Fast Times at Ridgemont High (Widescreen Special Edition)

With teen romps like American Pie and so on and so forth, there are a handful of films to which they owe themselves to. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of them, and is notable for the fact alone that it helped launch the careers of many future stars and even Oscar winners. The story follows a group of various teen types; most notably being Jennifer Jason Leigh as a shy, would-be vixen and Sean Penn as the class stoner. Watching the film nowadays sees that it really hasn't aged all that well, but it's still enjoyable thanks mainly to Cameron Crowe's scathing screenplay and Clueless director Amy Heckerling's (in her directorial debut) energetic direction. Also featuring Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, and Brian Backer in larger roles, but be on the lookout for small roles and brief appearances from Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, and Anthony Edwards as well.

Finally the high school classic falls under my judgmental eyes. This film, like "The Outsiders," is known mainly for its incredible casting, creating a collection of actors who would go on to win Oscars (Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker) and box office glory (Nicolas Cage and Jennifer Jason Leigh). More a mosaic of high school as opposed to a plot driven production the heart of the story is Stacy (Leigh) who is on a quest for sexual enlightenment and a little bit of romance. Of course it doesn't go well at all and that is the fun of this film. We also get to hang with her sexual guru/clueless know-it-all Linda (a very good Phoebe Cates), party animal Jeff (Penn), her brother and case study in what goes around comes around Brad (Judge Reinhold), and crazed football dude who has a nice car Charles (Whitaker). Stacy bounces from one lover to the next, getting lucky and extremely unlucky at the same time. First she gets decherrified by a significantly older guy in a dugout (like you haven't). Then she moves on to the nice guy who is too sweet to seal the deal. And then to the town shyster who finishes in three seconds flat and leaves her with a bun in the oven. The script by Cameron Crowe is knowing and jaded. Since I am out of high school I see all this as one big joke, a snapshot of a lot of people caring about crap that doesn't even matter. All you're doing with those years is working in fast food, pretending to learn something, and having play relationships with people you couldn't care less about. It is all a joke and it is being played on anybody stupid enough to take it seriously. That is not to say that I think these characters are stupid, they aren't, but they are young and naive and a product of their environment. Jeff does seem to be the only one who sees through the ruse. Not that he is taking a stand against the charade; he just wants to eat his pizza in class and doesn't see the harm in doing so.

This film, like most of Heckerling's work, is breezy and a ball. You don't learn anything but you also don't lose any brain cells in the process either. Also, despite the fact that the main themes are sex, drugs and abortion it maintains that 80's cheesy, wholesome charm. It is about people taking things seriously that should not be taken seriously. It was refreshing to see Sean Penn play a role that wasn't so gosh darn heavy, he plays Jeff and his stoner ways up to the hills and I appreciated it. These kids may represent wasted youth, but youth is only idealized because it is wasted. No respectable adult would get busy in a dugout, and that is the beauty of being young. In a few years these kids will have real problems, but for now their foibles can be laughed at by those of us, at the advanced age of 25, can laugh with an understanding smile. No, this wasn't my high school experience but I can still grasp what they are going through. This film is no masterpiece but is deserves the staying power it has generated. I had fun being nostalgic and thinking back to the good ole days when flipping burgers equated into being a success in life. ***1/2

A classic teen comedy! A very well written film with a great cast. If you haven't seen this one yet, it's long over due!

Before American Pie, before Mean Girls, heck--even before Heathers (or any other teen high school romp movie (except maybe Porky's). This is the penultimate movie that after 25 years (!) is still as fresh as what's in Spicoli's bong! If you've never seen this movie...get on the bus (or get in the van).

May I say Fast Times at Ridgemont High is an important film? Here we observe American 1980's teenagers in their habitat as they actually are in a Hollywood way I mean. If you don't believe me: check out Shirley Temple in some of her 1940's bobby soxer teenage roles. America had changed in the post-modern world. Party on Sean Penn, dude!

Amy Heckerling has a way with teen actors as we discovered again, later with Clueless. They are innocent and way too mature at the same time. Judge Reinhold is making payments on his boss Buick, working the fast food, and dreaming about greener pastures as his girl is getting same same. Sean Penn battles the strictest teacher at Ridgemont, Our Favorite Martian, Ray Walston. You're a dick dude!

But special mention goes out to an 18 year-old playing a 15 year-old, Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's in a hurry to taste forbidden fruit, first with a slick 26 year-old and then with Robert Romanus, the loud mouth school weasel. In between all the action she falls for a complete nerd, Brian Backer. Full frontal: no problem, but in a teen film in the R rated 1982, that was shocking. You won't see that on the TV version. Oh, Jennifer, you were so like every young thing I ever unzipped. There should be an award just for teen vixen.