I could read about Brendan Fraser all day. A fascinating, talented actor who has only the best reputation in Hollywood. We find him now in the middle of a legendary “comeback” story as he makes the rounds this award season, racking up nominations and wins for his role in The Whale. Near him on red carpets is Ke Huy Quan, who has revitalized his career (even more so than Fraser) after nearly 30 years away with Everything Everywhere All At Once. Like any proper millennial, I’ve been enjoying their cheerful tour through success. To celebrate, I’m writing about Encino Man (1992), which stars Fraser in the title role and features Quan in what would be his last role until now.
Encino Man tells the unlikely story of two Encino seniors, Dave Morgan (Sean Astin) and Stoney (Pauly Shore), as they discover, dig up, and thaw out a caveman (Brendan Fraser). They aptly name him Link -- after “the missing link”. Dave is desperate to be popular and take the girl of his dreams, Robyn, (Megan Ward) to the prom. He believes that Link could catapult him and Stoney into popularity. Stoney would prefer to just enjoy the rest of his time in high school. “I’m happy to just be me,” he tells Dave. But Stoney ultimately folds against Dave’s will, and they enroll Link into school as an Estonian exchange student named Linkavitch Chomofsky. What Dave doesn’t expect, however, is for everyone, including Robyn, to fall so hard for Link. Leaving him even lonelier than before.
On its surface, Encino Man looks and talks like a dumb movie. The premise is impossible. The stakes are low-- will Dave become popular? Will Link continue to blend in? But the source of its success in 1992 and its status now as a beloved 90s classic, is a combination of a few very important choices. The first is the movie being greenlit as a direct result of the now famous “Katzenberg Memo”, in which the head of motion pictures at Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg, decided that the studio was going to focus on only making lower budget movies. Encino Man fit the requirements to a T. (You can read more about this memo’s effect on Encino Man specifically here and the memo as a whole here.)
The second and third choices were of course casting Fraser and Shore. At the time, Shore was hitting his peak MTV stardom, he brought a level of comedic recognition with the target demographic of this movie. If you’re going to market to teenagers, it makes sense to bring in one of the most recognizable faces into the fold. Listen, I know Pauly Shore isn’t for everyone. I’ve seen Bio-Dome, I know how quick things can sour with him. But in Encino Man he works completely. His character, Stoney, uses the now famous Shore-isms that drove his success at the time. A mash-up of fantasy, surfer slang and stoner reference points. But rather than being annoying or draining, they paint a picture of a guy that marches to the beat of his own drum, who means well, and who we root for. Shore sets the tone of the movie and sets it squarely in the zeitgeist.
By contrast, Fraser was an unknown. While he was already cast in School Ties and working to become a more serious actor, he was not yet the household name he would be soon after the release of Encino Man. This movie would have likely flopped if it was not for Fraser. He plays his role as a lost caveman in 90s LA with unexpected depth. Link has a genuine curiosity and gentleness, while simultaneously keeping up with the humor of the situation through sometimes subtle (and sometimes not as subtle) physical comedy. I am reminded of Fraser’s performance in Bedazzled, which I still believe is so deeply underrated for that very reason. Fraser breathes life and depth into his characters but does not forget why we’re there-- which is to laugh. Paired with Shore’s Stoney, the two can just about warm any heart, even if they’re just “wheezin’ the juice” at the local 7-11.
Ok, any heart except for that of their dear friend Dave (Astin). I know what Astin was up against. He has to serve as the straight man while on one hand he has the impossibly hunky, genuine Fraser, on the other, is zany Shore with his own made up language and dialect. But, simply put, Dave just sucks. Sure, what motivates Dave is what motivates the movie, without him we’d have no plot, but his laser focus on Robyn and prom and being popular is enough to drive anyone crazy. He never wavers, never considers why he wants these things, never takes any advice. He eventually comes around but that is only after he drives Link out to the middle of nowhere to leave him for dead and Stoney catches him. That’s cold!
Dave cannot stand that Link gets along with everyone. Girls love him (including a barely noticeable Rose McGowan). And he fits with any group. From the wanna-be hip-hop kids to the computer club president run by Kim (Ke Huy Quan), Link fits in because he refuses to be anything other than himself. I mean, he has no choice but to be himself. It’s a blatant high school moral story, and I only really mind how heavy handed it can be when Dave is involved. The “bully” Matt (Michael DeLuise) who picks some fights with Dave, actually comes off better to me than Dave himself. I think Dave is the real villain of this movie and I won’t budge on that fact.
There’s even more that could be said about Encino Man, I didn’t even get a chance to get into the costuming, but lucky for you the movie celebrated its 30th Anniversary last year and so there’s lots of great posts and content from other writers. Including some Shore interviews on YouTube. I’ve linked my 4 favorite articles at the bottom of this post.
MORE READING:
https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/encino-man-oral-history
https://lwlies.com/articles/brendan-fraser-himbo-encino-man-george-of-the-jungle/
https://film-cred.com/nugs-chilling-grindage-and-pacifism-encino-man-at-30/