Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 12, 1993 TAG: 9312030369
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: HENRY TAM JR. NEWSDAY
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
And to try and make the point, the 25-year-old star, for the last three years, of MTV's ``Totally Different Pauly'' appears in ``Son in Law,'' an offbeat comedy in which he plays an eccentric college student from Los Angeles who wreaks havoc when he visits Middle America for the first time.
Shore was in New York recently to promote the film, which opened last week. In his glossy retro-'70s vest, black corduroy pants (not to mention a choker), and his Doc Martens, Shore looked like a carbon facsimile of Crawl, the character he plays in the movie.
Shore's first feature, last summer's ``Encino Man,'' confirmed his popularity with the MTV generation, but he hopes ``Son in Law'' will appeal to a broader audience.
``People want to see anyone fail that's successful. I'm never going to appeal to the whole world,'' Shore said. ``I'll always have certain people that don't like me and certain people that do.''
While the goofy high-school senior Shore played in ``Encino Man'' was simply his MTV's veejay character reincarnated, in his current film, Shore says, his character is more of a stretch.
``It's not `Encino Man II.' For people that don't dig me and think I'm stupid and that my stuff is just for kids, they're going to like it, too, because it's got a lot of heart and soul in there,'' Shore said. ``We gave the movie heart and soul, which I have, but no one really knows I have.''
Although he admits his success on MTV helped launch his acting career, Shore believes his over-the-top shtick has also been a hindrance to a transition into the movies.
``I kind of started my own personality by just being an idiot and goofing around [on MTV],'' he said. But being a youth-culture star can mean people perceive him as a one-dimensional caricature.
``The problem with a lot of comedic personalities is that you work so hard to come up with your own thing and then once you do, then everyone thinks that is all you can do.''
Son of the veteran stand-up comic Sammy Shore and comedy patron Mitzi Shore, owner of the Comedy Store Clubs, the Hollywood native is no stranger to show business. Before launching his career at MTV, Shore had bit parts in such movies as ``Phantom of the Mall'' and ``For Keeps.''
Unlike his dilly-dallying ``Son in Law'' character, Shore has never attended college, but he said he has one up on Crawl - he is very focused.
``I know where I want to go ... I'm really into show business. It's such a powerful thing, and I like that; people like power.''
Even though Shore said he's a loner at heart, he considers himself very approachable, not the wild and crazy party dude he might seem.
``Son in Law'' is as easily predictable as it is funny, and although a bit wary of saying so, Pauly Shore is wishing hard that it will be one of the sleeper hits of the summer.
by CNB