Caveman (1981)

In the Stone Age, the strong caveman Tonda (John Matuszak) is the leader of a hostile tribe and the outcast Atouk (Ringo Starr) feels unrequited desire for Tonda's mate Lana (Barbara Bach). One day, Atouk is walking with his best friend Lar (Dennis Quaid) and they meet the cavewoman Tala (Shelley Long). They save her blind father Gog (Jack Gilford) from a tar pit and Tala fells unrequited affection for Atouk. Soon the smart Atouk becomes the leader of the misfit tribe and dispute the leadership of the whole clan and Lana with Tonda. But in the end, the leader needs a worthwhile mate.

"Caveman" is a hilarious silliness and is among the silliest movies ever made. But is funny and makes laugh a lot with the gags. The movie has its own language that is very easy to translate and understand the meaning of the words. Shelley Long is very beautiful and this movie introduced Ringo Starr to Barbara Bach that married each other in the end of the release year (1981). In the end, it is worthwhile watching this entertaining comedy. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Caveman – O Homem das Cavernas" ("Caveman – The Caveman")

Fmovies: Ex-Beatle Starr joins a jock and some real actors in this zany stone age romp. I suppose the ringed one will never be a top actor but I always enjoy his films. This stuff was so goofy it kept me in stitches the whole time. Solid fun with loads of laughs.

Caveman is one of those movies which, like Airplane, is funniest at it's first viewing. Subsequent viewings don't really stand the test of time.

That said it's a pretty funny film (anything with Ringo Starr as the main actor has to be inherently ridiculous). Dennis Quaid gets an early part as the hero's side-kick and Barbara Bach is the love interest.

There are plenty of funny moments, but it's the creatures that really steal the film. They're all animated by stop-motion and have the most ridiculously bulging golf-ball eyes. They also have been given a certain amount of anthropomorphism, which makes them characters, not merely decorations.

This movie is also almost entirely dialogued in "Caveman-ish" Apart from one scene, there's no English spoken at all. However, it takes almost no time to pick up the entire caveman vocabulary and you'll find caveman words creeping into your everyday life when you least expect it. Words like "Tonda", "Zug-zug" and "Macha" all have their place and you'll find yourself using them amongst your friends if you watch the movie together with a few beers.

It seems incredible, though, that when the film was released theatrically, they handed out flyers explaining the language and what the words meant. How stupid did they think the average movie-goer was? It's far more fun and entertaining to figure it out yourself, and to be honest, it's not at all hard.

It's also surprising that this flick doesn't turn up on TV more often. It's harmless fun and enjoyable enough to watch every so often.

Caveman fmovies. Some have been a bit harsh with this little film and totally missed the point. We all know that dinosaurs and man didn't coexist but that is beside the point. This film refuses to take itself seriously and why should it? What I found charming was the language the cave folk used,not until a man from the land of the rising sun,seemed to help us viewers with some of the more obscure words. Like the difference between"Aloonda and Zugg-Zugg". (There's a difference?). It figures that the Japanese man would offer the translation,but he gives up and goes along with their slang. John Matuszak,former NFL player,was a perfect casting as Tonda. Some of their very important "discoveries" are a real hoot too. Look for a surprise actor playing the Snowman!

I remember seeing this film at the Drive-in way back in '81. Back then I thought it was great. Very funny film with a good solid cast, and the best Dinasores ever. And to see Bull (Richard Moll) as the snow monster is wonderful. With one great joke after another, you don't need to speak cave talk to understand this gem. They just do not know how to make movies like this anymore. Now do not get me wrong, all that CGI stuff is great and all, but I really like these movies with the stop animation, it takes me back to the days of Ray Harryhausen. I recommend this film to watch when ever you need a good laugh.

Four stars.

I had pretty low expectations when I first saw this movie. I then found it hilariously funny. Some of the humor is a little juvenile, but the "caveman" language (developed by Ringo Starr himself ... I think he claimed once on the Tonight Show that his favorite word was "zug-zug," which meant "having sex") was great; also an amusing scene where the cavemen who speak this language meet a caveman who speaks English and tries to teach it to them.

Not to mention dumb dinosaurs, a humungous mosquito, Atouk's (Ringo Starr) pile of unappreciated inventions, and Lana's (Bach) come-uppance at the end.

Good, mindless fun.