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How could they do this to Jennifer Jason Leigh ? How could theyput such a fresh and cheerful person into such a scuz-pit of a movie? Don'tthey know they have a star on their hands? I didn't even know who Leigh waswhen I walked into "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," and yet I wascompletely won over by her. She contained so much life and light that she was ajoy to behold. And then she and everybody else in this so-called comedy isinvited to plunge into offensive vulgarity.

Let me make myself clear. I am not against vulgarity as asubject for a movie comedy. Sometimes I treasure it, when it's used withinspiration, as in "The Producers" or "National Lampoon's AnimalHouse." But vulgarity is a very tricky thing to handle in a comedy; toneis everything, and the makers of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" havean absolute gift for taking potentially funny situations and turning them intogeneral embarrassment. They're tone-deaf.

The movie's another one of those adolescent sex romps, such as" Porky's " and "Animal House," in which part of the humorcomes from raunchy situations and dialogue. This movie is so raunchy, however,that the audience can't quite believe it. I went to a sneak preview thrown by arock radio station, and the audience had come for a good time. But during ascene involving some extremely frank talk about certain popular methods ofsexual behavior, even the rock fans were grossed out. There's a differencebetween raunchiness and gynecological detail.

The movie's cast struggles valiantly through all this dreck.Rarely have I seen so many attractive young performers invited to appear in somany unattractive scenes. Leigh, for example, plays a virginal young student atRidgemont High. She's curious about sex, so the script immediately turns herinto a promiscuous sex machine who will go to bed with anybody. And then hersexual experiences all turn out to have an unnecessary element of realism, sothat we have to see her humiliated, disappointed, and embarrassed. Whateverhappened to upbeat sex? Whatever happened to love and lust and romance, andscenes where good-looking kids had a little joy and excitement in life, insteadof all this grungy downbeat humiliation? Why does someone as pretty as Leighhave to have her nudity exploited in shots where the only point is to show herill-at-ease?

If this movie had been directed by a man, I'd call it sexist. Itwas directed by a woman, Amy Heckerling -- and it's sexist all the same. Itclunks to a halt now and then for some heartfelt, badly handled material aboutpregnancy and abortion. I suppose that's Heckerling paying dues to somemisconception of the women's movement. But for the most part this movie justexploits its performers by trying to walk a tightrope between comedy andsexploitation.

In addition to Leigh's work, however, there are some other goodperformances. Sean Penn is perfect as the pot-smoking space cadet who has beenstoned since the third grade. Phoebe Cates is breathtaking as the moreexperienced girl who gives Leigh those distasteful lessons in love. JudgeReinhold has fun as a perennial fast-food cook who rebels against the sillyuniforms he's supposed to wear. Ray Walston is suitably hateful as thedictatorial history teacher, Mr. Hand. But this movie could have been a lotmore fun if it hadn't chosen to confuse embarrassment with humor. Theunnecessary detail about sexual functions isn't funny, it's distasteful.

Leigh looks so young, fresh, cheerful, and innocent that wedon't laugh when she gets into unhappy scenes with men -- we wince. The wholemovie is a failure of taste, tone, and nerve -- the waste of a good cast onerratic, offensive material that hasn't been thought through, or maybe eventhought about.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High Reviews

Order a pizza and learn about Cuba in an all-time teen comedy classic by Amy Heckerling and scripted by Cameron Crowe.

Full Review | Mar 6, 2023

In the perfect wheelhouse of teen movies: Sexually frank, right up to the inclusion of an abortion subplot, but not too crass or exploitative. (40th anniversary)

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 26, 2022

The movie ends up with no clear identity; it doesn't work as anything.

Full Review | Aug 15, 2022

40 years on, Heckerling's film is as iconic as ever. Fast Times...features no shortage of stand-out characters and memorable moments, but where the film truly excels is how refreshingly candid it is about sex, dating and abortion.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 4, 2022

The best of the racy teen comedies perfectly preserves the fashions and attitudes of the ’80s.

Full Review | Jul 30, 2022

Fast Times at Ridgemont High broke down the barriers for Hollywood to tell teen stories to teen audiences.

Full Review | Feb 8, 2022

Here is a portrait of modern high school life that speaks lightly but truly to the fears and trials of post-Watergate teens.

Full Review | Nov 10, 2021

...an erratic yet ultimately rewarding endeavor that deserves a place among Hollywood's very best high-school movies.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Oct 17, 2021

The comedy quotient just doesn't cut it - in fact, it's odd that this is always considered a comedy when it's the dramatic material that resonates more strongly.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/4 | May 14, 2021

In many ways, Fast Times at Ridgemont High defined a generation of young Americans, excited about the future and what life may hold for them.

Full Review | May 13, 2021

With a hint of fantasy and a touch of romance, this small but memorable comedy proves immensely satisfying.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Mar 24, 2021

It's mindless, but it's well-paced.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Sep 22, 2020

Heckerling undercuts the usual teensploitation tropes at every turn.

Full Review | Aug 11, 2017

What it doesn't have is a clear point of view, something that would make it of more interest than leafing through a high school yearbook.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Aug 12, 2015

[VIDEO ESSAY] "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" is a remarkable outlier in the teen movie genre even if tone-deaf critics such as Roger Ebert panned the film upon its released in 1982.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jan 14, 2015

I'll take something like The Breakfast Club or many of John Hughes films over Crowe's characters any day.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Sep 5, 2013

Fast Times is a brilliant, funny and often challenging examination of teenage life in the early 1980s.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Jan 29, 2012

Teen movie is full of sex, drugs, and misbehavior.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Jan 1, 2011

A cult classic.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Mar 21, 2010

Director Amy Heckerling has failed to provide the raunch or poignancy that would interest young moviegoers, all of whom have seen American Graffiti and its 467 imitators. Ridgemont High? A nice place to visit, but who would want to transfer there?

Full Review | Mar 13, 2009

Cast & crew
User reviews

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll. A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll. A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.

Amy Heckerling
Cameron Crowe
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Judge Reinhold
344 User reviews
106 Critic reviews
61 Metascore
1 win & 1 nomination

Top cast 70

Jeff Spicoli

Stacy Hamilton

Brad Hamilton

Mike Damone

Mark 'Rat' Ratner

Linda Barrett

Ron Johnson

Charles Jefferson

Dennis Taylor
Pat Bernardo
(as Blair Ashleigh)

Jefferson's Brother

All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

Trivia First-time director Amy Heckerling said she was seeking to make a comedy that was less structured than conventional ones, and more like American Graffiti (1973) so that "if you woke up and found yourself living in the movie, you'd be happy. I wanted that kind of feel."
Goofs Mr. Hand tells the students that the Platt Amendment is an Amendment to the US Constitution and is vital in their daily lives. The Platt Amendment is neither a Constitutional Amendment nor is it important in Americans' daily lives. The Platt Amendment established Cuba as a US protectorate after the USA helped free Cuba from Spanish rule during the 1898 Spanish-American War. Furthermore, it was passed in 1901, not 1906 as he claims.

Jeff Spicoli : What Jefferson was saying was, Hey! You know, we left this England place 'cause it was bogus; so if we don't get some cool rules ourselves - pronto - we'll just be bogus too! Get it?

Brad Hamilton - Made manager of MI-T-MART June 12.
Mike Damone - Busted for scalping Ozzy Osbourne tickets. Now works at 7-11.
Mr. Vargas - Switched back to coffee.
Linda Barrett - Attending college at Riverside. Now living with her Abnormal Psych Professor.
Rat and Stacy - Having a passionate love affair. But they still haven't gone all the way.
Mr. Hand - Convinced everyone is on dope.
Jeff Spicoli - Saved Brooke Shields from drowning. Blows reward money hiring Van Halen to play his Birthday Party.
Alternate versions Early VHS releases had the majority of the original music replaced with generic sound-alikes.
Connections Featured in Square Pegs: Merry Pranksters (1983)
Soundtracks Raised on the Radio Performed by Ravyns Written by Rob Fahey

User reviews 344

Mar 14, 2006
How did Brad get fired from All-American Burger?
Why did Mr. Hand have a grudge against Spicoli?
Why did Damone hook up with Stacy?
August 13, 1982 (United States)
United States
24124 Welby Way, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA (Brad and Stacy's house)
Universal Pictures
Refugee Films
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$4,500,000 (estimated)
$27,092,880
Aug 15, 1982
$27,093,151

Technical specs

Runtime 1 hour 30 minutes

More to explore

Criterion Review: FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982)

Amy heckerling and cameron crowe’s teen classic draws in a new generation of fans with a new 4k restoration.

Based on Cameron Crowe’s book of anecdotes collected from his stint as a journalist undercover at a Southern California high school, Fast Times at Ridgemont High sketches out the lives of a group of wild, outgoing, insecure, and all-around lovable high school students as they navigate all of the classic tropes one tumultuous year can dish out — awkward first dates, the social watering holes of the local mall, grimy first jobs in retail and fast food, oblivious teachers and parents, and the ever-present uncertainty of what a future adulthood will bring. With a cast of future acting legends and iconic dialogue and needle drops borne of a perfect collaboration between director Amy Heckerling and writer Crowe, Fast Times at Ridgemont High joins the Criterion Collection’s canon of coming-of-age Americana in a Blu-ray package as comprehensive as its new 4K restoration.

