Released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution in 1992, Encino Man is an American comedy movie full of silliness of the cast. It is written by Shawn Schepps and George Zaloom, and directed by Les Mayfield.
Two teenagers discover a frozen caveman in their backyard. They change his physical appearance but not his mind. His caveman features keep surfacing again and again. Instead, he ends up changing their outlook.
Whether you can watch Encino Man depends on your ability to tolerate Pauly Shore. The movie focuses on the younger audience and includes less effort. It has a low budget and could have more funny content. It has negative reviews though is a box-office success.
Brendan Fraser plays the caveman. Pauly Shore and Sean Astin play the two teens named Stoney Brown and Dave Morgan respectively. The other actors are Robin Tunney (as Ella), Ke Huy Quan (as Kim), and Rose McGowan (as Nora).
The 88-minute-long movie, Encino Man, had a budget of $7 million and collected $40.7 million at the box office. Hilton A. Green, Michael Rotenberg, and George Zaloom are the three producers of this movie.
The Story Of Encino Man
The movie begins with a caveman lighting fire with a cavewoman during the first ice age. They die when they get trapped in the cave due to the sudden earthquake. On the other hand, Dave Morgan wakes due to an earthquake in the 20th century, 1992.
Dave finds an ice block with a caveman in it while building a pool in the backyard. He keeps it in the garage and leaves. But, the ice melts due to the heaters and the caveman gets released.
Stoney and Dave are best friends. They try to appear cool in school but always fail to do so. Dave likes a girl named Robyn Sweeney who is already in a relationship with a jerk and bully named Matt Wilson.
Matt knows about Dave’s crush on Robyn. Thus, he always keeps insulting Dave. Stoney, Dave’s best friend, also gets insulted by Matt. After returning to Dave’s house, Stoney and Dave find it too messy.
In the bedroom sits a caveman trying to light a fire. He panics seeing them, but Stoney calms him by lighting a lighter. They bathe him, dress him to make him look like a man from the 20th century, name him ‘Link,’ and enroll him in their school.
They fool Dave’s family by saying that Link is an exchange student and must live with them. They take him to school and get popular due to his weird and athletic actions. Dave gets closer to Robyn. It increases Matt’s jealousy for him.
One day, Matt picks a fight with Link due to the above-mentioned reasons. Meanwhile, the fiction between Stoney and Dave increases because Link starts acting weird by getting influenced by Stoney’s actions.
During a visit to the natural history museum, Link realizes that all his mates are dead. Stoney and Dave calm him by saying that he is not alone and the three are friends now.
Robyn has an unpredictable character in this movie because now she gets attracted to Link. She even goes on a date with Link in the name of Prom Night. So, the sad Dave stays at home. Meanwhile, Matt breaks into his home and finds evidence uncovering Link’s identity. Link’s identity gets uncovered so easily!
Matt takes it to the prom night to show it to everyone, while Stoney and Dave chase him. However, instead of taking strict action against anyone, the students accept Link with open arms. Thus, Matt’s plan does not work.
All enjoy the whole prom night doing the caveman moves with Link. After that, they attend the pool party organized at Dave’s home. On the one hand, Dave kisses Robyn. On the other hand, Stoney, along with Link, goes to the place where frozen Link was found. There, they find clues about another caveperson.
After coming to the bathroom, they find a cavewoman sitting in the bathtub. She is Link’s partner shown at the beginning of the movie. Later, they end up grooming her too. Several viewers must have expected Link to go back to his world somehow. But, the makers added one more character.
Encino Man Filming Locations
Encino Man was shot within 30 to 40 days but not in Encino. The locations were chosen near the San Fernando Valley. However, people grown up outside of the US may not relate to Encino because the movie goes with the name ‘California Man’ outside the US.
Les Mayfield was debuting as a director in this film. The locations in Los Angeles got reserved by other filmmakers. So, the team chose several locations in California to meet the uniqueness and other features mentioned by the director.
The whole team followed the strict schedule and the shooting got carried smoothly. Similarly, they did not fall short of props.
1. Dave’s House
Dave’s house is located in West Hills, California. The filmmakers chose it because it was the only house without a pool in that area. They had to dig a pool for the movie and then fill it up back after finishing the shooting. So, the pool has now turned into a nice landscape.
It was about the exterior. A medium-sized, located at 7532 Sedgewick Court (West Hills), the house was chosen to shoot the interior of Dave’s house. The real house got sold in 2009 and it has 5 bedrooms and bathrooms.
2. The Outdoor Sequences
Talking about the place near Six Flags Magic Mountain, do you remember the scene where Stoney took Link to sail the mountain? It is located in Valencia. The ride they used is still present at 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway.
The remaining outdoor sequences were filmed in Wilshire Boulevard, Sylmar, and Van Nuys. Then, the team returned to Los Angeles.
3. Encino High School
Instead of Encino High School, Stoney and Dave went to the Los Angeles Mission College, a public community college established in 1975.
4. The Food 7 Mart
The Food 7 Mart, shown in the ‘Whiz The Juice’ scene, is in Van Nuys. There, they eat microwaved burritos, gulp the juice directly from the vending machine, and irritate the employees at the counter.
5. The Museum
George C. Page Museum was used to show the California Museum of Anthropology where Link finds his dead mates. The museum is located in La Brea Tar Pits.
