BLAST FROM THE PAST

SYNOPSIS: Following a bomb scare in the 1960s that locked the Webers in their bomb shelter for 35 years, Adam Weber must venture out into Los Angeles and obtain food and supplies for his family, and a non-mutant wife for himself.

BOTTOM LINE: As much as I like Brendan Fraser, I have to wonder about his acting choices. The idea behind BLAST is quite interesting and ripe with comic potential. Unfortunately, it just isn't mined properly. Fraser gives a winning turn as a 35-year-old man who's spent his whole life in a bomb shelter with only his parents for company. Technically, he's a child of the 50s, which causes some obvious problems when he's finally allowed to go out into the world. How the filmmakers portray the "modern world" isn't half as funny as Fraser's reactions to it. Spacek and Walken are amazingly funny as his Communist-fearing, manners-obsessed parents. Even Dave Foley brings some amusement to the proceedings as Silverstone's gay friend, who helps bring foster her romance with Fraser. What brings the film down is Silverstone's performance. She just seems immensely bored with all the goings on. She's so good at being annoyed with Fraser's character that her sudden realization that she loves him is completely unbelievable. Sort of problem for a romantic comedy. There's only so many fish out of water jokes, so by the end of the film there's really nowhere for the story to go. The finale just fizzles out into this happy ending that's not remotely satisfying. A cute idea that doesn't quite come together, but is amusing enough for mindless viewing.