Pauly Shore is an American success story. His gig as an MTV VJ in 1989 led to being a part of some of the classic films of the 1990s. Some want to argue that he faded away into obscurity; others argue that his persona has made him an icon of cult cinema. Either way, his presence on screen is undeniable. His comedic timing is unmatched. This list is proof of all of that. There are only a handful of leading performances by Shore. And then there are his brilliant supporting roles.
Shore had been surrounded by comedy his whole life. He is the son of the owner of the famous comedy club, Los Angeles' The Comedy Store. His roots go deep in the art of making people laugh. So let's take a look at the times he has. Here are ten of his best performances.
10 Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge (1989)
Back in 1989, when Shore was just kind of getting started in the entertainment business, he had an acting role in Phantom of the Opera's take on 1980s mall culture, Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge. In the film, he plays, Buzz. He fits into the horror-comedy genre quite well, even if the film isn't trying to be all that funny to begin with. It's achieved cult status over the years due to its appearance on streaming. And Shore definitely shows range in that he can do more than just comedy.
9 Jury Duty (1995)
Let's jump ahead to 1995, when Shore was in the lead role in the comedy Jury Duty. Forgettable by most, it's a comedy that does play to his strengths as a lovable loser. In the film, Shore plays Tommy, a jobless loser who becomes a member of a jury for a murder trial. As he performs his law-abiding duties on the trial, he attempts to prolong the case, so he can continue to take care of the free lodging and food that are given to the jurors. Yeah, it's not a great film, but it sure is a mid-90s time capsule that fits the bill for being a perfect midnight movie.
8 Guest House (2020)
In one of his more recent roles, Pauly Shore shows up in the comedy called Guest House. It's about a couple that buys a brand-new home, but the catch is that with the sale of the house, they have inherited a party animal who crashes in the guest house. Shore plays the party animal, Randy. The movie is your run-of-the-mill straight-to-video comedy, but Shore's performance does feel like a nice callback to his persona in his earlier roles. The film has a great cast for Shore to play off of. Actors like Billy Zane, comedian Bobby Lee, Steve-O, and Lou Ferrigno, to name a few.
7 Pauly Shore is Dead (2003)
Pauly Shore has a lot of friends in the movie industry, and most of them are all on display here in a film he starred as himself and directed as well, called Pauly Shore is Dead. Shore decides to revamp his career by faking his own death after he gets advice from comedy legend Sam Kinison. Everyone from Ben Stiller to Adam Sandler all the way to Snoop Dogg and Sean Penn all show up in this film. This is also a movie that is a testament to Shore as an artist. He utilized the clout he has in Hollywood and went out and made this thing on his own. Much Respect
6 Class Act (1992)
By 1992, Pauly Shore was a superstar, transitioning from MTV VJ to some of the standout comedies about high school at the time. Shore's role in 1992's Class Act is more of a cameo role that pops up for a hot minute in the film. He's actually uncredited in the movie, yet his character's name is Julian Thomas. Class Act is trying to play to a black audience but feels like it's made by a committee of white people. Shore being in the film was a way to cater to the white suburban audience a bit, as he is utilizing his alter-ego The Weasel as clear as day in the film.
5 A Goofy Movie (1995)
1995 saw the release of the animated Disney film, A Goofy Movie. A feature-length cartoon that feels very different from the rest of Disney's movies at the time. This one was clearly trying to cater to the hip culture of teenagers at the time while still being a kids' movie at heart. Shore lends his voice to the character of Bobby Zimurski. If Pauly Shore himself were a character in a Disney movie, it would look and act something like Bobby. Shore is uncredited in the film; a lot of that had to do with him not wanting Disney to use it to promote the film, like they did with Robin Williams in Aladdin. All his lines were improvised, especially the one about the leaning tower of Cheezah.
4 In the Army Now (1994)
Under Disney's Hollywood Pictures was 1994's release of In the Army Now. A comedy about two friends (Pauly Shore and Andy Dick) who lose their jobs at an electronics store, so in order to make a quick stack of cash, they enlist in the army reserves. Thinking it is an easy task and never feeling they are going to be needed, the two end up being thrust into combat in the middle of the Sahara Desert.
In the Army Now feels like a bit of an update of 1981's Stripes. A military comedy that isn't trying to be any more than that. It also features a great supporting cast, including the likes of Lori Petty and David Alan Grier. Despite its low Rotten Tomatoes ranking, it oddly fits the bill of being timely in the mid-nineties, as a ton of comedic war films were coming out post-Gulf War.
3 Son in Law (1993)
Before Carla Gugino wowed us in Zack Snyder films and on a Mike Flanagan Netflix series, she co-starred opposite Pauly Shore in 1993's Son in Law. Shore plays a Los Angeles party animal named Crawl. Gugino plays Rebecca, who is attending school in tinseltown, but when Thanksgiving break rolls around, she takes Crawl home to South Dakota, where he pretends to be her fiancée.
The movie has Shore playing his Weasel alter ego quite well on screen, as it's a culture clash of the down-home conservative rural farming life meeting the wild side of Los Angeles at the time. Shore is great in all the gags and physical comedy moments. However, eventually Crawl becomes the talk of the town as he turns the uptight community into a massive party.
2 Bio-Dome (1996)
Another reason why Pauly Shore was an icon of the 1990s is none other than this cult classic. Shore is one of the two lead performances in Bio-Dome. Playing opposite Stephen Baldwin as best buds who get dumped by their eco-friendly girlfriends and are left in the desert. The two stumble into what they think is a mall, but is actually a giant biological experiment.
While trapped inside it, they each must confront their own shortcomings and bad behavior. Most critics panned this film as unfunny, and Shore even got a Razzie award that year for the film. But as time has gone on, most film lovers have enjoyed it for what it is: a dumb comedy that doesn't want to be smart. Just let it be and enjoy it for what it is.
1 Encino Man (1992)
Encino Man is one of the best movies of the '90s. Starring Sean Astin as a teenager in California who digs a pit to put a pool in and uncovers a frozen caveman in his backyard. It just so happens that said caveman is played by Academy Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser in one of his earliest and most memorable roles. Shore comes into play in all this by doing what he does best, playing the ultimate laid back slacker. He plays Astin's character's buddy, Stoney. As they thaw the caveman in their garage, they befriend him and try to pass him off as a foreign exchange student.
Nothing about Encino Man would work if it were to come out today. Or would it? There of course has been buzz around a sequel as of late. Movie lovers love going back to it. The three leads are an elite unit that has phenomenal chemistry. Shore's contributions to the film are loaded with laughs. So how about it, Disney? Make the sequel happen.
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