Encino Man

"California Man" redirects here. For the song by The Move, see California Man (song). For A list of men from California, see List of people from California.
Encino Man
Theatrical release poster
Directed byLes Mayfield
Screenplay by
  • George Zaloom
  • Shawn Schepps
Story byShawn Schepps
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRobert Brinkmann
Edited by
  • Michael Kelly
  • Eric A. Sears
Music byJ. Peter Robinson
Production
companies
Distributed byBuena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release date
  • May 22, 1992 (1992-05-22)
Running time
88 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$7 million[2][3]
Box office$40.7 million[4]

Encino Man (also known as California Man in several territories)[5] is a 1992 American 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, Megan Ward, Robin Tunney, Michael DeLuise, and Jonathan Ke Quan in his last American feature film until 2021.[2] 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.[4] Today it is considered a cult classic.[6][7]

A TV movie sequel, Encino Woman, was released in 1996.

  1. ^ "CALIFORNIA MAN (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 1992-06-22. Retrieved 2012-12-08.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference latimes-inside was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference latimes-weapon was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference mojo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Donald Clarke, Irish Times film critic, asks "Are Americans stupider than Europeans"". 2010-04-15.
  6. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (26 May 2022). "The oral history of Encino Man, Brendan Fraser's caveman cult classic". Inverse. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  7. ^ Brooks, Nicholas (28 March 2023). "Encino Man Is the Perfect '90s Cult Classic That Still Holds Up". CBR. Retrieved 5 October 2024.