Blast From The Past Parent Guide

Calvin Webber (Christopher Walken) was convinced a nuclear bomb was headed for LA in 1962, so he locked himself and his expectant wife Helen (Sissy Spacek) into their bomb shelter for over thirty-five years. After he deemed it safe to return to the surface, his first foray into the California streets of the 90’s left him convinced the world is populated by dual-sexual mutants. He wants to return to the shelter, but they need more supplies.

Their now adult son Adam (Brendan Fraser), who was born in the shelter, is the most capable of the three and is sent with a ten year shopping list: Meat, dry goods, and a healthy wife. Adam uses a pristine baseball card collection to acquire the goods, but he needs help with driving, and finding that wife. Fortunately he finds Eve (Alicia Silverstone), not in a garden, but in a pawnshop. Hired by Adam to manage the sale of his baseball cards and be his chauffeur, Eve is baffled with his purchases, and even more confused with Adam’s wholesome demeanor.

Like any other time transplant movie, the comedy begins when Adam is contrasted with the cynical 1990’s. He’s a gentleman, trusting, optimistic, and seeking a marriage relationship—traits that leave those around him concerned about his mental health. Even stranger are his requests for others to quit using the Lord’s name in vain (the script gives him ample opportunities), and his insistence on praying before a meal. Of course with time Eve becomes more interested in Adam, but it’s not until her homosexual friend Troy (Dave Foley) advises her that Adam is too good to pass up that she considers him seriously.

Parents are strongly cautioned to view this film prior to teenage consumption, as the negatives of our society are depicted with profane language, emphasis on sexual pleasure, and alcohol. Yet, unlike the recent Pleasantville, this film mourns the loss of old fashioned values and shows how a blast of a different sort hit our world in the 1960’s.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.