User reviews

I'm not sure why, but still to this day I love to sit down to Encino Man. I think because I just loved it as a child and it's like that blankie you can't get rid off. Also, you need those comedies that you can just sit down too and just have fun and relax. Yes, it has Pauly Shore which granted can be scare-E! :D But he's actually amusing as well in the film.

We see a very young Brendon Fraser as Link the caveman, yes, he doesn't have much to work with the grunting and such. But he was just priceless in that club scene and the seven eleven with Pauly. He's also just so cute and lovable when he sees Dave and Stoney getting into a fight and he pulls David back screaming to him "Family!". It was actually touching, I'm serious. Sean Austin plays Dave, he's come such a long way and in my opinion is the most successful child star to not get hooked on drugs or let the industry take him over. He does such a good job as the pretty self centered and insecure but nevertheless lovable guy who wants to get the girl. Pauly plays Stoney, a well, I think he's somewhat of a stoner. :D But he's pretty funny in the film with some of his lines. Come on, I think we all dug him in his day.

While yes, Encino Man is not Oscar material, it's just a fun time to sit down and enjoy with your friends. So, a 5.0? It's just a movie, let go and grab the popcorn for a few laughs. If you didn't laugh at that scene where Link speaks Spanish to the Hispanic gang members, you have some serious issues.

7/10

Encino Man is a comedy influenced by the wackiness of the grunge generation. The young cast, which stars Astin, Shore, and Fraser, is likely to be a major draw for teenagers and younger viewers, who will likely enjoy this movie.

The story is pretty goofy. Dave (Sean Astin) has major plans for putting a swimming pool in his backyard to at least get some popularity points with the neighborhood teens who could lounge by the water in the blazing California summer sun. But, when he's breaking ground, he digs up a block of ice with a casualty of the Ice Ages, primitive fellow who he and his hip buddy, Stoney (Pauley Shore), clean off and try to disguise him as a regular American teenager. Needless to say, a lot of mishaps arise out of this. But eventually, the grizzly Link (Fraser), is a pretty popular kid at the high school, and one that Dave thinks will help him get popular, too, in that popularity-by-association kind of way.

Matt Wilson, a jerky jock (Michael DeLuise) interferes with Dave's plans to just try and pass off Link as a normal exchange student. Already p***ed with Dave and Stoney for getting friendly with his girlfriend Robyn (Megan Ward), and with their increasing popularity--especially Link, who Robyn has a little crush on. Matt figures out Link's real identity, and it's a question of whether anyone will believe his story that Link is really from the Ice Ages. Not even the school's most popular jerk can get off easy with a line like that.

The cast and this silly story make it an enjoyable comedy. Teens are likely to enjoy Pauley Shore's scenes as the happy-go-lucky hippie throwback friend, Stoney, as he just seems like such a nice, giant goofball who can really have fun with this material. It's also pretty funny to watch a fellow from the Ice Age trying to adapt to modern teenage life, much like the historical dudes did in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. It's even got some sweet tunes on the soundtrack. So loosen up and enjoy it already.

*about a Cro-Magnon man attending high school.

*featuring Sean Astin as a non-hobbit.

*that's got Pauly Shore in it.

I just saw this movie again after many, many hundreds of years, and bugger me if it hasn't IMPROVED with age! (er, by that I mean it HAS...)

I was a bit like the Sean Astin character when I was at school. If only I'd had a caveman of my own to help me pull chicks, how differently things might have turned out...

Okay, so the movie has no basis in reality, but who would expect it to? Cavemen aside, it's a TEEN movie, and they NEVER depict real people or situations. At least, not on any planet I've ever been to.

This movie doesn't pretend to be anything outstanding. It's intended purely as entertainment, and that's what it is.

It appears to have been promoted as one of those frightful "Pauly Shore movies", but it's not. He's really just a supporting player (and is nowhere near as annoying in small doses, it turns out). This is Brendan Fraser's flick. If anyone else had played Link, I can't imagine the movie being as good as it is.

My one beef is that Sandra Hess ("Cave Nug") wasn't given enough screen time (but then, as far as I'm concerned, she's NEVER given enough screen time).

