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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
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Overview
Tagline:
Fast Cars, Fast Girls, Fast Carrots...Fast Carrots? morePlot:
A story of a group of California teenagers who enjoy malls, sex and rock n' roll. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 win & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Movie Reviews: 'Elizabethtown' (From Studio Briefing. 14 October 2005)
Cage Forgives Penn for "Not an Actor" Remark (From WENN. 13 October 2005)
User Comments:
Fairly Funny Time at Ridgemont High moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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) |
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (International: English title) (informal short title) (UK) (video title)Fast Times (Australia) (poster title)
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Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
90 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Australia:R (original rating) (cut) | Australia:M (re-rating) (uncut) | USA:R (edited for re-rating) | Portugal:M/16 | New Zealand:R18 | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | 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)MOVIEmeter: 
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
It was filmed at Van Nuys High School in Van Nuys, California moreGoofs:
Continuity: During the robbery at the Mi-T-Mart, the robber knocks the cookies off the counter and there are three cookies left. In the next shot, there are none. moreQuotes:
[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?
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Soundtrack:
American Girl moreFAQ
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: I was encouraged to see this because it was hailed as one of the best `teen comedies', a genre revived more recently by `American Pie'. This is an amusing but also touching tale of a bunch of teenagers caught between childhood and adulthood (as teenagers tend to be..).
The characters are, naturally, disparate (they always are). You've got the geek, the tender one, the surfing one, the `cool cat' one, et cetera. All these stock types can be bland but, when done well, really flesh out a movie. As in `American Pie', this is an example of the combination working to good effect. The issues dealt with, mild enough by today, were quite controversial for its time. They touch on concepts of underage sex, drugs, employment and so on and their relevance still resonates - despite its founding in 80s culture, the movie still has something to actually say. Cameron Crowe's script - based on his own book - is sharp. The characters actually have a depth (rather than being a one line joke as it is too often) and the humour is gentle, rather than of the bodily-fluid nature. The film is never preachy, merely saying, `This is how it is' and moving on. The structure is fairly conventional - follow a set of characters over a long period, and see how they fare in a final big event, but again that's okay.
Acting is quite good here, especially considering the genre. This is of course helped by some of these actors, such as Sean Penn and Nicholas Cage, having gone on to do bigger and better things with their talents. They all have a warmth and even Mike (Robert Romanus), who could appear sleazy if portrayed poorly, comes across as an ultimately affable man who is a good guy. The non-teen cast, principally the teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) are all good as well and the only problem I may have is the occasional eighties styling (principally the haircuts and outfits) which tend to make me feel one step removed from the characters (but that's not a fault of the actors).
`Fast Times at Ridgemont High' surprised me with its depth. I had expected farce, but I got some genuine thought and characterisation, along with the requisite humour. It's not quite the laugh-fest I expected but it was good viewing. It still has meaning for today, although time has dulled its sharpness somewhat. Not a must, but certainly - given its short length - a good maybe. 6.9/10.