Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Before The Breakfast Club, before Dazed And Confused, before American Pie and the slew of high school comedies and dramas that have come in the years since, this 1982 release marked the first of the films based around American teenage life that did so in a realistic, unsanitized manner, and in so doing became a classic of its time that like American Graffiti (to which it is often compared) featured an amazing cast of soon to be movie stars which included three future Best Actor Oscar winners. Written by Cameron Crowe and directed by Amy Heckerling, the style of the film is actually quite loose, following various characters through a year at the title high school, many of whom know each other while others never cross paths at all. At times both insanely funny and incisely dramatic all while featuring a top notch soundtrack, the film is probably best remembered as being the first and (by far) most popular performance ever given by Sean Penn as the goofy stoner surfer dude Jeff Spicoli, joined by his âstoner budsâ played by Eric Stoltz and Anthony Edwards. Those who have grown to detest Penn in later years for his overly mannered (and overrated), self conscious performances as well as his unpopular politics may be surprised at the fact that they can still watch this film and separate their image of the actor himself from the lovable, eternally cheerful Spicoli, a completely separate entity onto himself, and still the most believable, unpretentious performance of his career. We also have Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy, an innocent freshman curious about sex who accepts a date from a older guy and winds up losing her virginity in a most unromantic environment before looking to find a boyfriend her own age. Advising her along the way is her best friend Linda played by Phoebe Cates, who became one of the major sex symbols of the 80s (and of all time) with an unforgettable topless scene that (male) viewers still talk about to this day, ironic since the character herself is in actuality a stuck up prude who talks like she knows everything about intimacy whilst maintaining a fictional, so-called long distance relationship with a (fake) older boyfriend solely for the fact that it will ensure that all the âlittle high school boysâ (whom she looks down upon) will leave her alone in peace. Then thereâs Judge Reinhold as Stacyâs older brother Brad, acting like heâs a big man on campus because he works in a fast food joint(!), then ultimately bouncing around from job to job as his relationship with his girlfriend crumbles and he has to help his little sister face a major crisis. Interestingly, a young Nicolas Cage has little more than a glorified extra role as a friend of Bradâs, but only because he auditioned for the Brad role and was thought to be fantastic, but alas, since he was only 17 at the time of filming (and thus a minor) and couldnât legally work the same amount of hours as the rest of the cast, he was then as a consolation prize given the part of âBradâs Budâ (with only one line) while 31 year old Reinhold got the part. Then, in the most perplexing aspect of the film, there is Robert Romanus cast in the still popular role of Damone, the resident rock concert ticket scalper of the school who talks tough, acts cool, and puts on a big façade, but is really just as confused and insecure as any of the other teenage characters, and while many who worked on the film thought Romanus was due for stardom, it sadly never came to be, even as he did a heck of a job playing a likable, relatable asshole. Joining him as his best friend is Brian Backer (who was a Tony Award winning stage actor prior to this) as the nerdy Ratner, who winds up falling for Jennifer Jasonâs character, but is written as being so wimpy that it may have affected his future acting prospects and caused him to fade into obscurity. Of course, special mention must be made of the great Ray Walston as Mr. Hand, the American History teacher who clashes with Spicoli (and usually gets the best of him), seemingly a strict disciplinarian who rules his classroom with an iron fist, but in actuality a good man who cares about his students and even winds up going the extra mile to help Spicoli pass his class (no mean feat). And right on down the line the cast goes, including Forest Whitaker as the ferocious star high school football player; Police Academy star Scott Thomson as a nerd; Vincent Schiavelli as the creepy biology teacher who takes his kids on a field trip to the morgue; Amanada Wyss (Freddy Kruegerâs first victim) as Bradâs girlfriend; Kelli Maroney and Pamela Springsteen as the schoolâs put upon cheerleaders (dubbed âspirit bunniesâ); James Russo as an unlucky store robber; Taylor Negron, Nancy Wilson of Heart, Jason Bernard, and even Phil Spector murder victim Lana Clarkson. As said, the eclectic, non-linear style of the story helps to never let any one character or subplot wear out their welcome and keeps the events of the film fresh, and the rewarding (or in some cases, just played out) resolutions for each make one hopeful for a possible sequel that never happened, though it did lead to a very short lived TV series with Walston and Schiavelli that used different actors in the other parts, and Crowe actually did write a Spicoli-centric followup that was turned down by Penn, then rewritten and made as The Wild Life, which actually starred Seanâs brother Chris Penn playing a Spicoli-type lead character with little success. In the end, still a classic on every level that launched careers for some and served as a highlight for others, while continuing to let teenagers know that theyâre definitely not alone in this worldâŚ
10/10