I never knew Scatterbrain had covered "Mama Said Knock You Out", either. That's cool.

Okay, I'm going for a lie down now.

Bye.

Excellent light hearted comedy with Brendan Fraser giving an excellent performance and well supported by Pauly Shore. Brendan seems to handle these caveman type roles well, see George of the Jungle, Monkeybones. Good family fun.

Dave Morgan (Sean Astin) decides to dig his own swimming pool for an end of high school party. Along with his wacky best friend Stoney Brown (Pauly Shore), they find a frozen caveman Link (Brendan Fraser). Dave is in love with his old friend Robyn Sweeney (Megan Ward). However she's now out of his league with douche bully boyfriend Matt Wilson (Michael DeLuise) and dismissive friend Ella (Robin Tunney). Link gets thawed out and tries to adjust to the modern world with the help of the boys. Link becomes the cool new guy in school with Dave and Stoney tagging along.

It's sometimes fun. Pauly Shore is actually likable as the wacky sidekick. Sean Astin is a bit too hyper desperate. Brendan Fraser is great as the wild caveman. It's cute but not hilarious. Director Les Mayfield doesn't have the greatest comedic touch. The movie survives on the wild performances of Fraser and Shore.

When I was in high school my friends and I watched this movie every afternoon for one whole summer. We memorized all the lines and would tell people not to tax our gigs so hard-core, Crusters. I totally disagree that this is a "Man's Movie". I think it's more of a "feel like you're in high school again movie". Brendan Fraser is HOT and if I liked girls, I'd think that the girls were too. Sean Astin's character, Dave, is a geek and will remain a geek because he can't get over his popularity issue. Stoney is cool because he says and does the unexpected. There's all kinds of editing errors and sometimes it doesn't make a whole lot of sense but I don't care. It's super-lame but it's fun to watch and fun to recite and I don't think I'll ever get sick of it. But then again, I could ride the Vapor in reverse all day long...

Entertainment that does not try to be more than that and manages to provide the viewer with the necessary escape from reality.

The movie is fun, with solid actors who have fun in their roles. The film is certainly not a masterpiece, but it is underrated because it succeeds in what many films fail in, which is to provide the viewer with good entertainment.

And there's a lot of good fun in this movie, from the colorful characters and the hilarious Brendan Fraser to the fun 90s look.

The idea is really fun and Brendan Fraser is a great choice for the role. Brendan Fraser is an underrated actor, after all, just as this film is underrated, which certainly deserves a higher rating.

It's fun, cheerful and provides the viewer with what a film like this should provide, which is good entertainment.

Definitely a comedy worth watching.

Wow, was this one bad!

How bad you say? Let me put it this way: Pauly Shore was the best thing in this movie.

'Nuff said...

When they find a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser) in their back yard, two high school outcasts thaw him and introduce him to modern life while he in turn gets them to actually enjoy life.

Pauly Shore made some okay movies and some bad movies. This one, along with "Bio-Dome", is an okay movie, or maybe even good. Then it starts going downhill from "Son-in-Law" to "Jury Duty" and we try to forget everything else. Shore was sort of a one-note joke, and because he was not able to grow beyond that, he kind of faded away.

This film works well because Fraser captures the caveman thing really well, but even more so it is Sean Astin who saves the day. By playing the straight man, he keeps the Fraser-Shore antics grounded, and his role should not be understated.

If I were given the chance of having a testicle removed or viewing Encino Man again, I would no doubt choose the former. This film was the largest pile of steaming garbage I have ever witnessed. It was so ramblingly incoherent that I could not turn it off. My roommate, who had recently smoked marijuana, still did not understand the movie. I don't know how a caveman would even stay thawed for that long, especially since ice does not even preserve people. It didn't even work for Ted Williams. This caveman learned some language and it was unrealistic. How did he learn a line dance? Pauly Shore is by far the worst actor ever to act, and Sean Astin should seriously stick to Rudy. I award this movie zero points, and may God have mercy on its soul.

I Mean that literally!

I was going through a rough time in my life, and Encino Man was the only thing that could make me laugh!

