Encino Man is a silly, feather-light comedy that gives Pauly Shore too much to do, tries to make Sean Astin a bit of a tool, and lets Brendan Fraser be an absolutely unrestrained goofball.

Astin plays Dave Morgan, a high school senior who wants to be cool, is digging his own pool in the backyard, hangs out with Stoney (Shore), and discovers a frozen Neanderthal, Link (Fraser), during his excavations.

There’s not a lot of logic to the film, Link thaws out and comes back to life (yeah… science not the film’s strong suit, it’s here for a good time, not a long time, bud….dy), and Dave and Stoney attempt to acclimate him to California, high school and girls. Dave in particular is fixated on Robyn (Megan Ward). Unfortunately, she’s with a doof of a jock, Matt (Michael DeLuise).

Link settles into high school life pretty easily, and though he remains monosyllabic, he makes an impact.

The story is nothing but fluff, but Fraser makes Link his own; Astin attempts to play selfish and self-involved, singularly focused on Robyn and gaining popularity no matter the cost. I’m not saying I don’t believe his performance; I just have a hard time believing Sean Astin or his character could not be cool.

His Goonies co-star Ke Huy Quan makes too short an appearance.

It’s fun, has some good needle drops, and should not be watched for any real comprehensive narrative or themes. It feels like there are moments that didn’t end up in the film, a couple of shifts in characters and holes in the narrative.

Shore, at this time, simply played himself in every movie he was in; it’s the same performance every time, and in small slices, he’s okay. Having not seen him in anything for a long time, he was tolerable, and even enjoyable throughout this, and seeing Fraser mimic some of his actions is a delight.

In fact, Fraser is absolutely delightful throughout the film; watching his performance, it’s obvious that he’s magic, and he just exudes charm and likability. Fraser is the reason to watch this, and while it’s fun to see Astin, Quan, and yup, Robyn Tunney, Richard Masur, and a very quick appearance by Rose McGowan, this is Fraser’s movie all over.

If this one had been a little better crafted, a little more story, and some more character moments, it could have been more than a temporary comedy; this one could have been really big. Oh well. Watch it for Fraser, and have fun!