There’s a freewheeling looseness to Fast Times that immediately draws in its audience — much like its rebellious subjects, the runtime isn’t pegged down by too many cause-and-effect plot points. The characters have room to be bored, to goof off, to live in moments ripped from high school journals dumpster-dived by Crowe and preserved on celluloid. Likewise, the audience can easily latch on to who immediately grabs their interest, or feels like their own closest high-school analog. Like the five in fellow Criterion member The Breakfast Club , everyone’s a Spicoli, a Rat, a Brad, a Stacy, a Linda — even if we might become Mr. Hand as time goes on. Each of these characters, much like its ancestor American Graffiti , are checked in on like we’re good hosts wandering through a raucous high school party — seeing whether they’re OK, listening to each of their hilarious jokes or problems that in the moment feel life-or-death — hoping that by the end, we’ve done what we can to make their world right. That wandering calmness and devotion to each of its characters allows everyone to identify with the true-to-life tropes in Fast Times that either already were or would inevitably become pop culture staples.

It also allows Fast Times at Ridgemont High the freedom to explore rarely-tackled, somewhat controversial topics of American Youth that, despite adults’ best intentions, remain impactful, important touchstones in their lives. From the crappy, alienating experiences of first working in retail, to the awkward, unromantic reality of first sexual encounters, to the heart-stopping consequences they can bring, Fast Times knows just when not to romanticize moments of growing up as when to indulge in universal teenage fantasies. Crowe and Heckerling know that to completely give themselves to the teenage dream is to pander to a fickle audience with well-honed bullshit meters — and that a little truth goes a long way.

Now, Criterion has released Fast Times at Ridgemont High in a brand new restoration that allows a new generation of fans to fall in love with it, and for die-hard fans to re-live their fond memories of the film in stunning new clarity.

Video/Audio

Criterion presents Fast Times at Ridgemont High in a 1080p 1.85:1 HD transfer sourced from a brand new 4K restoration of the original 35mm negative. The film’s 5.1-channel DTS-HD audio track is sourced from Universal’s 2004 transfer of the film, created from the film’s now-lost monaural audio track. English subtitles are included only for the feature film.

Criterion’s restoration of Fast Times at Ridgemont High has become a point of contention among film fans in recent weeks, notably in re-framing and re-timing a majority of the film. Whereas such issues may have seemed like valid retroactive artistic decisions by the filmmakers, it appears that Criterion’s restoration actually corrects an overscan and over-saturation of Fast Times ’ original elements that populated most releases of the film. What’s more, this Heckerling-approved restoration of the film actually restores a controversial shot censored in the midst of Fast Times ’ preproduction — one last act of rebellion that preserves the film’s original vision for posterity.

Overall, picture quality is realistic and contains a significant amount of fine-grain detail. Black and darker colors don’t suffer from any significant banding, save for moments when a different type of film stock is used–and the film’s color palette is varied and well-defined without any DNR blending or crush. There are a few odd moments where individual shots feel lighter or darker than the ones surrounding them, notably in a scene when Damone and Stacy walk home — as if the 4K restoration performed its job too well, demarcating the differing times of day between takes to a noticeable, but never too distracting degree.

The audio track places Heckerling’s soundtrack of future pop hits front and Crowe’s memorable dialogue front and center. The needle drops are as effective as ever, utilizing bass channels and main speakers to the best of their ability — turning any viewer’s home into Party Central. Outside of the pop hits, the surrounding channels don’t get too much love aside from naturalistic background noise. Then again, Fast Times isn’t quite the film that would strive to utilize surround channels in the same vein as something like Star Wars or Speed .

Special Features

Audio Commentary: A 1999 archival track featuring director Amy Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe. The track is such a fun one–Crowe and Heckerling go through the track like the friends they’ve been for decades, deriding the stress Universal put on their production (which they repaid in kind however they could throughout the process), shepherding these young actors through their careers’ formative years, and the pop culture influences on and impact of Fast Times .
Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High : Ported over from Fast Times ’ past Universal releases, this 39-minute archival featurette features behind the scenes clips and photographs, accompanied by interviews with Heckerling and Crowe, as well as producer Art Hinson, casting director Don Phillips, and actors Brian Backer (Rat), Sean Penn (Spicoli), Judge Reinhold (Brad), Robert Romanus (Damone), Eric Stoltz (Stoner Bud), Scott Thomson (Arthur), and Ray Walston (Mr. Hand). While Jennifer Jason Leigh and Phoebe Cates’ absence is certainly felt–it would have been great to hear their thoughts on the making-of and impact of the film–this is overall an enjoyable EPK from the early days of DVD.
The TV Version: A rarity unearthed from the Universal vaults, Criterion has created an HD transfer of a special edited-for-TV version of Fast Times . Despite cutting out and censoring the film’s more graphic scenes and dialogue, this version ends up being 5 minutes longer than the theatrical, restoring deleted and alternate scenes — including lines by Nicolas Cage’s formerly blink-and-you’ll-miss-him first screen role!
Amy Heckerling at the AFI: An audio-only 1982 interview with Heckerling and producer/ Fast Times ’ Pirate King Stuart Cornfeld after an AFI screening of the film, with a surprise appearance by Robert Romanus.
Interview with Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe: Moderated via Zoom by writer/director/actress Olivia Wilde, Heckerling and Crowe share extremely candid and hilarious anecdotes from Fast Times ’ production, notably focusing on the studios’ lack of faith in the film through production and release.
Booklet featuring a new introduction to the film by Cameron Crowe and an essay by Slate film critic Dana Stevens.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is now available on Blu-ray and DVD courtesy of The Criterion Collection.

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Fast Times At Ridgemont High Review

01 Jan 1982

Fast Times At Ridgemont High

This exposé of American high school life may seem tame by today's standards, but Cameron Crowe's script has stood the test of time, packed with witty lines and wry observations about high school life.

In fact the whole film has held up well. It's a must-see for anyone wanting to see where Crowe and a whole host of future A-listers, including director Amy Heckerling, Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker and scene-stealing stoner Sean Penn, started out. But this isn't just a before-they-were-famous style cringe-fest; all turn in the sort of performances that demonstrate exactly why they went on to successful careers in Hollywood.

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Review

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Anthony Edwards, Sean Penn, and Eric Stoltz in <i>Fast Times at Ridgemont High</i>. (Universal Pictures/Everett Collection)

B eginning in the fall of 1979, a 22-year-old Cameron Crowe, who at the time already had several years of experience writing for Rolling Stone and Creem , spent a school year undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego. He drew from the experience to write his 1981 novel Fast Times at Ridgemont High , which he adapted himself for the screen: it was his first movie credit, and the first for director Amy Heckerling . Though teenage high jinks—and insecurities—are a staple of American comedies, Fast Times stands tall among them, not just for its brisk, breezy pacing, or for the vivid quality of its characters (like Sean Penn’s glassy-eyed stoner-surfer Spicoli), but for its frankness about teenage abortion, and its refusal to address the termination of a pregnancy as a moral quandary worthy of society’s handwringing. Which is not to say that Heckerling and Crowe treat the subject lightly: when 15-year-old Stacy Hamilton—played by a very young and extremely touching Jennifer Jason Leigh—confronts the young cad who got her pregnant, Robert Romanus’ Mike Damone, he resists taking responsibility. They only “did it” once; he’s just not interested in her problems. Then, with an eyeroll, he says he figures she expects him to pay for it.

Stacy tentatively lays out the terms: she’d like him to pay half, but also maybe give her a ride to the clinic? (He never shows up, though she gets through the procedure on her own.) You could argue that Heckerling doesn’t spend a lot of time showing the emotional toll of a terminated pregnancy. On the other hand, her matter-of-factness is just what’s called for. This act won’t ruin Stacy’s life; it might actually save it. And the fact that she has access to a safe abortion is a given. Leigh, as Stacy, is a young woman barely out of girlhood—her face still has a cherubic roundness. To think of what she’d have to go through today, if she happened to live in the wrong state, adds another layer of context to Heckerling’s approach. And it makes 1982, fairly recent history, seem so very far away.

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Film review: fast times at ridgemont high (1982).

Nigel Honeybone 08/26/2020 Cult Films , Film Reviews

“Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The centre of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mister Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope.” (courtesy IMDB)

Back in the seventies, Rolling Stone reporter Cameron Crowe used his youthful looks to pose as a high school student to get the dirt on what teenagers do for kicks. Crowe wrote the screenplay for Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) based on his own novel, and shows about as much special ‘insight’ as one would have hanging out at the local mall for an hour. Directed by first-timer Amy Heckerling , Fast Times At Ridgemont High was considered to be a bold and racy teen flick with an incredible cast of stars-to-be: Sean Penn , Jennifer Jason Leigh , Judge Reinhold , Robert Romanus , Forest Whitaker , Anthony Edwards , Eric Stoltz and Nicolas Cage . Nowadays, as the typical teen comedy moves into another phase of self-deprecation and crass humour, movies like Fast Times At Ridgemont High are timely reminders of when words like ‘talented’ and ‘teenagers’ co-existed harmoniously side-by-side.

Tags Amy Heckerling Anthony Edwards Brian Backer Cameron Crowe Eric Stoltz fast times at ridgemont high Forest Whitaker Jennifer Jason Leigh Judge Reinhold Nicolas Cage Ray Walston Robert Romanus Sean Penn

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (United States, 1982)

Because Fast Times at Ridgemont High arrived in movie theaters during the height of the '80s "teenspoitation" era, it has often been unfairly lumped together with Porky's and its successors and copycats. In reality, Fast Times is smarter and more perceptive. While teensploitation movies thrived on juvenilia, sex jokes, and nudity, Fast Times , like Valley Girl and The Last American Virgin , is character-based and character-driven. As a result, the humor and nudity - and there are plenty of each (including one of the most popular topless scenes of the '80s) - are more honest. When the final cut of Fast Times was delivered to the Universal Pictures executives, they didn't know what they had. The film was unceremoniously dumped into 500 theaters in August of 1982, and proceeded to surprise everyone by grossing more than ten times its budget. It has gone on to become a much-loved VHS and DVD title, earning nearly as much in rental dollars as it did during its theatrical run.

