Encino Man (known as California Man in several territories) is a comedy film directed by Les Mayfield in his directorial debut. The film stars Sean Astin, with a supporting cast of Brendan Fraser, Mariette Hartley, Richard Masur, Pauly Shore, Robin Tunney, Michael DeLuise, and Ke Huy Quan. In the film, two teenagers discover and thaw a frozen caveman, who has to adjust to 20th-century society while teaching them life lessons of his own.
The film was released on May 22, 1992, by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (under its Hollywood Pictures label). Despite negative reviews, Encino Man was a box-office success, grossing $40.7 million worldwide on a $7 million budget. It was followed by a made-for-television spin-off, Encino Woman, in 1996.
Originally Ben Stiller, Keith Coogan, and Jeff Maynard, were cast as the 3 main characters Link, Stoney, and Dave for a screen test. This was to show that the concept of Encino Man could work, as well as show the studio that Mayfield was capable of directing a comedy like this.
Pauly Shore uploaded this screen test Youtube. Encino Man was directed by Les Mayfield, a veteran of behind-the-scenes promotional documentaries, making his feature-film debut.
The film was shot from December 1991 to February 1992. Filming locations across northern Los Angeles included Los Angeles Mission College in Sylmar and Six Flags Magic Mountain, while the family home was filmed at 7532 Sedgwick Court, West Hills, and the minimart scene was shot at 6586 Van Nuys Blvd, Van Nuys.
Pauly Shore was known for his show Totally Pauly on MTV, and Disney expected this would bring an existing audience to the film. The film tested well with teen audiences, and Mayfield thanked Wayne’s World, which was released three months before Encino Man, for showing a comedy aimed at this demographic could do well.
Costume designer Marie France decided not to buy clothes; instead she custom-made the wardrobe for the characters of Stoney and Link. For Shore, she took his own unusual style and gave it a younger look. For Fraser, who stands at 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm), it was a matter of practicality, easier than trying to find the sizes needed, and she dressed him in baggy, knee-length shorts and oversized T-shirts.
The film was a box-office success. The film made $9.9 million in its opening weekend, coming in fourth at the box office. The film went on to earn a total of $40.7 million at the North American box office on a budget of $7.5 million. The film was released in the United Kingdom on September 25, 1992, titled California Man, and opened at number five.
Tracklist:
- Vince Neil (You’re Invited But Your Friend Can’t Come)
- Cheap Trick (Wild Thing)
- Queen (Stone Cold Crazy)
- Scatterbrain (Mama Said Knock You Out)
- Crystal Waters (You Turn Me On)
- Yothu Yindi (Treaty) (Filthy Lucre radio mix)
- Infectious Grooves (Feed the Monkey)
- The Smithereens (Wooly Bully)
- The Edgar Winter Group (Frankenstein)
- The Scream (Young and Dumb)
- The Jesus and Mary Chain (Why’d You)
