Synopsis
High school misfits Stoney and Dave discover a long-frozen primeval man buried in their backyard. But the thawed-out Link—as the boys have named him—quickly becomes a wild card in the teens' already zany Southern California lives. After a shave and some new clothes, Link's presence at school makes the daily drudgery a lot more interesting.
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Cast
- Brendan FraserLink
- Pauly ShoreStoney Brown
- Sean AstinDave Morgan
- Megan WardRobyn Sweeney
- Robin TunneyElla
- Michael DeLuiseMatt Wilson
- Rose McGowanNora
- Erick AvariRaji
- Michole Briana WhiteKathleen
- Ke Huy QuanKim
Recommendations
- 60
Empire
Highly-evolved it ain't, but this Stone Age slacker is a lot of fun. - 50
Los Angeles Times
There are a lot of funny ideas in Encino Man that don't come off because the director, Les Mayfield, and his screenwriter, Shawn Schepps, don't seem to have made up their minds how smart they want to be. A scene like Link freaking out during a visit to the La Brea tar pits museum should count for a lot more than it does here. - 40
The New York Times
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). - 40
TV Guide Magazine
For the most part, anything resembling a genuine plot is pushed back to give a showcase for Shore, a scenery chewer without conviction or noticeable talent, whose deficits as an actor and comedian have evidently remained safely hidden in the zap-happy MTV format until now. - 33
Entertainment Weekly
Pauly Shore, the reptilian imp from MTV. Reeling off Valley Dude slang in a slurry monotone, as if he could barely be bothered to make his lips form words, he’s a fey sleazebag in hippie duds — a cross between Jim Morrison and Richard Simmons. The most interesting thing about watching Pauly Shore is wondering how long it will be before he has to take a day job. - 25
Rolling Stone
Plot analysis is useless, since the film's fate rests with MTV comic Shore in his feature debut. - 20
Time Out
That Link's make-over proves so painless - so devoid of comic or dramatic situations - suggests that this high-concept movie forgot what it was about. - 10
Variety
Encino Man is a mindless would-be comedy aimed at the younger set. Low-budget quickie is insulting even within its own no-effort parameters.
