and Link are worthy heirs to Bill and Ted or Wayne and Garth. Not really. "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" was a novelty when it came out, and "Wayne's World" has a manic edge. But while Pauly Shore has a following, too much of "Encino Man" might have come from a Hollywood cookie cutter. Link takes driving lessons, turning corners on two wheels while the nerdy instructor yells, "Stop that car, young man." Isn't that joke from the Pleistocene Era?

When Stoney explains that Milk Duds belong to one of the four major food groups, the dairy group, that's about as funny as things get. For a film that prides itself on throwing around Pauly-isms like fully (meaning yes), and grindage (food), "Encino Man" is surprisingly not buff (cool).

"Encino Man" is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). It includes drinking.

Encino Man
Directed by Les Mayfield; screenplay by Shawn Schepps, based on a story she wrote with George Zaloom; director of photography, Robert Brinkmann; edited by Eric Sears; music by J. Peter Robinson; production designer, James Allen; produced by Mr Zaloom; released by Hollywood Pictures. Running time: 98 minutes. This film is rated PG.

Dave Morgan . . . . . Sean Astin
Link . . . . . Brendan Fraser
Stoney Brown . . . . . Pauly Shore
Robyn Sweeney . . . . . Megan Ward
Ella . . . . . Robin Tunney
Matt . . . . . Michael DeLuise
Phil . . . . . Patrick Van Horn
Will . . . . . Dalton Jones
Mr. Brush . . . . . Rick Ducommun
Kim . . . . . Jonathan Quan
Mrs. Morgan . . . . . Mariette Hartley
Mr. Morgan . . . . . Richard Masur