Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

Director:

Amy Heckerling

Writers:

Cameron Crowe (book)
Cameron Crowe (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 August 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Fast Cars, Fast Girls, Fast Carrots...Fast Carrots?

Plot:

A story of a group of California teenagers who enjoy malls, sex and rock n' roll.

Plot Keywords:

Surfer | Car Washing | Drug Use | Advice | Irreverence

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Sean Penn	...	Jeff Spicoli
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Stacy Hamilton
Judge Reinhold	...	Brad Hamilton
Robert Romanus	...	Mike Damone
Brian Backer	...	Mark 'Rat' Ratner
Phoebe Cates	...	Linda Barrett
Ray Walston	...	Mr. Hand
Scott Thomson	...	Arnold
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Mr. Vargas
Amanda Wyss	...	Lisa
D.W. Brown	...	Ron Johnson
Forest Whitaker	...	Charles Jefferson
Kelli Maroney	...	Cindy
Tom Nolan	...	Dennis Taylor
Blair Tefkin	...	Pat Bernardo (as Blair Ashleigh)

Also Known As:

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (International: English title) (informal short title) (UK) (video title)
Fast Times (Australia) (poster title)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Australia:R (original rating) (cut) | Australia:M (re-rating) (uncut) | Argentina:13 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-12 | Ireland:18 | Norway:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:11 | UK:18 | West Germany:12 | USA:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

24124 Welby Way, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Refugee Films

Trivia:

Sean Penn was asked to read for the part of Brad Hamilton as well as that of Jeff Spicoli.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Spicoli is in the convenience store with Brad, after saying, "I knew it," Spicoli reaches down off camera and picks up something and you can hear him place it on the counter, but in the next shot there's nothing there, he then picks up a can and puts it on the counter again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Perry's Pizza Waitress: Linda, Linda, there he is. There's that guy from the stereo store. Don't you think he looks like Richard Gere?
Linda Barrett: Did you see his cute little butt?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Keeping Up with the Steins (2006)

Soundtrack:

Goodbye, Goodbye

Required viewing for surviving the eighties

All throughout the decade of pencil-thin neckties and Pat Benatar look-alikes, various films came along that served to embody the times. "Valley Girl" (which introduced us to Nicholas Cage) and "Secret Admirer" were just a drop in the proverbial bucket. Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was the textbook definition of life as a teenager in the eighties and remains so to this day. The story was brought to life in a very unique way that hasn't been duplicated since:

There was no actual plot to speak of. This was just...High School.

It's a film about a group of kids looking for love, status, or a good buzz. The film was nothing more than that, and it didn't pretend to be more. In addition, Cameron Crowe's script made you *care* about what these kids went through as if their individual situations were happening to us (as they may very well have). It's almost a crime that a sequel was never made, although a mediocre TV series was spawned. Armed with a cast of characters that struck a chord with all of us (primarily because we knew someone in High School who acted just like them), and a soundtrack that reeked of the Mark Goodman-J.J. Jackson era of MTV, this film stands as a perfect portrait of a decade a lot of us say we'd like to forget....shortly before brushing the dust off an old Night Ranger cassette and indulging in a guilty pleasure.