Encino Man seems like a leftover tale from the 80s. With its ridiculous plot about a thawed out, formerly frozen teenage caveman, it’s safe to call the movie absurd. However, upon a recent viewing, it still remains fun, light and well paced. And with today’s overly gratuitous, graphic and gross-out style comedies, a movie like Encino Man seems quaint. Coming out in 1992 (May 22 to be exact!), the movie was quite the release at its time. Read on for 5 fun pre-internet historic facts about this “classic” comedy!
Infectious Grooves!
The band playing at the prom in the climax of the film is hybrid funk-metal supergroup Infectious Grooves; featuring Mike Muir of the thrash punk band Suicidal Tendencies doing vocals, Dean Pleasants on guitar, Adam Siegel of Excel on lead guitar, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction on drums, and Robert Trujillo of Suicidal Tendencies, who currently plays bass with Metallica.
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The Film Debut of Rose McGowan
Rose McGowan was one of the 90s ‘it’ girls. Scream, Jawbreaker, and The Doom Generation certified her as an alt/cult movie scream queen (not to mention dating Marlyn Manson!), but Encino Man was her film debut (where like many young starlets, she plays a valley girl type). Still, McGowan’s droll and sarcastic delivery (which to me was one of her trademarks) is still present in her performance here. She also worked along Pauly Shore again in Bio-Dome!
Both Jim Carrey and Nicholas Cage were considered for Link
Wow. Can you imagine the insanity if either of these would have been cast? Jim Carrey probably would have done something along the lines of The Mask, but Nicholas Cage would have turned this into something much more bizarre. Sure it probably would have been a train wreck, but what a train wreck it would have been!
Pauly Shore basically helped create his character
Pauly Shore was considered for the role of Link. However, the producers met Brendan Fraser and decided that he was better for the part. But they liked Shore so much that they created the role of Stoney just for him. Most of Stoney’s lines were ad-libbed by Shore because they were never in the original script.
Data and Mikey Back Together
Most surprising of all to me, a fact that has slipped by for 25 years, is the bit of The Goonies reunion that happens here! We have two official “Goonies” in this movie! Mikey and Data, played by Sean Astin and Jonathan Ke Quan respectively. Now if only Josh Brolin has been considered for Link.
