1992 was a breakout year for Brendan Fraser, who demonstrated his impressive range with star turns in the cult comedy hit "Encino Man" and the hard-hitting drama "School Ties." Fraser continued that trend of displaying serious dramatic abilities alongside his talent for playing what he once told GQ are "naif characters" and "fish out of water" types in '90s comedies like "George of the Jungle" and "Blast From the Past." Then there was the unfortunate "Dudley Do-Right" which signaled the end of that particular golden age.
With his resurgence in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale," Fraser has reminded us all of his impressive dramatic talents. But for many, it was those outsider characters, stumbling wide-eyed through worlds they didn't fully understand, that defined the actor's appeal. And while "George Of The Jungle" was perhaps the biggest hit within that particular Fraser subgenre, affectionately termed his "himbo" movies, it all started with "Encino Man.
With his resurgence in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale," Fraser has reminded us all of his impressive dramatic talents. But for many, it was those outsider characters, stumbling wide-eyed through worlds they didn't fully understand, that defined the actor's appeal. And while "George Of The Jungle" was perhaps the biggest hit within that particular Fraser subgenre, affectionately termed his "himbo" movies, it all started with "Encino Man.
- 2/12/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
1992's "Encino Man" is, as the trailer puts it, about "a caveman who just stepped into the 20th Century." Luckily for him, two slackers from Encino, California are the ones to guide the Cro-Magnon dude through the ways of teenage living. It's always fun to imagine the pitch meeting for these oddball movies, but I can't imagine how "Encino Man" was sold to Disney. The director, Les Mayfield, hadn't made a feature film before, there were no major stars onboard, the plot sounded like something no one asked for, and if you're going to try to capitalize on the popularity of '90s California surfer/stoner culture, Encino seems like one of the least recognizably Californian locales you could choose. This is probably why every other country in which it was released renamed it "California Man."
But, for whatever reason, the movie was not only a box office success, it...
But, for whatever reason, the movie was not only a box office success, it...
- 1/26/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
With the nominations for the 95th Academy Awards upon us, comeback kid Brendan Fraser is poised to win an Oscar for his heartbreaking, gut-wrenching performance in Darren Aronofsky's "The Whale" (read /Film's spot on review of the film here). If Fraser, famous for his swashbuckling days as Rick O'Connell in "The Mummy" franchise and off-the-wall comedies like "Airheads," wasn't ever considered a serious dramatic actor, he is now. Appearing as a guest on the "Saturday Night Live" deep dive podcast "Fly on the Wall" hosted by Dana Carvey and David Spade, Fraser opened up about his early days in the business when he was determined to be taken seriously as a performer.
Having just enjoyed some notoriety for his breakout role in "School Ties" (a film about a football star forced to confront anti-Semitism at a 1950s prep school), Fraser was trying to decide if playing a blockhead caveman...
Having just enjoyed some notoriety for his breakout role in "School Ties" (a film about a football star forced to confront anti-Semitism at a 1950s prep school), Fraser was trying to decide if playing a blockhead caveman...
- 1/23/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Encino Man, that little film in which two high school students, social climber Dave (Sean Astin) and outcast Stoney (Pauly Shore), find a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser) buried in Dave’s yard, thaw him out, and enroll him in high school. Knowing that the DVD’s only special features are the original trailer and a three-and-a-half-minute production featurette — the highlight of which is watching a movie producer use a gigantic cell phone on set — EW decided to celebrate by creating its own set of extras with help from Shore.
Trivia: Shore was originally...
Trivia: Shore was originally...
- 3/23/2012
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW - Inside Movies
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