Paranoid about the Cuban Missile Crisis, Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) spends most of his time building and supplying a fallout shelter beneath his house in California. After a scare sends him and his pregnant wife, Helen (Sissy Spacek), into the shelter, a mechanical failure causes an aircraft to crash into their house, leading Calvin to believe the country is at war. He activates the shelter’s timelock for 35 years. In that time, Helen bears a child, a son named Adam, and the family remains mentally in the 60s as Adam grows up.
When the 35 years are up, and the shelter unlocks, it’s 1997, and the world has changed significantly. Calvin briefly surfaces, believing the world is now a post-apocalyptic wasteland full of mutants. He wants to stay in the fallout shelter, but Helen protests, prompting a fight between them. Calvin suffers a mild heart attack, and Helen sends the now-adult Adam (Brendan Fraser) to the surface to gather supplies – and to find a non-mutant wife.
Adam is the epitome of a fish out of water in Los Angeles. His 1950s mindset frequently clashes with the modern era. Thankfully, he has a chance encounter with Eve (Alicia Silverstone), a hardened young woman who only agrees to help Adam stockpile his supplies in exchange for money. While their personalities don’t exactly mesh, Adam begins to win over Eve… at least until he reveals where he’s been for the past thirty-five years.
I’ve never seen this romantic comedy before, although I certainly remember its 1999 release. I didn’t know much about it beyond its very basic premise. And the premise is ridiculous, but that’s not a problem. I love ridiculous rom-com premises when they’re executed well. The reason Blast from the Past works is because of Brendan Fraser. His earnest portrayal of Adam makes the character charming, rather than obnoxious. We root for Adam, whether he ends up with Eve or not.
The supporting cast is fantastic, too. Sissy Spacek is Adam’s endlessly patient mother, who is on the verge of a breakdown. Christopher Walken as his father, Calvin, who, after 35 years in solitude with his wife and son, clearly fears returning to society, and Dave Foley as Eve’s gay roommate, Troy – yes, we have to get the gay friend trope into this one! – has the best lines in the entire movie.
For me, the weak link was actually Silverstone. She and Fraser didn’t have much on-screen chemistry, and, to be completely honest, I didn’t think she was particularly good in the role. It hurts the film’s romantic side, and I was more entertained by Adam’s foray into the 1990s. And with such a silly premise, it’s not as funny as it could be. I understand it leans toward being a satirical take on society, but that particular theme is lost once Adam emerges from the fallout shelter, triggering a tonal shift. Maybe that was the point? But it didn’t work much for me.
I realize many rom-com fans consider Blast from the Past a classic. I found it to be okay. I’m not sure I’ll watch it again, but it’s worth a watch for Brendan Fraser’s performance.
Watched: 08/10/2024
Notable Song: I Will Buy You A New Life by Everclear