Despite being directed by newcomer Amy Heckerling, Fast Times is most commonly known as "a Cameron Crowe movie." Crowe wrote the screenplay, based on a book he penned about his experiences when he went back to high school posing as a senior. The film shares characteristics with Crowe's later directorial efforts ( Say Anything, Jerry Maguire ), including sharp dialogue and a pop-heavy soundtrack. Heckerling's contributions to the project are often overlooked in the zeal to attribute Fast Times to Crowe. It's not all that different from what occurs with This Is Spinal Tap , the rockumentary directed by Rob Reiner that is often credited to Christopher Guest (who co-wrote it then went on to make a series of mockumentaries with a similar approach).

Fast Times looks at a year in the life of a group of students attending Ridgemont High during the 1980s. Having been a member of the generation portrayed by the movie, I can attest to its accuracy in both broad strokes and details. However, one would expect nothing less from a Crowe script. Whatever his flaws, he has a history of authenticity when it comes to dialogue and character interaction. There is one area where Fast Times , like many high school themed movies, courts artificiality: actor age. The majority of the kids in this movie are supposed to be between 15 and 18. The actors, however, check in at 21 (Sean Penn), 19 (Jennifer Jason Leigh), 24 (Judge Reinhold), 25 (Robert Romanus), 25 (Brian Backer), and 20 (Forest Whitaker). Only Phoebe Cates, at 18, and Nicolas Cage, at 17, were in the proper age range. In some cases, like Leigh and Backer, the illusion works. With Penn, Reinhold, and Romanus, it's a stretch to accept them as being high school seniors unless one believes them to have been held back multiple times.

The movie's standout character is Jeff Spicoli (Penn), who has become one of those oft-imitated movie personalities. Spicoli is a surfer, a slacker, and a stoner. When asked why he doesn't get a job, he responds: "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine." During his senior year, he develops an ongoing feud with his history teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). This leads to several memorable confrontations (both inside and outside of the classroom) that indicate Mr. Hand may be the only one to get the upper hand on Spicoli.

Mark Ratner (Backer) is a high school virgin who is urged by his more experienced (but not necessarily more insightful) friend, Mike Damone (Romanus), to pursue a girl in his biology class who catches his eye. She's Stacy Hamilton (Leigh), who has decided to aggressively pursue losing her virginity. One that deed is done (with an older guy), she in interested in seeing if it will be better the second time around. Her older best friend, Linda Barrett (Cates), assures her it will be, so she decides to try with Mark. However, her forwardness scares him off - although the same cannot be said of Mike, who is more than willing to go after his buddy's would-be girlfriend. Meanwhile, Stacy's brother, Brad (Reinhold) is spending his final high school year working at fast food places, breaking up with his girlfriend, and fantasizing about Linda.

Fast Times is loaded with young talent. Some members of the cast would go on to long, successful careers while others would fade away. In the latter category are Backer and Romanus. This represented the career high-water mark for both of them. They're effective and believable in their Fast Times roles - Backer as the stereotypical shy nerd and Romanus as the guy who uses bravado to cover his insecurity - but both ended up filling supporting roles in TV series and indie movies. Cates took the path less traveled for an actress, making movies for about a decade after Fast Times then retiring to raise a family with her husband, Kevin Kline. Cates is still fondly remembered by Generation X males for her topless scene in Fast Times , which became the source material for numerous teenage masturbatory fantasies.

The most successful Fast Times alum is Sean Penn, who has gone on to worldwide acclaim. Taken in conjunction with his other roles, Fast Times illustrates amazing versatility. He is the perfect Spicoli, nailing every aspect of the character and becoming the movie's most memorable individual. Penn reportedly became so immersed in the role that even when the cameras weren't rolling, he demanded to be called Spicoli and never dropped the attitude. Whatever he may have done off-screen to fashion the on-screen man, it worked.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, who appears in some of Fast Times ' most raw scenes (reportedly, she wanted to bare all but fears of an X-rating kept her pubic hair hidden), went on to become a daring and adaptable actress with a varied career that is still going strong. Likewise, Judge Reinhold achieved a measure of success by appearing in a number of high-profile family-friendly features. Other future stars who showed their faces in Fast Times : Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Forest Whitaker, and Nicolas Cage (credited as "Nicolas Coppola").

The only veteran actor in Fast Times is Ray Walston, who represents the lone adult with significant screen time. Before appearing in Fast Times , Walston was known primarily as Uncle Martin the Martian in My Favorite Martian . This movie introduced him to a new generation, for which he would forever be "Mr. Hand." It's a distinction Walston embraced to his dying day, glad to be known for more than one part.

Although Fast Times is primarily a comedy, it doesn't shy away from dealing with serious issues. Its depiction of sex is true to life. We are privy to Stacy's first and second sexual encounters, and both are less than satisfactory. The first occurs in a baseball dugout at night. She gazes at graffiti on a wall and wonders when it will be over. The second transpires in a bath house and is over so fast she doesn't have time to wonder. Movies often romanticize teenage sex; Fast Times goes in the opposite direction - a direction more viewers are likely to identify with. The film also deals with abortion and betrayal. Neither is typical material for a "teen comedy," yet both are evident in Fast Times , where they are treated deferentially.

Today, many who graduated from college in the '80s identify Fast Times as a favorite teen film because it does so much more than other movies in its sub-genre. The film is far from perfect - the soundtrack occasionally chooses the wrong songs, there are times when the acting (especially by the supporting players) falters, and there are scenes (most of them throw-ways) that don't work. Aside from jump-starting so many promising motion picture careers (including Crowe, Heckerling, and members of the cast), Fast Times will always be remembered for one thing: showing respect for and insight into the members of its core audience, something that was as rare in the 1980s as it is today.

Comments Add Comment

Princess Bride, The (1987)
City Lights (1931)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
Feast (2006)
Dumb and Dumberer (2003)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Dead Man Walking (1996)
21 Grams (2003)
Mystic River (2003)
All the King's Men (2006)
I Am Sam (2001)
Hateful Eight, The (2015)
Short Cuts (1993)
Hudsucker Proxy, The (1994)
Palindromes (2005)
eXistenZ (0199)
Margot at the Wedding (2007)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
(There are no more better movies of Judge Reinhold)
Santa Clause, The (1994)
Santa Clause 2, The (2002)
Santa Clause 3, The (2006)

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Blu-ray edition reviewed by Chris Galloway
May 10 2021

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The wild world of adolescence has rarely been captured with as sharp an observational eye as in this refreshingly smart, frank spin on the teen comedy by director Amy Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe—for each of whom it kicked off a hugely successful film career. Based on Crowe’s experiences going undercover as a student at a Southern California high school, Fast Times at Ridgemont High blends hormone-fueled hilarity with an almost sociological examination of the 1980s teenage experience: the shopping-mall hangouts, fast-food jobs, buzzkill teachers, awkward dates, and first experiences of love and sex. This pop-culture touchstone launched to stardom practically an entire cast of unknowns—including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker, Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, and Sean Penn as stoner icon Jeff Spicoli—and broke new ground in its raw yet sensitive depiction of the realities of coming of age.

Picture 8/10

The Criterion Collection presents a new Blu-ray edition for Amy Heckerling’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High , delivering the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a dual-layer disc. Criterion sources the 1080p/24hz high-definition presentation from a new 4K restoration, scanned from the 35mm original camera negative.

There was a lot of early controversy around the colours of the presentation (and another aspect I’ll get to), and now having seen the disc I’d have to say the outcry was a little overblown: by the reactions you’d think all of the colours had been sucked out, like the film went through a bleach by-pass or something, and that’s clearly not the case. Admittedly the colours are noticeably cooler and they can be a bit pastier in places, with the scenes in the mall taking on a far more obvious cold, teal look, but generally speaking this looks like something from the late 70’s/early 80’s. I think part of the reason behind this negative perception is that the old Universal discs did push the reds more, with skin tones looking more pinkish, so it’s easy to see how the tonal shift could be a shock to some, and why one would think this looks muted in comparison.

But no, this film hasn’t had all of the colours sucked out of it. Getting past the slightly colder look the colours do look nicely saturated and clean, and there are plenty of vibrant reds, greens, yellows, blues, and more, Spicoli’s van looking especially great. Again, those mall interiors do look a little more washed and sterile when compared to the rest of the film, but it seems intentional. Black levels, on the other hand, are a little more all over the place, and this was the area I was most letdown by. Black levels are decent enough when you get down to it, but there are plenty of scenes (especially in those pastier mall interiors) where the blacks look milky and shadow detail is close to non-existent. Black levels can also come off incredibly heavy in some of the film’s nighttime sequences, further killing the details. Some of this is due to the original lighting and photography around the sequences, but I can’t say if that feeds into all of the issues around the black levels.

