Summary
- Pauly Shore's popularity in the 90s was fueled by his unique comic persona and his breakout role as a VJ on MTV, but his decline in popularity was swift and his movies are generally considered his least popular work.
- Despite the decline, Pauly Shore has found success in voice acting, with roles in Disney movies and various TV shows. He also continues to act in low-budget comedy films, occasionally reprising his old comedy persona.
- Pauly Shore recently gained attention for his role in the movie Pinocchio: A True Story, which became a viral trend due to internet users noticing his peculiar reading of a line in the trailer. Shore's role in the film generated buzz and boosted awareness.
After enjoying massive success in the 1990s, Pauly Shore seemed to disappear from the public eye. Pauly Shore became known for his manic comic delivery, which appropriates 1990s surfer speak and makes use of his signature line, “Hey Buuuddy!” It was a controversial persona, one which ruffled all the right feathers in the 90s, earning Shore fame and notoriety as the personification of the MTV-watching, authority-hating slacker stereotype that was so prominent during this time.
Shore’s candle burned brightly in the 90s, but as soon as the moment moved on, he was left behind. His decline in popularity was as rapid as his rise, but the star never went away entirely. Unfortunately for Shore, his most enduring legacy, his movies, is his least popular work. While many overlooked 90s movies have undergone critical reappraisal in recent years, most of Shore’s 90s star-vehicle movies are unlikely to see the same treatment. Nevertheless, Pauly Shore was a unique talent who captured the zeitgeist, and it’s worth inspecting what happened, and where he is now.
Pauly Shore's Popularity In The '90s Explained
Pauly Shore began his entertainment career as a stand-up comedian. Shore’s father was a co-founder of Hollywood’s legendary stand-up venue The Comedy Store, which passed to his mother Mitzi Shore following their divorce. Bolstered by their influence and connections, Pauly Shore soon gained popularity as a stand-up, which he leveraged into his first big break as Video Jockey of “VJ” for MTV in the 90s. MTV was a cultural titan at the time, and its on-air personalities became celebrities in their own right. Shore’s abrasive comic persona and surreal humor made him one of MTV’s biggest breakout stars, resulting in his own reality show, Totally Pauly.
Pauly Shore’s increasing popularity as a comic personality inevitably led to a foray into film. In 1992, Shore played a supporting role in the comedy Encino Man. The movie was a modest hit, making $40 million on a $7 million budget and proving a breakout role for Brendan Fraser. Pauly Shore’s next film, the 1993 comedy Son in Law, was a full-on star vehicle, and again proved a commercial hit, although slightly less than Encino Man. As Shore’s career progressed, his appeal as a movie star gradually wore thin, with each movie making slightly less than the one before.
Son in Law was followed by 1994’s In the Army Now, 1995’s Jury Duty, and 1996’s Bio-Dome. All 5 of Shore’s theatrically released comedy vehicles saw savage critical reviews, but audience opinion gradually diminished as well. After Bio-Dome made only $13.4 million at the box office, the experiment of pushing Pauly Shore as a movie star came to an unceremonious end. Shore’s next movie, 1997’s Curse of The Inferno, was released straight to cable. With his movie career more or less dead and his reality show coming to a close, 1997 marked the beginning of the end for Pauly Shore’s time in the spotlight.
Is Pauly Shore Still Acting?
Nevertheless, Pauly Shore never stopped acting altogether. Throughout his most prolific period, Shore’s best-received role was a voice acting performance in Disney’s underrated A Goofy Movie as Max Goof’s best friend, Bobby Zimuruski. He reprised the role in the follow-up, An Extremely Goofy Movie, and has continued to pursue voice acting ever since. Shore has voiced characters in numerous high-profile TV shows, including Futurama, King of The Hill, Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and The Midnight Gospel. He has also lent his voice to American re-dubs of international animated films, such as The Big Trip, MySweet Monster, and The Little Penguin Pororo’s Dinosaur Island Adventure.
Pauly Shore has likewise continued to act in live-action films, although the projects do not approach the profile of his 90s heyday. In 2004, Shore self-funded, co-wrote, and co-directed a mockumentary film titled Pauly Shore is Dead, but the film did not see success. The actor continues to perform in low-budget comedy movies, generally destined for TV, streaming, or on-demand release. Such titles include Bonerville, Opposite Day, and The Guest House. On occasion, Shore also plays himself or resurrects his old comedy persona, The Weasel, for high-profile projects such as Entourage, Workaholics, and Comedy Bang! Bang!
Pauly Shore's Pinocchio Role Explained
Pauly Shore recently found himself at the heart of a viral trend due to his work on the movie Pinocchio: A True Story. The film, one of three Pinocchio movies to come out in 2022, became a meme when internet users began to notice the peculiar reading of a line in the trailer. The phenomenon only gained steam when further inspection revealed that the then-54-year-old Pauly Shore was voicing the wooden boy. In an interview between Pauly Shore and Screen Rant, the actor responded to the unexpected trend: “that was cool […] because of the internet now, you just don’t know what people respond to.”
Pauly Shore’s part in the film is part of a longstanding relationship with Lionsgate. The studio has repeatedly hired Shore to deliver voice work on American dubs of foreign animated films. Shore’s other work with the company includes The Big Trip and My Sweet Monster. While hiring a younger actor to play the puppet child might have seemed the more rational move, Shore’s role in the film worked out in favor of Pinocchio: A True Story, generating an authentic internet phenomenon that boosted awareness.
What Is Pauly Shore Doing Now
Pauly Shore is still active in the entertainment industry. On top of his continued acting pursuits, Shore has once again taken up his career as a recording artist. The star’s new band, based in Las Vegas, is called Pauly Shore and The Crustys. Shore has a considerable online presence, hosting a podcast called The Jam in The Van Show, as well as regularly uploading content such as web series and comedy shorts to his own YouTube channel.
Additionally, the star has a five-part docuseries in the works, which will chart the progression of his career, from the peak of his massive 90s popularity, to his rapid fall from stardom, and the years since. Shore explained to Screen Rant that “when you're so hot and then you're not, it's hard to comprehend what that's like.” The series will use footage from the time to offer an honest depiction of Shore’s inner life through the years. He is also interested in reprising older roles. In 2021, Pauly Shore took to Instagram to campaign for Encino Man 2 with Brendan Fraser, although the project may never materialize.
