Blast From the Past

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Blast From the Past opens with an interesting premise: a brilliant McCarthyite mistakes a plane crash for nuclear attack and accidentally seals himself, his wife and their unborn son in his top-notch bomb shelter. Thirty-five years and a full half-life later, a suspiciously young-looking Brendan Frasier — the walking embodiment of Cold War era innocence (is that oxy, or simply moronic?) — emerges into the cultural wasteland of Los Angeles. He's gathering supplies for his folks, but kinda wants a wife, too. After three and a half decades with Mom and Pop (Sissy Spacek and Christopher Walken), who can blame him? Enter Alicia Silverstone and her enlivening gay sidekick (Dave Foley). Silverstone does what she does best: curls her lips and pouts. Foley injects some much-needed wit into this ho-hum Valentine flick. Walken and Spacek, tangential but tragic, serve as grim commentary on the dangers of isolationism.