VHS reviews: Encino Man

Title: Encino Man [1991]
Starring: Sean Astin, Pauly Shore and Brendan Fraser
Plot: Two losers dig up a frozen caveman. When he unthaws, havoc ensues and the pair go along for the ride.
Cost: $1.00 at used video store
Fun VHS curiosity: The back of the box encourages you to read “Encino High: Stoney’s notebook”.

I remember renting ‘Encino Man’ back when it first hit video. It’s impact on me was like that of Indian food; quick through the system and with the same end result.

Having given it the proper eighteen year breathing room, I popped my new-used copy of ‘Encino Man’ into that wayback machine know as the VCR and headed for the 90’s bud-dy.

This movie is dumb, but in this case that’s not a bad thing. In terms of attitude and style it would make a great double feature with either of the ‘Wayne’s World’ or ‘Bill & Ted’ films. [Though it’s not as subtly intelligent as either of those films or their sequels]. ‘Encino Man’ is a movie that is basically everything that it aspires to be. It’s a vehicle for then MTV star Pauly Shore, who essentially plays his “Weasel” persona, complete with catchphrases. Your ultimate opinion of this movie may rest in your opinion of Shore himself. If you find his trippie hippie shtick amusing, then you may enjoy this movie on a brain dead level. If you don’t, you’re in for a long 88 minutes. It’s a teen comedy about losers who want to be popular, guys who pine for girls who in real life would never speak to them and about bullies getting their comeuppance. That’s it, besides a tacit lesson on “being yourself”.

Sean Astin plays a very tough to like character. Until the very end, he never exhibits any qualities that make him someone you want to root for. Shore is actually better than I was expecting. He gives a likeable performance well inside his comfort zone, but in his few “dramatic” scenes he performs admirably. The real stand out is then unknown Brendan Fraser. Though most of his lines are essentially grunts or single words, the lanky actor gives an impressive physical performance.

The script and story are quite weak, forcing the movie to rely on it’s premise and the talents of Fraser and, to a lesser extent, Shore. And the final act is really rushed, robbing it of both it’s comedic and dramatic potential.

Overall ‘Encino Man’ is a harmless little comedy with a few laughs and a bit of early 90’s nostalgia.

I give it five “Bee kind, rewind” bees out of ten.