Brendan Fraser was terrific, and I even learned how to like Pauly Shore after this movie...who up to this point I couldn't stand!

I saw it 8 (yes, that's EIGHT) times at the theatre in a four week period when it was out, and have watched it dozens of times since on video. Despite it's absurd premise, the movie worked for me, in the relationships that developed between Link, Dave, and Stoney, and the little family the three of them made.

It's goofy, it's at times stupid..and it's all around FUNNY! Just one of those little movies that if you will allow yourself to put reality on hold for 90 minutes, it can and will charm the socks off of you.

Pauly Shore and Sean Astin star as a couple of nerdy geeks who find a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser) in Astin's backyard while attempting to put in a swimming pool. After thawing him out, things REALLY heat up! Between school and time at the mall, Fraser gets a crash course in today's world.

If you're a fan of Pauly Shore, then get "Son-In-Law." In my mind, the real star of this movie was Fraser, but, if you're interested in him as an actor, then you'd better be prepared to WATCH this film and not just listen to it, as Fraser's gags and gimmicks are all sight gags. But, because of him, the two dorks are worth putting up with (not like they were to the rest of their classmates in the film).

I like Shore! I loved him in "Son-In-Law," but this side of him, to me, got a tired after the first five minutes of the film. I never was a big fan of Astin, but he's tolerable as the one who wants to use Fraser as the rungs in climbing the social ladder at school.

7 out of 10 stars.

Although this movie didn't come out until 1992, my guess is it was written back in the mid 1980's, probably after Teen Wolf and Weird Science came out. It just seems like one of those harmless '80's teenager movies. I don't remember laughing very much either. There are a few scenes where Pauley Shore actually tries to act, managing to evoke sparks of true emotion, but otherwise Encino Man was kind of a yawnfest, especially compared to something like Airheads, also with Brandan Fraser, which is really really funny. The people who made Encino Man tried, and Megan Ward is hot, but like I said, if you're looking for funny, you might want to keep looking.

Review: 'Encino Man' is a comedy film directed by Les Mayfield. This movie may be a dumb comedy, but I also think that it's one of the most underrated comedy films of all time. It's a smart and easy storyline and it gets pulled off perfectly by its lead actors. It's not a perfect movie by any means, but it's one of those comedies you can watch multiple times and still enjoy the 10th time through. The plot revolves around two geeky teenagers from Encino, Los Angeles, California - played by played by Sean Astin and Pauly Shore - who discover a caveman in Morgan's backyard frozen in a block of ice - played by Brendan Fraser. Astin, Shore and Fraser are great in this movie. It almost feels like three friends got together to make a movie, but in a good way. I have never been a big fan of Pauly Shore, I like a couple of his movies but this one stands out to me the most. I like the hippie vibe he creates in this movie and everything that comes out of his mouth is hilarious. I like Brendan Fraser in everything I have seen him in, and Sean Astin seems to always play the same character in movies, the dork. A lot of things that happen don't seem realistic, even the world that this film is coming from, and I could have done without the whole romance between Sean Astin and Megan Ward's characters. I like that throughout this movie Brendan Fraser only learns to say a few words. It makes sense being the fact that he is a caveman, and the movie only takes place over a couple days. He adapts to his surroundings a little too quickly, but this movie being what it is I am fine with that. Overall, it's goofy, it's at times stupid, but it's all around funny! Just one of those little movies that if you will allow yourself to put reality on hold for 90 minutes, it can and will charm the socks off you. 3.5/5

While digging a pool in his backyard, Dave Morgan uncovers a stone-age artifact and realises that this is his way out of geekdom (the irony of that escaping him totally). However he is even more shocked to find a stone-age man frozen in a big block of ice. While trying to work out what to do with this discovery, the discovery defrosts and sets off around the locality – bewildered and confused. Dave and his friend Stoney catch him up and decide that the only way to keep him safe is to pass him off as a high-school exchange student – a plan that produces hilarious consequences! My plot summary is pretty accurate right up until the final two words because this uninspired teenage slacker comedy is nothing new, nothing special and nothing particularly funny. The film appears to have been created to try and ride the wave of such comedies that had been started by Bill & Ted and Wayne's World, however it forgets to reproduce the laughs of those films and just settles into easy scenarios, basic "fish out of water" gags and a narrative that is about as old as the prehistoric title character. In this regard it failed to engage me and never tried to be anything other than basic and it rewards viewers who are only happy with it working at this level but will likely just come off as rather tiresome to those that expect more. Laughs are rare and require you to be in the mood rather than doing the work to actually put you in the mood and the plot, like I said, goes exactly where you know it will after about 10 minutes.

