Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Directed by Amy Heckerling
Written by Cameron Crow based on his book
1982/US
IMDb page
First viewing/YouTube rental
Jeff Spicoli: Well Stu I’ll tell you, surfing’s not a sport, it’s a way of life, it’s no hobby. It’s a way of looking at that wave and saying, “Hey bud, let’s party!”
I’m not a big fan of teenage gross out comedies. But I’m grateful to this one for introducing so many young stars of the 80’s.
The story takes place at the title high school and a nearby shopping mall where teens are either employed or like to hang out. The kids live for sex drugs and rock ‘n’roll. One story thread focuses on Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who is trying to properly lose her virginity under the tutelage of friend Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates). Her brother Brad constantly screws up his part time fast food jobs.
Another thread concerns Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a stoner surfer, and his arch nemesis history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston).
I have avoided the genre but decided to give this a try. It is not particularly gross. It does include a lot of drugs, close ups on female anatomy, and sex. But it can be funny as well. Sean Penn would never again play a part like this, his screen debut, but is quite good at it. Universal wanted to shelve it but it ended up being a big box office success. Nicholas Cage, given his sole screen credit as Nicholas Coppola, can be missed if one blinks.