The other controversy around this release had to do with framing. Full disclosure, other than a couple of scenes I did not do a full comparison between this edition and the older Universal one, and I did not look at screen grabs already available online. Having said that, just watching the film there is nothing that sticks out here, no obvious things getting cut off, no jokes getting lost, no important information gone. Based on full screen presentations of the film (including the TV version on this disc) it appears the film was shot full frame and then matted for widescreen, and I’m going to wager a guess Heckerling reframed things for this disc, and this is most obvious during one shot in the film. Fans may have heard Heckerling mention in the commentary on previous editions (the same commentary found here) that Universal forced her to remove a full-frontal nude scene around Robert Romanus, reframing that scene so that everything below Romanus’ waste is out of frame, leaving a hell of a lot of head room above him. For this edition that shot has been adjusted to show more of Romanus. Since that scene was drastically reframed it’s pretty safe to assume that if any reframing was done Heckerling was more than likely behind it. But again, no, there’s nothing important missing and nothing ever sticks out while watching the film.

Now, as to the disc’s digital presentation it’s a sharp looking one. The film looks quite a ways grainier here, which can vary from shot to shot, looking finer in one sequence then a bit heavier in another, and the reasons could be because a different film stock was used, the frame is zoomed in on, or the shot is taken from a source other than the negative, but I can’t say for certain. Grain can look a little noisy in places but it’s generally clean and natural overall. Outside of a couple of dream/fantasy sequences, this all leads to a far sharper and more film-like image compared to Universal’s older editions. In this department, Criterion’s presentation provides an enormous improvement.

In the end, it’s probably the best the film has looked so far on home video. I’m disappointed (though not surprised) Criterion isn’t doing a 4K edition, but here’s hoping Universal may feel the need to do so in the future.

Criterion only includes the remastered 5.1 surround soundtrack created for Universal’s 2004 DVD edition—presented here in DTS-HD MA—and not the original monaural one. Thankfully the 5.1 mix keeps things fairly simple. Most everything is still kept to the fronts and it all sounds clean with excellent fidelity and decent range. The surround aspects works more to show off the film’s impressive and classic soundtrack, which fills out the environment wonderfully. I didn’t notice much else in the way of activity.

Extras 8/10

The film has received a number of special editions on DVD and Blu-ray through the years from Universal, none of which I would call jam-packed. That tradition disappointingly continues with Criterion’s new edition, but even if it does feel a little light on extras this edition is still an upgrade over all of those previous ones when all is said and done.

Criterion does port over Universal’s audio commentary featuring Heckerling and writer Cameron Crowe, along with the making-of documentary Reliving Our “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Both are solid overviews of the production with the commentary being the stronger one. During the track both Heckerling and Crowe go over pre-production, which of course includes casting the then-unknowns (most of whom would go on to be stars) and they share a few stories around them, Sean Penn unsurprisingly be the stand-out to them at the time. The two also talk about the adaptation process, Crowe impressed and pleased with a number of Heckerling’s choices, and that feeling of Crowe’s also carried on to her choice of music in the film. They also discuss the studio interference, including them altering one shot to avoid an X rating (which has been restored here), because of a fear executives had around the film’s subject matter. Heckerling was able to stand her ground for most things, though.

It's an interesting and entertaining track that manages to offer a few surprises, like the fact that David Lynch (!) was first approached to direct the film.

The 39-minute documentary, originally produced for the Collector’s Edition DVD in 1999, makes for a nice addendum to the track. Heckerling appears here as well, but we also get perspectives from producer Art Linson, casting director Don Phillips, and then actors Brian Backer, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Eric Stoltz, Scott Thomson and Ray Walston. The documentary ends up spending more time around the casting and the actors share their stories around how they made it into the film, Reinhold’s story probably being the most amusing. To my disappointment, though, the interviews all feel too brief. I’m impressed that they were able to get who they did to talk about the film, but if Walston and Penn got more than a minute’s worth of time each I’d be surprised.

New to this edition, and possibly the disc’s most intriguing addition, is the television version of the film. For films like this, full of what some would call “objectionable” material (sex, nudity, and swearing), it’s always fun to see how the editors get around said material to make the film more family friendly plus fill a designated amount of time on television with commercials (in this case I’d say 2 hours). The film is already only 90-minutes long (with credits) and cutting out the nudity and many references to sex would significantly cut it down even further, yet this version manages to be a whole 5-minutes longer than the theatrical cut. The reason for this is that a lot of additional material not found in the theatrical version has been added. Nicolas Cage shows up in a couple of these scenes and even has lines, and a scene around a character’s abortion has also been added (in a 1982 archival interview found on this disc Heckerling explains why the scene was cut). A lot of the other additions are extended scenes, and it’s easy to see why they were cut (they go on too long), but they’re interesting to see, nonetheless.

What makes this even more fun to watch, though, is seeing how this version gets around the sex, nudity, and swearing. The swearing is of course dubbed over in most cases, with the editors’ going out of their way to remove all material around one character being called a “prick” in a few different ways, but for most everything else the material is simply cut. For example, both the dug-out and pool house scenes are completely expunged, changing the tone around what happens in these scenes, even romanticizing them to a degree in the follow-up scenes. Overtly sexual conversations, like the “carrot” scene, are also gone. The famous Phoebe Cates pool fantasy sequence is still there, but an alternate non-topless shot is used instead, and the actions of one character have been completely removed. Alternate takes are also used in a few other sequences, including a scene where Reinhold’s character is cleaning off an objectionable phrase written on a mirror (the phrase is far milder and less funny in this version).

The editing is also choppier in places, with awkward cutaways in the middle of extended scenes to cut out questionable material. One new scene, where Reinhold’s character is talking to a councilor about college, is also awkwardly inserted to fill in for another sequence, and it’s placed in the wrong place in the film’s timeline since he mentions he quit a job that he’s actually still working at during this point in the film. Some shots are also reframed to remove yet more “objectionable” material, a lot of that isolated to Spicoli’s room and his large collection of nude pictures on the wall (though some make their way through thanks to poor framing and blurring). This latter issue ended up forcing the editors to cut out the final scenes between Spicoli and Mr. Hand.

This version is, of course, no good, and the entire mood of the film is altered. The darker and more awkward aspects are lost, and some of the film’s best moments (like the final one between Spicoli and Mr. Hand) get lost or altered significantly. But it’s an interesting beast to view at least once, just to see how films like this were redone to be shown on television, with the added bonus of seeing deleted and alternate material. The presentation also isn’t half-bad. It’s full-frame/open-matte, but the image is quite clean when all is said and done. But if you want to see muted colours then look no further than this. While they’re not the worst I’ve seen, they’re far more lifeless in comparison to the main presentation.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the television version, while full-frame, is presented at 1080p/24hz and looks to be sourced from 35mm film elements. This is clearly not from a broadcast tape.

A couple of other new features make their way on here as well. There is a new interview (performed remotely) between Heckerling, Crowe, and director/actor Olivia Wilde (34-minutes), further talking about the film. Some of the material is repeated from other features, but Crowe and Heckerling do expand on some aspects around the writing and adapting of Crowe’s book, and Wilde asks some targeted questions while also mentioning how the film impacted her and influenced her film Booksmart . I also had a good laugh at Heckerling referring to Law & Order: SVU as Law & Order: Sexy Victims . This is then followed by an archival audio recording of Heckerling at the AFI (47-minutes) in 1982, answering questions following a screening of the film. She is accompanied by producer/actor Stuart Cornfeld on-stage and actor Robert Romanus in the audience. She shares more details around issues she faced around the sex in the film and what had to get changed or cut (Romanus, rather cheekily, asks her from the audience if there was at least one thing that was cut from the film that she can think of), though she explains her experience with Universal was otherwise fine. She also talks more about what it was like as a recent AFI grad and the difficulty she had getting a film off of the ground before getting this film offered to her. This is a solid interview/Q&A session, and probably the most insightful additions around the film. Worth listening to.

Criterion then includes a short booklet, which opens with an intro by Cameron Crowe recalling how he first came to research for the book followed by the experience around the film’s production and its release. That intro is then followed by a loving essay by Dana Stevens, who first touches on how the film was unfairly maligned by critics at the time of its release.

Though the features are fine there are a couple of obvious gaps. One of the reasons Heckerling got the film was because of her AFI thesis film, Getting it Over With . This seems like an obvious addition, but I’d have to guess that rights issues stood in the way or Heckerling didn’t want it included. Also, though it clearly gets mentioned, there isn’t much about Crowe’s “undercover” research for his book, which called for him, at the age of 22, to pretend to be a high-school student. Though yes, we get to see (and read) the end results of that research, more stories around how he pulled that off would have been intriguing.

Getting past all of that, though, even if this isn’t the jam-packed edition I would have expected, this is a far more satisfying one compared to Universal’s previous offerings, and fans should get a kick out of going through everything.

Ignoring the controversies found online the presentation for this edition is significantly better than Universal’s dated ones, with this edition also offering a far more satisfying collection of bonus material. An easy recommendation.

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Fast times at ridgemont high.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 12 Reviews
Kids Say 17 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Ellen Twadell , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Teen movie is full of sex, drugs, and misbehavior.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 17+?

A girl takes her bikini top off in a fantasy sequence, masturbation, depictions

Characters smoke marijuana onscreen.

Some strong language.

A locker room scuffle is quickly defused. A pot of hot coffee is thrown at a wou

Any Positive Content?

