YMMV / Blast from the Past

• Adorkable: Adam's sheer enthusiasm and excitability is just so endearing. Especially when he starts dancing to "YMCA".
• Aluminum Christmas Trees:
  • Dr. Calvin Webber (Adam's father) likes to drink hot Dr Pepper.
  • Backyard fallout shelters might seem nutty now, but they were actually rather common in more affluent neighborhoods at the beginning of the Cold War.
• Crazy Is Cool: Calvin. Being played by Christopher Walken helps.
• Crosses the Line Twice: A suburban home is absolutely obliterated by a falling fighter jet? A tragic freak accident. Said home being owned by the one guy who happened to be taking the Cuban Missile Crisis just a bit too seriously at that moment and retreating to his shelter? The makings of a romantic comedy!
• Fridge Horror: Had Dr. Webber not sent everyone home and retreated to his fallout shelter, the Webbers and their friends would have been killed when the plane crashed into the house.
• Genius Bonus: Besides the obvious Adam and Eve pun, there's also a character called Helen and another one called Troy.
• Harsher in Hindsight: The film was released during the tail end of the "Honeymoon period" America and Russia had during The '90s. By The New '10s, Russia and American politics have become so strained that some people consider it an (unofficial) reigniting of the Cold War.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • Adam sees the sky for the first time and Squees over it. The more cynical people on the street assume it's something in the sky and try to work out what he's seen. A little girl nearby however knows he's just in awe of the sky's beauty, and the two share a knowing smile.
  • Adam's first time seeing the sea as well. He just runs towards it and has to jump in. Even the cynical Eve is moved by it.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: When Eve saves Adam from massively underselling his old baseball cards, she singles out a Mickey Mantle rookie card, stating it's worth a whooping 6000$ all by itself. Since the movie came out in 1999, this particular piece of sports memorabilia has skyrocketed in value, setting new records at auctions every few years. In 2022, one Mantle rookie card achieved a price in the eight figures.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Some viewers say that Christopher Walken as a Crazy-Prepared Bungling Inventor permanently stuck in the 60s is enough of a reason to watch.
• Retroactive Recognition: Nathan Fillion has a small role as Eve's ex-boyfriend a couple of years before Firefly and Castle.
• She Really Can Act: Roger Ebert noted that after Excess Baggage and Batman & Robin, Alicia Silverstone proved many detractors wrong with her work as Eve.
• Unintentional Period Piece:
  • While the film was supposed to contrast The '60s with The '90s, the soundtrack, fashions, belief that the Cold War was over for good, and extended scene in a swing music club (swing going through a huge revival at the time) firmly place the events of the film in the late '90s.
  • The film also became a capsule of the so-called "Honeymoon period" between Russia and the United States, long before The War on Terror and other issues soured relationships again and a number of disasters created a resurgence in people becoming interested in getting private bunkers.
• Vindicated by History: Downplayed. A box office flop when it came out, with only mixed reviews, nostalgia and appreciation for it has grown in time.

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