Goofy and not-too significant, the film provides plenty of good-natured laughs rolled into a frothily memorable concept. But the plan backfires when the newcomer turns everyday life upside down, generating pre-hysterical craziness wherever he roams Co. An uptempo High School-set comedy featuring early '90s cultural bastion, Pauly Shore, 'Encino Man' is a light-weight but enjoyable piece of work. When they find a frozen caveman in their backyard, two high school outcasts thaw him out and introduce him to modern day life while he in turn, gets them to actually enjoy life. It’s a funny, promising broad setup that’s employed to watchable yet somewhat disappointing effect by Mayfield, as the filmmaker, armed with a script by Shawn Schepps, delivers a sluggish comedy that’s rarely, if ever, able to wholeheartedly become the engrossing (and hilarious) endeavor one might’ve anticipated – with the movie’s mostly watchable atmosphere due almost entirely to the efforts of an exceedingly charismatic cast. Starring Pauly Shore, ENCINO MAN unearths the biggest laughs in 2 million years The fun kicks off when two high school buddies dig up a frozen caveman in their backyard Once the living fossil thaws out, the friends figure he's their ticket to being cool. Directed by Les Mayfield, Encino Man follows buddies Dave (Sean Astin) and Stoney (Pauly Shore) as they dig up a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser’s Link) and eventually integrate him into their high school lives.