A character fails to help a girl he impregnated. Friends clash.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A girl takes her bikini top off in a fantasy sequence, masturbation, depictions of male/female intercourse, an abortion.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Violence & Scariness

A locker room scuffle is quickly defused. A pot of hot coffee is thrown at a would-be convenience store robber.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Parents need to know that Fast Times at Ridgemont High explores several issues involved with being a teenager. Sex is a major topic of the film. There are several scenes of semi-nudity (topless girls) and frank discussions between characters about sex. Featured in the film is a fifteen-year-old girl becoming pregnant and having an abortion, simulated oral sex using produce, and a male character masturbating. The film treats the topic of sex seriously, though, and does not glorify or advocate casual sex. There is also a significant amount of drug use, as one of the main characters attends class frequently under the influence of marijuana, and smokes it on-screen, however, with consequences. There is some strong language. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Parent and Kid Reviews

Parents say (12)
Kids say (17)

Based on 12 parent reviews

Heckerling started the teen sex comedy

What's the story.

Based on Cameron Crowe's book, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH is a satisfying portrait of teen life. The film shows a number of teenagers over the course of one school year. They fall in and out of love, work menial jobs, and attend school. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) looks to her best friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) for advice on love and sex. Stacy's brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) is at the top of his game, with a lovely girlfriend and a job. Rat (Brian Backer) courts Stacy with often disastrous results. Jeff Spicoli's (Sean Penn) concerns are mainly surfing, smoking pot, and passing Mr. Hand's brutal American History class. Believable complications arise, as Brad loses his job and his girl in the course of one week, Stacy loses her virginity with troubling results, and Spicoli fails history.

Is It Any Good?

It's easy for movies to exaggerate or misinterpret teen life, but Fast Times does not. Crowe posed as a high school student while researching his book and it shows. Issues such as peer pressure, clashes with teachers at school, and the sheer boredom of after-school jobs are portrayed with humor and even-handedness. Problems are neither black nor white. Actions have consequences, (although, not in an after school special kind of way). Both Crowe and Director Amy Heckerling show genuine respect for their characters and refuse to belabor obvious points about life, love and growing up; instead letting the viewer make up their own minds.

Fast Times might appeal to girls in the tween set. However, parents should know that adult themes concerning drugs and sexuality featured in the film make it inappropriate for children under sixteen. Parents might want to view the film separately from their teens (for fear of embarrassment on both sides).

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how, as the characters in Fast Times at Ridgemont High explore new territory in romance and friendships, they see the good and bad in equal measure. What are some of the dangers of growing up? What are some the rewards?

The film celebrates friendships and a growing bond between a brother and sister. What is important in a successful relationship? How do people damage and repair friendships?

This film also provides an excellent opportunity for parents and children to discuss peer pressure concerning sex and drug use. How realistic do you think the the portrayal of teen sex was? Do you think Stacey regrets how she lost her virginity? How does Spicoli's marijuana use affect his performance in history class? Do you think he deserved to miss the prom in favor of a history lesson?

Movie Details

In theaters : August 13, 1982
On DVD or streaming : November 2, 2004
Cast : Jennifer Jason Leigh , Judge Reinhold , Sean Penn
Director : Amy Heckerling
Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors
Studio : Universal Pictures
Genre : Comedy
Topics : High School
Run time : 90 minutes
MPAA rating : R
Last updated : July 26, 2024

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a beloved '80s cult classic that featured a dazzling ensemble cast of up-and-coming Hollywood greats. Depicting the lives of a group of diverse high school students as they experience the highs and lows of growing up and finding romance, the comedy staple helped establish the careers of its stellar cast including Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Forest Whitaker.

Amy Heckerling ( National Lampoon’s European Vacation, Clueless) made her directorial debut with the celebrated flick, adapting future Oscar winner and esteemed filmmaker Cameron Crowe’s acclaimed book for the premise of the picture. Since its premiere in 1982, the coming-of-age hit has developed a passionate fan following and remains a knockout cinematic feat. Here is a helpful cast and character guide for Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

10 Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli

Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Before he became a celebrated Oscar winner and esteemed dramatic actor, Sean Penn was setting pop culture trends and rocking checkered Vans and Hawaiian shirts as the lovable stoner Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The laid-back surfing expert is constantly at odds with his stern but dedicated history teacher Mr. Hand and gets himself in quite the pickle when he goes joyriding in Ridgemont's star athlete's beloved Camaro. The iconic character remains a beloved fan-favorite and helped popularize the surfer dude persona.

Related: 20 Movies That Defined America in the '80s

As previously mentioned, Penn is the recipient of two Academy Awards for his roles in Mystic River and Milk and has also starred in a slew of acclaimed pictures like Carlito's Way , I Am Sam , and 21 Grams . The seasoned performer has also ventured into filmmaking, and has directed four feature-length movies including The Pledge and Into the Wild.

9 Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton

Jennifer Jason Leigh in Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Stacy Hamilton is the 15-year-old younger sister of the popular senior Brad, who loses her virginity to the smooth-talking ladies' man Mike Damone. Best friends with her opinionated older friend Linda Barrett whom she works with at Perry's Pizza at the mall, Stacy is trying to embrace her sexuality and figure out who she is in life and the social high school hierarchy. Linda was portrayed by Jennifer Jason Leigh in the '80s cult classic, with her performance being singled out by Roger Ebert . The famed critic declared, "Don't they know they have a star on their hands?"

After skyrocketing to superstardom following her role in Fast Times, Leigh continued taking Hollywood by storm with lauded appearances in Last Exit to Brooklyn , Short Cuts , and Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle , as well as in television shows like Weeds and Atypical . She once again rose to prominence and earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Daisy Domergue, and is set to star in the upcoming fifth season of Fargo.

8 Judge Reinhold as Brad Hamilton

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Judge Reinhold

Brad Hamilton is a likable senior who dreams of having the perfect final year of high school and sets out to break up with his girlfriend Lisa in order to fully embrace being a bachelor before heading off to college . He is caught off guard when Lisa is the one to end things with him and becomes even more sullen and depressed after he is fired from his burger joint job for getting into an argument with a customer. Brad is attracted to his little sister Stacy's friend Linda and has an extremely embarrassing and downright cringe-worthy moment after catching her swimming in their pool.

Fast Times was Judge Reinhold's first major leading cinematic role, though he acknowledged the film failed to make him a bona fide star. He retrospectively expressed, "I thought my career would really take off after that role. Instead, Sean's career took off." Regardless, Reinhold found major success as Detective Billy Rosewood in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise, and in films like Ruthless People , Swing Vote , and The Santa Clause movies. He is set to appear alongside Eddie Murphy in the upcoming comedy Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley .

7 Robert Romanus as Mike Damone

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Robert Romanus

The confident and cool resident Lothario Mike Damone earns his money by taking bets and selling scalped tickets on the down low, catching the eye of the impressionable Stacy after his shy, close friend Mark seemingly snubs her. Damone believes he is quite the catch yet finds himself in a difficult and surprising situation with Stacy after they have an intimate moment together that results in her becoming pregnant. Despite initially wanting to do right and rectify the situation, he ultimately chickens out and is left looking less-than-stellar.

Robert Romanus went on to find success on the small screen following his time as the suave ladies' man Damone, nabbing the role of Marvin "Speed" Selejko in The Young and the Restless in addition to shows like Fame , The Facts of Life, Will & Grace , and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation . His other film credits include The Runaways , The Midnight Game , and Voyeur , and he is set to star in Genesis: The Future of Mankind Is Woman.

6 Phoebe Cates as Linda Barrett

The self-assured and bold Linda Barrett is Stacy's outgoing and confident older best friend, and is above dating high school boys and encourages her younger pal to know her self-worth. Linda frequently teaches Stacy about relationships and sex and takes the freshman under her wing to inform her on how to survive high school and get the upper hand when it comes to romance and men. Her unforgettable scene in the pool in which she sports a red swimsuit has since been dubbed "the most memorable bikini drop in cinema history."

Phoebe Cates quickly became a worldwide sensation due to her iconic role in the coming-of-age classic, and steadily dominated the screen in films like Private School , Gremlins , Bright Lights, Big City , and alongside her husband Kevin Kline in Princess Caraboo . She stepped away from acting in 1994 to raise her family and officially retired in 2001 following an appearance in her best friend Jennifer Jason Leigh's dramedy The Anniversary Party . Cates currently owns a well-known New York City boutique, Blue Tree .

5 Brian Backer as Mark "Rat" Ratner

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Brian Backer

Mark "Rat" Ratner is a shy but sweet guy who works at the movie theater as an usher, and has a large crush on Stacy but is unsure how to express his feelings towards her. Sexually inexperienced in comparison to his best friend Mike Damone, Mark is a bit socially awkward when it comes to talking with the ladies and is just trying to figure out the do's-and-don'ts of dating and how to let a girl know he likes her.

Before appearing as the sweet but sheepish Mark, Brian Backer had won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for his work in Woody Allen's 1981 Broadway play The Floating Light Bulb . While he hasn't appeared on-screen since 2012's Vamps , Backer did go on to star in films like The Money Pit , Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol , Steel and Lace , a nd Loser before stepping away from acting.

4 Ray Walston as Mr. Hand

Mr. Hand in Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The strict, no-nonsense history teacher Mr. Hand is constantly in a power struggle with Jeff Spicoli and the other students at Ridgemont High, and often accuses his pupils of being "on dope." Mr. Hand and Spicoli battle it out throughout the school year, but the educator ultimately comes out on top when he shows up at the lackadaisical surfer's house and forces him to make up the eight hours of important class time he wasted during the school year. The two eventually develop a mutual respect for one another by the conclusion of the comedy.

