Blast From the Past

1999

Blast From the Past

Critics Consensus

Cute idea, but not consistently funny.

57%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 80

56%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 214,657
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Blast From the Past Photos

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Movie Info

In 1962, Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) was a brilliant but somewhat paranoid scientist living with his Donna Reed-esque wife, Helen (Sissy Spacek), in Los Angeles. In the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a plane crashed into the Webber's yard. Mistaking the blast for "the big one," the Webbers moved into their elaborate bomb shelter to wait out the half-life of radioactive fallout. In the shelter, now a sort of time capsule, Calvin and Helen conceived and raised their son Adam (played as an adult by Brendan Fraser). For 35 years, Adam was raised on Jackie Gleason, Perry Como, and stories about life on the surface. Calvin taught his son about science, baseball, and communists while Mom taught Adam about dancing, good manners, and charming young ladies. Just in time, too, as Adam is sent to the surface to gather supplies and find a wife, preferably a nice, non-mutant girl from Pasadena with which to repopulate the world. Once this "fish out of water" story is set up, the fish, Adam, is set adrift in a sea of supermarkets and adult bookstores, but is soon caught by Eve Rustikov (Alicia Silverstone). Completely lost above ground, Adam enlists Eve's help to navigate his new world and find the supplies on his list. The literally sheltered Adam falls for this bitter, cynical, street-smart woman who grew up in a bleak Los Angeles with little use for love. Living with her gay roommate, Troy (Dave Foley), Eve has had her hopes chipped away by a long line of dead-end jobs and loser boyfriends. When the throwback Adam enters her life with his sunny disposition, seersucker jacket, and joy at seeing the sky, she can't help but fall in love.
  • Rating:
    PG-13 (for brief language, sex and drug references)
  • Genre:
    Comedy, Romance
  • Directed By:
    Hugh Wilson
  • Written By:
    Bill Kelly, Hugh Wilson
  • In Theaters:
     wide
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    New Line Home Entertainment

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Cast

Brendan Fraser
as Adam Webber
Alicia Silverstone
as Eve
Christopher Walken
as Calvin Webber
Sissy Spacek
as Helen Webber
Joey Slotnick
as Soda Jerk
Dale Raoul
as Mom
Don Yesso
as Jerry
Scott Thomson
as Young Psycho
Rex Linn
as Dave
Cynthia Mace
as Betty
Dave Foley
as Troy
Hayden Tank
as Adam (age 3)
Douglas Smith
as Adam (age 11)
Ryan Sparks
as Adam (age 8)
Ted Kairys
as Navy Pilot
Harry S. Murphy
as Bob
Wendel Meldurm
as Ruth
Richard Gilbert-Hill
as Guest
Steve Bean
as Harold
Ann Ryerson
as Woman Guest No 1
Donovan Scott
as Ron
Hugh Wilson
as Levy
John Roselius
as Atkinson
Bill Gratton
as Boss
William Duffy
as Workman No. 1
Bill Stevenson
as Workman No. 2
J. Bruce Eckert
as Realtor
Karen Geraghty
as Woman Buyer
Christopher Holloway
as Man Buyer
Harrison Young
as Bum
Jazzmun
as Streetwalker
Hannah Kozak
as Drunken Hag
Dori Mizrahi
as Pakastani
Fred Pierce
as Bystander No. 1
Annie O'Donnell
as Woman
Caroline Wilson
as Child
Julie Zelman
as Mother
Monty Ash
as Old Jewish Man
Sheila Shaw
as Bakery Clerk
Michael Hagiwara
as Japanese Produce Clerk
Todd Susman
as Butcher
Rosalee Mayeux
as Hotel Registration Clerk
Danny Zorn
as Bellboy
Rod Britt
as Hotel Desk Clerk
Robb Skyler
as Marine Manager
Nathan Fillion
as Cliff
Todd Robert Anderson
as Jason
Michael Gallagher
as Jonathan
Carmen More
as Sophie
Deborah Kellner
as Miss Sweet
Mary Ann Hermanson
as Heather
Jenifer Lewis
as Dr. Aron
Jonathan Stockwell Baker
as Broker
Brian Blondell
as Mr. Brown
Sonya Eddy
as Postal Worker
Mary Portser
as Woman Guest No. 2
Hubert Hodgin
as Bystander No. 2
Gary W. Cruz
as Low Rider
Robert Sacchi
as Bogard DJ
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Critic Reviews for Blast From the Past

All Critics (80) | Top Critics (26) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (34)

  • Blast is finally a squandered opportunity, a lot of situation with very little comedy.

    Jan 2, 2018 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Jack Mathews

    Newsday
    Top Critic

  • Blast From the Past saves its best for first.

    Mar 21, 2014 | Full Review…

    Desson Thomson

    Washington Post
    Top Critic

  • Fraser is the sweet, goofy engine that drives this movie. The script doesn't do enough with his reactions to a world that bears little relation to the Cold War planet Adam has been told about, but Fraser still manages to suggest volumes.

    Mar 21, 2014 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    John Hartl

    Seattle Times
    Top Critic

  • Garish and not funny enough, Wilson's shapeless satire plods on, squandering its nice premise and its appealing actors. Miraculously, Fraser has a force field around him and manages to radiate energy in this comic black hole.

    Mar 21, 2014 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

    Carrie Rickey

    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic

  • Thanks to a clever script, tight direction, a first-rate cast and the dynamite combination of Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone, Blast from the Past blows away the recent crop of romantic comedies.

    Mar 21, 2014 | Full Review…

    Jonathan Foreman

    New York Post
    Top Critic

  • That's a relatively clever set-up for what's become a familiar genre: the time-displacement comedy, in which we get a kick out of viewing our era through another era's eyes. But this movie's eyes, Adam's, are awfully twinkly and not too focused.

    Mar 21, 2014 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…

    Mark Caro

    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (80)

Audience Reviews for Blast From the Past

  • Jun 29, 2012
    Blast from the Past is a quirky fish-out-of-water story with a unique twist. In the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis the Webbers lock themselves in a fallout shelter, mistaking a plane crash for a nuclear strike, and emerge 35 years later to a strange new world. The film has a fun cast that includes Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Dave Foley, and Christopher Walken. But the acting is uneven, and the actors don't have much chemistry. However, things come together in the second half of the film and it manages to delivery some touching moments. Blast from the Past is a charming and campy film that has a few issues but still manages to be fun and entertaining.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
  • May 01, 2011
    t has some things i like about it like the beginning 35 minutes with the whole, them being in a bomb shelter for 35 years, and i liked some of the jokes after the 35 minutes but overall it was just an average comedy film.
    Michael E Super Reviewer
  • Feb 15, 2010
    The story was peculiar. But not that bad I guess. I wasn't bored. That could be a plus point.
    Dead A Super Reviewer
  • Dec 05, 2009
    This was honestly a cute piece of Movie. My fav bit was when he checks in the Hotel room. A funny Scene.
    Wahida K Super Reviewer
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