Encino Man (1992)
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Two teenagers discover and thaw a frozen caveman who must adjust to modern life while teaching them life lessons.
The story
In the year 1992, an earthquake awakens Dave Morgan, an Encino teenager seeking popularity, and his friend Stoney Brown. While digging a pool, they discover a caveman frozen in a massive block of ice. After the ice melts, they find the caveman, whom they name Linkovich "Link" Chomovsky. To help him integrate into modern society, they convince Dave's parents that he is an Estonian exchange student. They enroll him in school, where his unique abilities and presence begin to change the social dynamics of the high school, bringing Dave closer to his crush, Robyn, while creating complications for his friendship with Stoney.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
During the first ice age, a caveman and his girlfriend are buried by an earthquake. In 1992, Dave Morgan and his friend Stoney Brown find the caveman, Link, in a block of ice in Dave's backyard. They hide his identity by claiming he is an exchange student. As Link attends school, his skills make Dave and Stoney popular, but his presence causes a rift between the two friends. After a series of mishaps, including a trip to the La Brea Tar Pits and a frantic drive to a dance club, Dave and Link are briefly arrested. On prom night, Matt Wilson tries to expose Link as a caveman, but the students accept him. Following the prom, Stoney and Link discover that Link's girlfriend also survived the ice age and they reunite. The film ends with Dave and Robyn sharing a kiss while the cavemen celebrate together.
- Original title
- California Man
- First release year
- 1992
- Runtime (minutes)
- 88
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Les Mayfield
- Writers
- George Zaloom · screenplay; Shawn Schepps · screenplay; Shawn Schepps · story
- Cast and characters
- Sean Astin · Dave Morgan; Brendan Fraser · Linkovich "Link" Chomovsky; Mariette Hartley · Betty; Richard Masur · Larry; Pauly Shore · Stoney Brown
- Genres
- fantasy; comedy
- Themes
- friendship; cultural clash
- Tone and mood
- comedy; absurd
- Setting
- Encino, California in 1992.
- Premise and plot tags
- fish out of water; buddy comedy; time travel
- Franchise connections
- Encino Man
- Content notes
- comedy
- Reception
- The film was a box-office success despite receiving negative reviews from critics, eventually becoming a cult classic.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 17% · scale: percentage · review count: 36; Metacritic · score: 25 · scale: 100 · review count: 20
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst New Star · 13th · win
- Production trivia
- A novelization and a tie-in book were published.; The film was parodied in a South Park episode.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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