Ray Walston was already a respected and seasoned actor by the time he famously portrayed Mr. Hand, having previously appeared as the titular character in the hit '60s sitcom My Favorite Martian . He also had memorable roles in South Pacific , Damn Yankees , and Popeye , and after Fast Times he continued working in films like Of Mice and Men and Addams Family Reunion and the shows Picket Fences , Touched by an Angel , and 7th Heaven . He passed away in 2001 at age 86.

3 Forest Whitaker as Charles Johnson

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Forest Whitaker

Popular Ridgemont High football star Charles Johnson is the school's only hope for coming out triumphant against their major rival the Lincoln High team, and he taps into some intense rage when he discovers his beloved Chevrolet Camaro has been badly damaged. Charles' younger brother and Spicoli were the true culprits who caused the crash but decided to make it look like it was the opposing school to cover their tracks. Charles uses his anger towards Lincoln High to completely dominate the football field.

Related: Best Forest Whitaker Movies, Ranked

Forest Whitaker made his film debut in Fast Times at Ridgemont High , and quickly established himself as a gifted performer with diverse and lauded roles in Good Morning Vietnam , The Butler , Panic Room , and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story . He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for portraying Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland and has constantly showcased his versatility. He is set to star in Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming epic sci-fi drama Megalopolis .

2 Amanda Wyss as Lisa

Amanda Wyss Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The former girlfriend of Brad Hamilton, Lisa beat her ex-flame to the punch and broke up with him in order to fully enjoy her final year of high school, which is why he originally intended to split up with her. This act causes Brad to spiral and become depressed, and Lisa added insult to injury when she did it after he was fired from his job at All-American Burger.

Amanda Wyss continued to steadily appear in a slew of film and television projects, most notably A Nightmare on Elm Street , Silverado , Shakma , and Son of Darkness: To Die For II . Her most prominent small screen credits include roles in Cheers , Charmed , The Drew Carey Show , and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation , and Wyss' recent acting roles were in 2019 with the legal drama series All Rise and the Western Badland .

1 Vincent Schiavelli as Mr. Vargas

Vincent Schiavelli Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The quirky and pleasantly enthusiastic Mr. Vargas is the opposite of fellow educator Mr. Hand, with the science teacher opting for a more relaxed and charismatic approach to teaching as opposed to Mr. Hand's stern, hard-nosed style. Despite being a minor character, Mr. Vargas memorably (and hilariously) took his students to the morgue on a field trip they are likely never to forget.

Vincent Schiavelli was an esteemed character actor who was instantly recognizable due to his distinct look and seemingly sad eyes, and he first rose to prominence as Fredrickson in the Oscar-winning drama One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest . His other well-known roles and projects include Ghost , Batman Returns , and The People vs. Larry Flynt , as well as the shows MacGyver , Highlander: The Series , and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Schiavelli passed away from lung cancer in 2005 at 57.

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High school based films generally follow the same kind of formula from one film to another, that being a story about self-reflection coming through interactions with contrasting personalities. Most of these are either coming-of-age stories or raunchier material, or sometimes a mixture of both.

RELATED: 10 Must-Watch “Rotten” Films On Rotten Tomatoes

Fast Times at Ridgemont H igh is one of these films , is a movie that had a lot of adult themes, such as sexuality and character development, while also having a lot of funny moments. These tropes aren’t limited just to this movie, though, as similar work is out there for your viewing as well, and these 10 films are perfect to watch if you liked Fast Times at Ridgemont High .

American Pie (1999)

High school friends make a pact to lose their virginity before their graduation, as they happen upon the realization that the world around them is filled with opportunities. This plan leads to wild shenanigans when the boys cut corners to achieve their goals.

American Pie doesn’t offer character developments or dramatic moments that tell a larger message, but what it does present are a truckload of laughs and over-the-top antics that you can’t help but relate to some extent as these make you hark back to your younger days.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

A high school senior fakes an illness in order to spend a day out and about to his luxury. His slacking ways aren’t without consequence, as he finds out that skipping school isn’t as simple as he thought it would be.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has an iconic standing in the film community, due in part of the film resonating with the younger mind that just wants a break from the monotonous school life and feel true freedom. Its meta quality has allowed the film to survive well over three decades after release.

Almost Famous (2000)

A teenage journalist gets the chance to tour the country with a rock band, all the while wrestling with his romantic feelings and his pursuit of getting his story published.

RELATED: 5 Romance Books Better Than The Movies (& 5 That Are Surprisingly Worse)

Almost Famous might be more serious than one would imagine, but it is filled with poignant moments that point toward the very true reality that dreams can come true only to an extent. The film also carries a solid message for youth to wait for their chances and not be someone unlike themselves.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)

Patrick, a ladies man in high school, is hired to date a rebellious and antisocial girl, Kat, by another boy so that he can have the chance to date her sister. Meanwhile, Patrick finds himself genuinely falling for Kat as she begins opening up her true self.

10 Things I Hate About You is one of the movies in Heath Ledger’s filmography that stands out on its own without being dwarfed by his performance as the Joker in The Dark Knight . It’s a film you should watch to learn your worth and know that love awaits everyone.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

On the last day of summer camp in the 1980s, a number of storylines between visitors and workers of the camp take place, all of which feature one ridiculous premise after another. As the summer comes to a close, the lovers-to-be attempt to get together.

Wet Hot American Summer has an overall chill atmosphere to it, with the setting and the characters all being very casual about even the craziest thing. Having a cast of bona fide A-listers helps too, although the main draw has to do with the parodies of similar movies in this genre.

Mean Girls (2004)

A homeschooled girl’s admission in high school leads to her realization that surviving in this phase of life is easier said than done. Eventually, her integration into a “mean girl” clique almost transforms her into someone she’s not.

Mean Girls is a story that is too true to ignore, with its summary of cliques being extremely accurate for the most part. The film also came with its characters portraying the struggles of fitting in with the rest, something that everyone has gone through in school.

Booksmart (2019)

On the day before graduation, two best friends finally take charge after having squandered their chances during their time in school. Attending a party, the friends confront their shortcomings and hope to make the best out of this time.

RELATED: 10 Worst Movies From 1999, According To Rotten Tomatoes

Booksmart was lauded for being a relatively raunchy film starring a pair of female leads, as this was a genre that had previously been dominated by males. It went some way in establishing that girls also have the same troubles, and surprisingly delivered some character development along the way.

Back To School (1986)

In order to motivate his son into remaining in college, a businessman enrolls in college himself after previously failing to complete his education. As time passes, the man makes strides in both his own and his son’s life.

Back to School ’s premise has been used by several movies since its release, yet this film has continued being relevant. Featuring a hilarious lead character to follow, it excelled in simultaneously carrying a story with heart and maintaining the integrity of the characters by never going completely slapstick in execution.

Related: Every Actor Who Appeared In The Fast Times At Ridgemont High Table Read

Easy A (2010)

After lying to her friend about losing her virginity, 17-year-old Olive becomes widely popular in school for having a reputation for hooking up with several boys. Once she falls for a classmate, Olive tries to come clean of the many lies she’s concocted.

Easy A might sound as if it doesn’t have much of a serious premise, but it adequately balanced the boundaries of comedy and a genuine struggle with the idea of becoming popular in school. Without sacrificing the main character’s likability, the movie had many wild moments that make it a hoot to watch.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

Set in the 1970s, a group of teenagers set out and about on the last day of school as many characters from different backgrounds and personalities interact to uncover the different facts of life waiting for them in the future.

Dazed and Confused might be the most popular coming-of-age story in the last quarter of a century, as it represented most kinds of people you’ll find during a time of major transition. A lot takes place during the short span of time, something that bodes well in establishing arcs and leaving them open-ended for interpretation.

NEXT: Dare Me: 10 Books From Our Teen Years That We Want Movies/Shows Of

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20 facts you might not know about 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'

High school life isn’t always so straitlaced. These days, Hollywood has gone down that well dozens of times. Raunchy comedies about teenagers? Not exactly original, though sometimes done well. Back in 1982, though, an R-rated high school film still had the potential to stand out. “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” has endured as a classic of the genre, and it was also a career maker for many, both on and off the screen. We have 20 facts you might not know about “Fast Times,” but just remember: No shirt, no shoes, no dice!

It’s based on a book from a future directing standout

These days, Cameron Crowe is known as the director of films such as “Jerry Maguire” and “Almost Famous.” However, as “Almost Famous” alludes to, Crowe got his start as a precocious journalist. He went undercover at Claremont High School in San Diego, California for a book called “Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story.” When the book was adapted, Crowe would handle the screenplay himself.

The director was making her film debut

Amy Heckerling was an NYU and AFI graduate with nothing but a short film to her name (fitting about a young woman looking to lose her virginity before turning 20), when Universal signed her to a deal to direct a feature. While looking through scripts she found “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and chose it for her debut film. Later, Heckerling would also direct a seminal ‘90s high-school movie: “Clueless.”

The inspiration for one of the characters went onto an interesting career

While undercover, Crowe became friends with a student named Andy Rathbone, who served as the inspiration for the character Mark Ratner. In adulthood, Rathbone has been quite the successful writer. After a stint in the world of magazines, the writer went on to author dozens of books about computer, including several computer books in the “For Dummies” series.

A future star was considered for one of the lead roles

Judge Reinhold plays the role of Brad Hamilton, who greatly prefers for somebody to knock, but other names were considered. That includes future Oscar winner Tom Hanks. At this point Hanks was still a couple years removed from “Splash” and was still, at best, “That guy from ‘Bosom Buddies’” to most.