The cast cannot do anything to raise the material and they are just left mugging along. Fraser has the main role and perhaps the easiest – fooling around and looking silly; however he is as poor as the material although it is not his fault. Astin is dumped with the narrative to carry and he suffers with it. Shore marks out his future career path by managing to be unfunny and annoying with his character. The rest of the cast are the usual high-school clichés and none of them do anything at all of note.

Overall this is a poor comedy but one that you might enjoy if you are target audience for this sort of basic fare. The jokes are simple, the plot is predictable and boring while the cast just try to do their best they can, which really isn't any good at all. Will appeal to some but to the majority it will be something that is forgotten in less time than it took to watch it.

Three out of ten stars is me being generous. Its taking me a long time to watch Encino Man, like I'm watching it in bits, not so as to absorb each scene and get the most out of my viewing, but rather I watch it in fits because it sucks to watch Encino Man. It sucks, and yet I am compelled to finish it. It's not a very long movie, I mean it's not some six hour epic, but Lord, it is a real challenge to get all the way through. I was alive and fully conscious when this movie first came out and it was ubiquitous through-out those years, yet I never saw all of the movie, some various element or agent of circumstance stopped me. Even now, when Encino Man is on Netflix and I am trying to watch it all the way through for God-knows-what-reason, I still can't finish it--I have twelve minutes left of movie to watch, longest f*cking twelve minutes of my life.

Okay, I don't have much to say, but what I'm going to say, isn't nice at all. First, the plot, I think, is very bad. A man who is dug out of your yard? Yeah right. The jokes weren't that bad as the plot. And I even laughed a couple of times. Really, a few times. But what made ma angry and what hurt me, was the fact that the writer of it used "Estonia" as the home of the so-called ex-change student. So let me get this straight - if you're from Estonia then you definitely don't now any words and act strangely? I know that many Americans don't know where Estonia is situated, but it doesn't give them the right to "advertise" it as the land of stupid people. And that is the reason why I wouldn't rate this movie no more than 2/10.

As I was an elementary student when this movie first came out, I had no concept of how awful it really was. Seeing it now on TBS in 2006... It is the most insulting movie in history. Pauly Shore should never have been permitted to make it past childhood and more-over he is the cause of all that is wrong with the early 90s. Also for those of you who like Lord of the Rings, you will never see Samwise the same way again after this movie. There are certain Ed Wood movies that have been given the title of worst movie of all time... but those opinions are wrong. Encino Man is far worse than stock footage and Lugosi on morphine. This is without question the worst thing that ever happened and should not be viewed by anyone from any decade. You will lose more brain cells here than you might in a whole week of binge drinking. Stay Away. (thank you TBS for providing the inspiration to spend my time bashing this horror film, and may your ratings take a dive because of it.)

I really like this movie. Maybe its ending is a little predictable, still it's good fun, easygoing and one of these movies you can watch over and over again. The characters are brilliant, Brendan Fraser's performance as an unfrozen stoneage guy in modern California is simply great. my absolute favourite scene is the one in the bathroom - no matter how often i watch it, it always makes me laugh.

So excited for Brendan Fraser as of late with all the attention he's gotten in his new role in 'The Whale'. The come back everyone has wanted to see for a long time now.

I had to go back and watch one of his originals. 'The Mummy' is still my favourite of his, but 'Encino Man' is pretty good too. The early 90's were great, and this film encompassed all of it.

It's great to see that Sean Astin has had a long and successful career. Pauly Shore...not so much, but I'm okay with that; as much I liked him in this.

'Encino Man' is a goofy comedy sure, but it has fun with the concept and generates those typical high school feelings we've all had no matter the generation.