Brendan Fraser's 1992 cult comedy Encino Man, co-starring Sean Astin and Pauly Shore, has been added to Netflix on Tuesday (July 28). The film, directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut, follows teenagers Dave Morgan and Stoney Brown who discover and thaw a frozen caveman they name Linkovich 'Link' Chomovsky. As Link adjusts to 20th-century society, he teaches the boys life lessons.
Fraser's Oscar comeback and career
Fraser, now 57, won the Best Actor Oscar in 2024 for The Whale, a comeback role after stepping away from the spotlight in the late 2000s due to physical toll from stunts and personal hardships, including his mother's death. He was a major box-office draw in the 1990s and 2000s with hits like The Mummy and George of the Jungle. His Oscar win was widely praised as heartwarming.
The cast includes Sean Astin, known for Sam in The Lord of the Rings and Bob in Stranger Things, along with Pauly Shore (A Goofy Movie), Mariette Hartley (Peyton Place), Richard Masur (The Thing), and Michael DeLuise (Gilmore Girls).
From critical pan to cult classic
Critics gave Encino Man a 17% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus: "Encino Man isn't the first unabashedly silly comedy to embrace its stupidity and amass a cult following, but whether or not it works for you will largely be determined by your tolerance for Pauly Shore." Despite this, fans embraced it, and it grossed $40.7 million worldwide on a $7 million budget.
On Letterboxd, fans praised the film. @MaddyFlowers called it "An all-time comfort movie. Pauly Shore is so incredibly endearing in this... Brendan Fraser at peak. That amazing 90s California high school vibe." @lhijodesureputisimamadre said: "It feels like a live-action Saturday morning cartoon... It’s really a funny movie as much as it just is a fun time." @ru added: "Really enjoying these Brendan movies can't lie... I just love 80/90s movies there just such a gem to me."