Another Oscar winner was in the running

Unlike Hanks, Jodie Foster was already a known name, having been a child actor. She was considered for Stacy Hamilton, but did not end up in the role, which instead went to Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Two other notable actors turned the film down

Justine Bateman turned down the part of Linda Barrett, which went to Phoebe Cates . She took the role in “Family Ties” instead, which worked out fine for her. Meanwhile, Matthew Broderick turned down playing Jeff Spicoli. He turned out just fine as well.

Heckerling cast her Spicoli without seeing him ever audition

Heckerling was walking past the people waiting outside the casting office when Sean Penn , who was sitting on the floor, looked up at her. She found his intensity overwhelming and decided to cast him as Spicoli. Heckerling indicated that other actors had auditioned better, but Penn had the energy she wanted.

Romantic partners past and present were involved

Martin Brest had dated Heckerling, and they were still friends. Heckerling cast him in a small role. A couple years later, he would direct “Beverly Hills Cop.” Meanwhile, around the time of “Fast Times” Crowe and Nancy Wilson of Heart had begun dating, and they would eventually get married. She’s in the film as well in the role “Beautiful Girl in Car.” She’s the one who laughs at Brad’s fast-food uniform.

Heckerling had an eye for casting

A lot of future stars and notable actors had early roles in “Fast Times.” Forrest Whitaker and Anthony Edwards weren’t debuting, but they were far from known names. Also, Eric Stoltz did indeed make his film debut in this movie.

Oh, one more actor made his debut as well

“Brad’s Bud” doesn’t even have a name. He’s just a guy who worked with Brad at All-American Burger. That character is played by Nicolas Coppola. He was making his acting debut as well. After this film he would change his name for professional purposes. You now know him as Nicholas Cage.

One actor was a familiar face, though

Mr. Hand’s battles with Spicoli are a delight, and Ray Walston was one of the most-famous faces in the cast at the time. He had costarred in “My Favorite Martian” as the titular Martian. Prior to that, he had actually won a Tony, and in the ‘90s he took home two Emmys for “Picket Fences.”

Leigh’s family was nice to Brian Backer

Leigh was an Angeleno from a Hollywood family, and the film set in the San Fernando Valley shot locally. Backer, though, was from New York and a struggling young actor. Leigh’s family let Backer stay with them for free so that he could save some money while filming.

Penn went method

If we were talking about, say, “Milk,” the idea of Penn going method would track, given his general vibe. However, it’s a little surprising that Penn took a serious, method approach to his laidback stoner character. The actor would only answer to his character’s name. Speaking of method, apparently marijuana smoking in the van before the prom by Spicoli and company was real as well.

There are two Bruce Springsteen connections in the film

There is a Bruce Springsteen bumper sticker in the car, but there’s another connection to the music legend in the movie. Dina the cheerleader is played by Pamela Springsteen, Bruce’s younger sister. She didn’t do much acting, but she did end up playing the killer in two “Sleepaway Camp” sequels. By the way, after meeting on this film, Penn and Springsteen were briefly engaged.

They borrowed the mascot from the school they shot at

Ridgemont High is portrayed by Van Nuys High School, a high school in the actual San Fernando Valley. Their mascot is the wolves, and that’s also the mascot of Ridgemont High.

Heckerling cared about the soundtrack

Heckerling, by her own admission, was “one of those obnoxious teenagers that thought that the music I liked was great and everything else sucked.” This sensibility colored the “Fast Times” soundtrack. The producers wanted bands like the Eagles. Heckerling wanted “edgy” ‘80s musicians that high school kids might actually like. She was able to fight to include bands like Oingo Boingo on the soundtrack, but also had to in turn compromise with the producers. We don’t necessarily know what songs were the compromises, but four separate Eagles members have solo songs on the soundtrack.

It was a sleeper hit

At first, “Fast Times” was given a limited release with minimal advertising. Heckerling has said that she believes Universal did not have much faith in the film. However, it made back half of its $5 million budget that first weekend, and Universal gave it a full-scale release. The word of mouth spread, and the film made $27.1 million domestically alone.

The film was turned into a TV show

After the success of the film, a TV adaptation went into production. Simply called “Fast Times,” it featured the same characters, but the only actors who returned were Walston as Mr. Hand and Vincent Schiavelli as Mr. Vargas. Heckerling also directed and co-write three episode. Alas, the TV show wasn’t all that successful. It only lasted seven episodes.

“Fast Times at Ridgemont High” has a lasting legacy

The popularity of “Fast Times” has not waned much. In 2000, AFI called it the 87th-best comedy of all time. Bravo also put it 15th on its list of the top comedy movies, and “Entertainment Weekly” called it the second-best high school movie ever.

A “Fast Times” reunion happened a couple years later

Brad has, um, certain carnal interests in Linda. A couple years later, Reinhold and Cates would both appear in “Gremlins.” Once again, Reinhold’s character is interested in Cates’, though this time things turn out a bit less awkward.

Chris Morgan is a Detroit-based culture writer who has somehow managed to justify getting his BA in Film Studies. He has written about sports and entertainment across various internet platforms for years and is also the author of three books about '90s television.

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‘The Greatest Surf Movie in the Universe’ Review: Humongously Bad

A mix of too much lousy animation and too little wave-riding footage.

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Two animated doll-figures, one at left with brown hair and one at right with blond hair, are walking alongside a unicorn.

By Glenn Kenny

Jeff Spicoli, the surfing-obsessed truant portrayed memorably by Sean Penn in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982), may have been an airhead, but he had a vocabulary. Things he enjoyed were “gnarly” or “humongous.”

Today’s real-life surf luminaries don’t speak so colorfully. In “The Greatest Surf Movie in the Universe,” a spectacularly inane comedy, the Association of Surfing Professionals champion Mick Fanning enthuses to an amnesiac colleague: “We used to travel the entire world together having adventures in the ocean and stuff.” Fanning’s voice does the enthusing, we should specify. For most of the picture he is portrayed by an animated doll.

In Fanning’s defense, the script is by one of the co-directors, Nick Pollet, whose partner is Vaughn Blakley. The two have a background in surf documentary, but most of this movie is not that. Rather, the dolls — with minimally articulated limbs — are made to embody Fanning and a few other real-life surf stars.

These figures (the animation makes the puppetry of Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s “Team America: World Police” look like “Fantastic Mr. Fox”) enact an asinine story of how a vaccine eradicated all memory of surfing, and a mission to bring the activity back. The line “Ten years ago a sport existed, it was called surfing, and you dominated it” — emphasized with an expletive — is repeated more times than anyone would be amused to hear it.

With each new surfer discovered — at a reunion whose purpose is, in fact, to make the title film — we see a couple of minutes of actual surf footage. The climax of the movie features the dolls, many of them with faces smeared with brown goo, fighting each other with sex toys. After this, it looks as if a longer segment of surfing is in store. One’s relief then is palpable. But brief. The doll nonsense soon resumes, and then, mercifully, come the end credits.

The Greatest Surf Movie in the Universe Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes. In theaters.

An earlier version of this review misspelled the surname of the writer and co-director of the movie. He is Nick Pollet, not Pollett.

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5 top new movies to stream on Netflix, Max, Hulu and more (August 20-26)

‘Inside Out 2’, ‘Incoming’ and more are streaming this week

Kevin Costner in Horizon: An American Saga

The best streaming services are adding plenty of top new movies this week. The likes of Netflix, Max, Hulu and Peacock are all offering subscribers new flicks to watch. The hard part will be choosing which to watch first, but that's where we can help.

While the biggest streamers around will offer subscribers new content, the biggest release of the week is undoubtedly the premium streaming debut of Pixar’s “Inside Out 2”. This colorful sequel is on course to become the highest-grossing animated movie of all time and sees the return of the eccentric group of humanoid emotions that live in Riley’s head.

If you’re looking for something you watch as part of your pre-existing subscription, then Netflix has a new coming-of-age comedy, Max has a Western epic fresh from the theatre and Hulu has a charming independent film. Here are all the top new movies you can watch this week, and don’t forget to also check out our sister roundup covering the best new TV shows .

Plus, if you need even more movies to watch this week, Netflix is about to lose one of its very best movies (with an impressive 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes), and we've also got details about when you can stream "Deadpool & Wolverine" at home.

‘Inside Out 2’ (PVOD)

Inside Out 2 | Official Trailer - YouTube

Pixar’s dry spell has been thoroughly dampened by the one-two punch of last year’s “Elementals” and the juggernaut success of “Inside Out 2”. Having taken a staggering $1.6 billion at the global box office to date (and there’s a bit of juice still in the tank), it’s now making its at-home debut, and parents everywhere are likely looking forward to having the colorful animated movie available upon request to keep their little ones out of trouble. But, in classic Pixar fashion, there’s plenty for slightly older viewers to enjoy as well.

Set two years after 2015’s “Inside Out”, this sequel once again centers on the group of emotions living inside the brain of a young girl named Riley. Now a teenager, Riley is experiencing new emotions for the first time including Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy and, the very French, Ennui (aka Boredom). These unpredictable emotions play havoc on the established order in Riley’s mind headquarters and could lead Riley down a dangerous path if Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust can’t find a way to work together with these new feelings.

Buy on Amazon from August 20

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‘Stress Positions’ (Hulu)

STRESS POSITIONS - Official Trailer - In Theaters April 19 - YouTube

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January, before a very limited theatrical release in the Spring, “Stress Positions” feels a little out of place now in 2024. The movie is set during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, during a particularly difficult time in modern human history as we were confined to our homes, and the idea of social contact with anybody was practically anxiety-inducing. While that’s a period many would like to forget, first-time director Theda Hammel has used what was a horrible situation as inspiration for an uplifting comedy with just the right amount of drama.

