Blast from the Past (1999)
December 11, 2019 8:45 AM - Subscribe
A naive man comes out into the world after spending 35 years in a nuclear fallout shelter.
Meet Adam Webber (Brendan Fraser), born and raised in a bomb shelter by his sherry-swilling mother (Sissy Spacek) and his mad-scientist father (Christopher Walken). Adam’s simple childhood has been filled with Perry Como records, The Honeymooners reruns and good old-fashioned family values.
Now, 35 years later, Adam is about to emerge into a bewildering modern world in search of supplies and a simple girl from Pasadena. Instead, Adam meets Eve (Alicia Silverstone), a modern L.A. woman jaded about life and burned by love.
Meet Adam Webber (Brendan Fraser), born and raised in a bomb shelter by his sherry-swilling mother (Sissy Spacek) and his mad-scientist father (Christopher Walken). Adam’s simple childhood has been filled with Perry Como records, The Honeymooners reruns and good old-fashioned family values.
Now, 35 years later, Adam is about to emerge into a bewildering modern world in search of supplies and a simple girl from Pasadena. Instead, Adam meets Eve (Alicia Silverstone), a modern L.A. woman jaded about life and burned by love.
I love this movie so much. I have watched it on cable umpteen times and I will never get tired of it.
posted by oh yeah! at 8:56 AM on December 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by oh yeah! at 8:56 AM on December 11, 2019 [2 favorites]
That cast list! It certainly was 1999.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:13 AM on December 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:13 AM on December 11, 2019 [7 favorites]
I remember Silverstone emphatically telling Foley that he has to go to the restroom (so that she can be alone with Fraser), and then Foley indignantly telling Fraser "I have to go pee!" before stomping off. It was a simple line, but Foley really had a way with simple line reads.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:16 AM on December 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:16 AM on December 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
Foley really had a way with simple line reads.
He has several in this movie that I enjoy even on the Nth viewing. "How about it Eve? Can he SKATE around your BLOCK? Just a few LAPS."
Also the Sissy Spacek delivery of "pot roast!" with the potholder mitten hands is used very often in my house to announce dinner is ready. And "leave my elevator alone!" is used to mean leave me or anything else alone.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 9:22 AM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
He has several in this movie that I enjoy even on the Nth viewing. "How about it Eve? Can he SKATE around your BLOCK? Just a few LAPS."
Also the Sissy Spacek delivery of "pot roast!" with the potholder mitten hands is used very often in my house to announce dinner is ready. And "leave my elevator alone!" is used to mean leave me or anything else alone.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 9:22 AM on December 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
I thought this was a very sweet movie, although I felt silly for liking it. Partly it was because I adored Brendan Fraser. At that point in time, there wasn't anybody else I knew of who could do beefcake leading man/self-aware goofball at the same time. Heck, I thought George of the Jungle was funny. Sometimes I'm easily amused.
posted by Countess Elena at 11:14 AM on December 11, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by Countess Elena at 11:14 AM on December 11, 2019 [5 favorites]
It's 1999, I'm in my second term of university, I'm 18, and I'm away (far away) from home.
Payback, a gritty comedy/crime movie starring Mel Gibson that looks directly up my alley, has just hit theatres. I convince a friend to go see it, so we head to the mall. My friend, who is also 18, steps up to the cashier and tries to buy a youth ticket in order to save $5. The cashier smirks and informs him that he cannot see Payback without a parental guardian.
And that's how I ended up seeing Blast from the Past.
Once I got over myself I have to admit I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's very talky, but in a charming sort of way. Also, it was nice going back and recognizing Fillion as the "butt with hair".
posted by ODiV at 11:43 AM on December 13, 2019
Payback, a gritty comedy/crime movie starring Mel Gibson that looks directly up my alley, has just hit theatres. I convince a friend to go see it, so we head to the mall. My friend, who is also 18, steps up to the cashier and tries to buy a youth ticket in order to save $5. The cashier smirks and informs him that he cannot see Payback without a parental guardian.
And that's how I ended up seeing Blast from the Past.
Once I got over myself I have to admit I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's very talky, but in a charming sort of way. Also, it was nice going back and recognizing Fillion as the "butt with hair".
posted by ODiV at 11:43 AM on December 13, 2019
Another bit I love in this movie is Adam's reaction to watching his first baseball game. While I'm generally a sucker for sports movies, I find it nigh impossible to watch/follow/enjoy any televised sporting event. Though I understand the basic rules of baseball, whenever I've tried to watch a game on tv, I just zone out in minutes. But a few years ago at DragonCon, I ended up at a game with my friends, and I had that exact same "I get it! You have to see it to understand it." reaction -- not about the rules of the game, just about how it could be so enjoyable to watch that it became 'the national pastime.' It's just so much easier to see what's going on in the game when you can see the whole field at once, and my eyes could wander wherever my attention took me.
posted by oh yeah! at 1:39 PM on December 13, 2019
posted by oh yeah! at 1:39 PM on December 13, 2019
My favorite bit is Christopher Walken's stash of Dr. Pepper so he could enjoy it heated up as a toddy. When this movie came out, I asked my mother and she confirmed that yes, indeed, this was a thing in the early 60's.
posted by jkosmicki at 10:20 PM on December 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by jkosmicki at 10:20 PM on December 13, 2019 [1 favorite]
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Reviews weren't terribly favorable for this one and while I don't disagree with the criticisms it's a favorite in the Wreckage house. Brendan Fraser is hit or miss for me but this is a good fit for him. I always like Silverstone, Spacek, Walken, and Foley. Plus Nathan Fillion shows up to be a jerk for a few minutes so that's fun.
posted by Clinging to the Wreckage at 8:52 AM on December 11, 2019 [3 favorites]