Top 5 Reasons to Love “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”
Twenty-five years ago, I giggled my way through Fast Times at Ridgemont High, director Amy Heckerling’s all-too-real take on high school life in the 1980s. I was just about to enter high school, so this was damn important stuff. Two-and-half decades later, it remains important (added to the National Film Registry in ‘05) for teens and ex-teens, for all sorts of reasons.
In honor of the film’s 25th anniversary, here are our
Top 5 Reasons… To Love Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
5) Cameron Crowe’s screenplay, based on his 1981 book. Crowe, who’s always looked younger than his years, actually went undercover to get the real high school skinny. Fast Times is the writer’s first screenplay, his building blocks for Say Anything, Singles and Almost Famous.
4) Robert Romanus’ slick dialogue. As supah-playa Damone, Romanus uses whipsmart delivery to teach Rat (Brian Backer) — and the rest of us — how to scalp concert tickets, be cool around girls, get laid. And eventually act like an asshole.
3) The cast. Like Diner and Dazed and Confused, Fast Times became a stepping stone for an amazing number of future stars: Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards and a guy who’d later take the name Nicolas Cage (He was credited in the film by his real name, Nicolas Coppola).
2) Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli. Could we have guessed this guy would become one of the great American actors of the last 50 years? He was only 22 when the film, only his second, was released. (Taps was the first.) So now that we know about Penn’s dedication and approach, one question: How Method did he go for this movie?
1) Phoebe Cates. She put herself out there for one dream sequence. And probably launched thousands more in the process.
Tell us what you love about Fast Times at Ridgemont High
See Nerve Magazine’s “Teenage Lust” conversations celebrating Fast Times
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6 Comments
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GREAT GREAT movie!!! You hit every point right on the head!
Can’t believe about Sean Penn. He has really changed a lot over the years, and not necessarily for the better in some ways.
- Ray -
Hey, thanks! I still dig this movie and I’ve never been disappointed with Sean Penn’s work. I probably like him better as a director than an actor, and that’s saying a lot.
See you on The Rec Show.
-Norm S.
Somehow I will always think of Penn as Spicoli and ex-hubby to Madonna, despite all his later accomplishments. “tasty waves, a cool buzz” and “I’m so wasted” just run through my head when I hear his name.
That’s said, he is an extremely respectable actor, director and producer. I’m DYING to see his film Into the Wild (why did it only get limited release???).
- und3rdog -
Into the Wild has been experincing a slow build since its tiny, 4-screen release on September 21. The film’s now showing on about 660 screens, the most of its 7 week run.
Additionally, Into The Wild cracked into the Top Ten this week, meaning it has great promise to keep expanding, gaining audience and possibly looking good during award season.
Paramount Vantage is the studio for Into the Wild, considered the “alt” arm of Paramount. Thus, the limited release.
-Norm S.
You know, it was the most honest movie made in that era. I sat next to “Spicoli” in 6th period English my sophomore year.
Damone was this weasel named Chuck Hoskins, and, dude, everyone had a Phoebe Cates of their dreams.
- hlygrail -
Somewhere Chuck Hoskins is either cursing you or laughing for bringing up his name… and you know the ultra cool kids like that usually turned out to be underachieving adults.
Thanks for joining in.
-Norm S. (Meet In the Lobby)