Terry Goon (John Early) is attempting to keep a strict quarantine within his ex-husband’s Brooklyn home. At the same time, he’s also caring for his 19-year-old nephew, a Moroccan model named Bahlul (Qaher Harhash), who is recovering from a broken leg sustained in an electric scooter accident. However, Terry’s goal of keeping the apartment in lockdown proves surprisingly difficult as Bahlul’s arrival results in just about everybody Terry knows turning up to catch a glimpse.

Watch on Hulu from August 21

‘Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1’ (Max)

Horizon: An American Saga | Trailer 1 - YouTube

Kevin Costner’s ambitious “Horizon: An American Saga” floundered right out of the gate . The already-filmed “Chapter 2” was pulled from its scheduled August release last month, after “Chapter 1” proved to be a total dud at the box office. The future of this Western franchise looks to be in a precarious position. For that reason, the Max debut of “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1” could prove pivotal. If the flick can finally gain some transaction now it’s available on a popular streaming service, “Chapter 2”’s release may be fast-tracked, and maybe even the planned third and fourth installments will get greenlit.

Costner’s fingerprints are all over this movie. The cinema icon not only stars in “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1”, he also directs and co-wrote the screenplay. Not to mention, reportedly invested a significant sum of his own money into the project. Also featuring Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Giovanni Ribisi and Jena Malone, “Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1” is set in the Old West during the tumultuous American Civil War, and clocks in at a butt-numbing 181 minutes. Just remember this is only the first chapter, but the full story may never be told.

Watch on Max from August 23

‘Incoming” (Netflix)

Incoming | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Every generation has its beloved high school comedy, from “American Pie” in the ‘90s to “Superbad” in the 2000s (or “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” for those at school before the invention of the internet), and directors Dave and John Chernin aren’t shy about declaring their hopes that “Incoming” will become that ubiquitous movie for the current school-aged generation. But don’t worry even working stiffs like me and you might want to check out this feel-good and coming-of-age comedy as its trailer promises big laughs and all too relatable cringe.

As you might expect in a high school comedy, the stakes are pretty low, but for the movie’s cast of adolescents everything at their age feels like a life-or-death situation. “Incoming” follows four freshmen as they look to navigate the transition to high school without losing their dignity and social standing. But to do that, they’ll need to survive their biggest challenge yet, their very first high school party. While the cast is mostly fresh-faced actors you might not have encountered before, Kaitlin Olson and Bobby Cannavale add a dose of recognizable star power.

Watch on Netflix from August 23

‘The Killer’ (Peacock)

The Killer | Official Trailer | Peacock Original - YouTube

Don’t get this Peacock Original confused with the David Fincher thriller of the same name that landed on Netflix last year (and made my list of my favorite movies of 2023 ), instead, this is an English-language remake of the 1989 action classic of the same name. This version of “The Killer” comes from director John Woo and updates the story including switching the action from Hong Kong to Paris, among other changes.

The nitty-gritty details may have been altered somewhat, but the broad strokes remain the same. “The Killer” follows an elite assassin, named Zee (Nathalie Emmanuel), known throughout the Parisian underworld as the Queen of the Dead. But when Zee refuses to kill a blind young woman in a nightclub, this compassionate choice has serious consequences. With allies turning on her, and a police investigator (Omar Sy) circling, Zee is set on a collision course with her past deeds. Expect Woo’d trademark thrilling action and a narrative stuffed with twists.

Watch on Peacock from August 23

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Rory is an Entertainment Editor at Tom’s Guide based in the UK. He covers a wide range of topics but with a particular focus on gaming and streaming. When he’s not reviewing the latest games, searching for hidden gems on Netflix, or writing hot takes on new gaming hardware, TV shows and movies, he can be found attending music festivals and getting far too emotionally invested in his favorite football team.

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COMMENTS

Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review (1982)
Leigh looks so young, fresh, cheerful, and innocent that wedon't laugh when she gets into unhappy scenes with men -- we wince. The wholemovie is a failure of taste, tone, and nerve -- the waste of a good cast onerratic, offensive material that hasn't been thought through, or maybe eventhought about. Advertisement.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
for Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer. List. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
A classic film of the 1980's. jeffman52001 28 December 2004. "Fast Times At Ridgemont High"is an all time classic look at high school in the 1980's. The cast is awesome. The lives of the characters are really awesome, in school, we all have those times in our lives where we do a lot of crazy things in and out of school.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
R.L. Shaffer IGN DVD. Fast Times is a brilliant, funny and often challenging examination of teenage life in the early 1980s. Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | Jan 29, 2012. Ellen Twadell Common ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Directed by Amy Heckerling. With Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus. A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.
Criterion Review: FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982)
Criterion's restoration of Fast Times at Ridgemont High has become a point of contention among film fans in recent weeks, notably in re-framing and re-timing a majority of the film. Whereas such issues may have seemed like valid retroactive artistic decisions by the filmmakers, it appears that Criterion's restoration actually corrects an ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Metacritic. 1982. TV-14. Universal Pictures. 1 h 30 m. Summary Amy Heckerling's chronicle of a year in life of a group of teenagers at a Southern Calfornia high school in the 1970s is based on Cameron Crowe's undercover experiences and has clearly set the bar for all teen comedies to shoot for. Comedy.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High Review
18. Original Title: Fast Times At Ridgemont High. This exposé of American high school life may seem tame by today's standards, but Cameron Crowe's script has stood the test of time, packed with ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High [Reviews]
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Review. Aug 8, 2011 - A phenomenal look at high school in the early '80s. ... Nov 16, 2004 - The movie's great, but what about the DVD? Fast Times at Ridgemont ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Blu-ray Movie Reviews, Media Reviews; 4.5 Stars People on 'ludes should not drive! - Recommended ... "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" - Sammy Hagar 13. "I Don't Know (Spicoli's Theme)" - Jimmy Buffet 14. "Love is the Reason" - Graham Nash 15. "I'll Leave It Up To You" - Poco 16.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): 100 Best Movies of the Past 10
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Anthony Edwards, Sean Penn, and Eric Stoltz in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Beginning in the fall of 1979, a 22-year-old Cameron Crowe, who at the time already ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Summary and Synopsis
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 comedy based on the book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story by Cameron Crowe. The film stars Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Judge Reinhold. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a simple story detailing the escapades of teenagers in Southern California who center their lives around sex, drugs, and rock music.
Film Review: Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)
REVIEW: Back in the seventies, Rolling Stone reporter Cameron Crowe used his youthful looks to pose as a high school student to get the dirt on what teenagers do for kicks. Crowe wrote the screenplay for Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982) based on his own novel, and shows about as much special 'insight' as one would have hanging out at the ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
A movie review by James Berardinelli. Because Fast Times at Ridgemont High arrived in movie theaters during the height of the '80s "teenspoitation" era, it has often been unfairly lumped together with Porky's and its successors and copycats. In reality, Fast Times is smarter and more perceptive. While teensploitation movies thrived on juvenilia ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Review :: Criterion Forum
Picture 8/10. The Criterion Collection presents a new Blu-ray edition for Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High, delivering the film in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on a dual-layer disc. Criterion sources the 1080p/24hz high-definition presentation from a new 4K restoration, scanned from the 35mm original camera negative.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Movie Review
Based on Cameron Crowe's book, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH is a satisfying portrait of teen life. The film shows a number of teenagers over the course of one school year. They fall in and out of love, work menial jobs, and attend school. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) looks to her best friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) for advice on love and sex.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Visit the movie page for 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' on Moviefone. Discover the movie's synopsis, cast details and release date. Watch trailers, exclusive interviews, and movie review. Your ...
Fast Times At Ridgemont High
My in depth review and look back at the teen comedy classic, Fast Times At Ridgemont High(1982) starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Pho...
fast times at ridgemont high (1982)
Summary. Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Review
Mike reviews the iconic 1982 comedy classic "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" starring Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Phoebe Cates.This vid...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Cast and Character Guide
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a beloved '80s cult classic that featured a dazzling ensemble cast of up-and-coming Hollywood greats. Depicting the lives of a group of diverse high school students ...
10 Films To Watch If You Liked Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of these films, is a movie that had a lot of adult themes, such as sexuality and character development, while also having a lot of funny moments. These tropes aren't limited just to this movie, though, as similar work is out there for your viewing as well, and these 10 films are perfect to watch if you ...
The Cast of 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High' Now & Then
Fast Times at Ridgemont High was the ultimate coming-of-age movie and the start for some very famous faces. Along with its killer soundtrack, this summer of 1982 comedy focused on a group of high ...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Academy Award-winner Sean Penn leads an all-star cast (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Ray Walston) in this hilarious portrayal of a grou...
20 facts you might not know about 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'
Bravo also put it 15th on its list of the top comedy movies, and "Entertainment Weekly" called it the second-best high school movie ever. 20 of 20 A "Fast Times" reunion happened a couple ...
'The Greatest Surf Movie in the Universe' Review: Humongously Bad
Jeff Spicoli, the surfing-obsessed truant portrayed memorably by Sean Penn in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982), may have been an airhead, but he had a vocabulary.
5 top new movies to stream on Netflix, Max, Hulu and more (August 20-26)
Every generation has its beloved high school comedy, from "American Pie" in the '90s to "Superbad" in the 2000s (or "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" for those at school before the ...

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (United States, 1982)

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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