All right, I admit it; I’m a closet Pauly Shore fan.  *watches the subscription rate plummet* I happen to think that the series of films he did in the early 1990s were laugh out loud funny, particularly Encino Man and Son-in-Law.

I think Encino Man was the first thing I ever saw Sean Astin do outside of The Goonies.  I know that it was the first thing I ever saw Brendan Fraser in.  There is only one word for that man, even when he’s a new thawed out ice man – YUM!

So what is Encino Man?  The movie is about two high school outcasts, Dave and Stoney (Astin & Shore) who find an ice man, Link (Fraser) in Dave’s empty pool after an earthquake.  Link thaws out and joins Dave and Stoney at school, quickly becoming the most popular male on campus even with a communication barrier.  Dave and Stoney learn to enjoy life more as they bask in Link’s popularity as they teach him how to live in the modern era.

The story is silly, but most films in the early 90s were.  Silly, but totally fun!  Shore is easily at his best and Astin proves an excellent straight man that mellows Shore out.  Fraser, however, is simply the cream of the crop in this film, his first “starring” role, and it lead him to a profitable career of corny, but sexy, characters.

Don’t let the fact that Pauly Shore is in the movie detract you from seeing it.  It’s great for a few hours time and a big bowl of buttery popcorn.  You get to see Brendan half naked for a part of it, so what’s the harm in that?  Give it a shot, I think you’ll enjoy it, and maybe you’ll see that Pauly isn’t as bad as people make him out to be.

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