It's a terrible premise: believing that America would be bombed by the Russians in 1962, an eccentric but brilliant scientist (Christopher Walken) and his pregnant wife (Sissy Spacek) lock themselves in a homey underground fallout shelter. After the timed locks open after 35 years, their son, Adam (Brendan Fraser) is ready to go up to the surface to get more supplies. There he meets the oh-so-conveniently named Eve (Alicia Silverstone), who schools the '60s-era-bred Adam in the ways of the '90s L.A....and, of course, in love.

Surprisingly, however, _Blast_from_the_Past_ does have its charms, chief among them being some good comic character work from Walken and Dave Foley, who plays Eve's gay brother. Fraser and Silverstone also have a sweet, unforced romantic rapport. But it's not enough to overcome the thudding weight of the premise, which serves as the springboard for too many lame gags, the lamest of all being a bar owner (Joey Slotnick) who thinks Adam is God (don't ask). In the end, the charm of _Blast_from_the_Past_ cannot overpower the cheese.