Rating: 
Summary: high school was never this much fun
Review: Do you remember the 80s? If not, pick up Fast Times at Ridgemont High. And while high school was never this 'fast' it is a bit of a capsule of the 80s. Fast Times was Cameron Crowe's (writer) first foray into film, and one of the first movies director Amy Heckerling made. And what a movie it is. It's funny, intelligent, risque, and was far ahead of its time. And this movie introduced us to Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Phoebe Cates, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, and even Nicholas Cage had a bit part in it. A genius piece of casting. Even now, 20 years later, the film is still relevant and doesn't seem dated. The dvd contains a documentary, 'Reliving our Fast Times at Ridgemont High' and commentary by Hekcerling and Crowe (which actually goes on longer than the movie).
Rating:
Summary: Get off my case....................!!
Review: A classic line from Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold) as well as "Doesn't anyone know how to knock around here?" or "Sir, if you don't (be quiet), I'm gonna kick 100%...!" As entertaining as Penn was, I think Reinhold did the best acting job in the enitre movie. Directors were som impressed by his work that he started in Beverly Hills Cop's 1 and 2, two of the biggest box-office hits of the 80's. Anthony Edwards (Gilbert on Revenge of the Nerds) did a great job as a stoner bud as well as Harold (Scott Thompson, Copeland on Police Academy), Jefferson, Rat (Police Academy 4), Stacy, DeMone, Linda (Phoebe Cates) and many others. This movie was based on Clairemont High School in San Diego. I have a friend who graduated from Clairemont High in '82 who constantly tells me stories about incidents that actually happened in the movie as well as at the high school. He remembers when some guy ordered a pizza in history class. The teachers name was Mr. Crocker (not Mr. Hand). BTW, the screen names, including the teachers, are not the actual names of the ones who revolved around the high school. However, the personalities in the movie are very similar to the one's in real life. As for the mall, that was supposed to imitate Unviserstiy Town Center in San Diego. I was told that that was where every teenager wanted to work during that time. Great movie of a semi-true story!!!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome, Toatally Awesome!
Review: This movie is so AWESOME,you will laugh so hard,buy it and cherish it forever dudes
Rating:
Summary: A Great DVD
Review: This movie is a great movie. It's a classic. Even at 20 years old, it is funny and smart. Cameron Crowe did an awesome job with the screenplay. Amy Heckling did a great job directing as well. The plot is somewhat simple. It's about 6 kids who are in high school, and they are growing up fast and not realizing it. The kids are: Jeff Spicoli( Sean Penn ) who is a stoner, surfer dude, who is extremely funny and well played by Sean Penn. Stacy Hammilton( Jennifer Jason Leigh ) who is a younger girl who is just trying to fit in in high school. Brad Hammilton ( Judge Reinhold ) who is Stacy's older brother, who has a tough time in the fast food world during his senior year. Linda ( Phoebe Cates ) who is a beautiful girl who has a lot of knowledge about sex and relationships. Mark "Rat" Ratner (Brain Backer) who is the theater's manager's assistant and ticket-taker who falls in love with Stacy. Damone (Robert Romanus) who is a ticket-scalper who becomes Rat's mentor. I think I got everything right, oh well. It was orginaly rated X (X was the NC-17 back then) because of the pool house sex scene, but that was trimmed a little for its R rating. There's not that much cursing, and there's just a little bit of drug content. So the R is just due to the nudity (maybe 20 total seconds of it, but it's spread out into 3 parts). There's only a couple gross-out gags (maybe about 3 or 4)...As for the extra features, not bad. The Commentary with Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe- is actually watchable. I liked it. It had some funny parts. There was some cursing (maybe 15 cuss words) but it was never very offensive. The documentary- It was 39 minutes long. It was alright. I personally liked the "Fast Times At Ridgemont High: True Hollywood Story" on E! Entertainment Television better, but this was a good extra feature. The production notes- Always nice to have included. I like that they were on here. Cast & Filmakers- Also, this is always nice to have. On this digital video disc, it has biographies and filmographies for the 6 characters I mentioned early in my review, Ray Walston (who plays Mr. Hand), and Amy Heckerling. I also like having this on the disc. Theatrical Trailer- This is also an awesome special feature. I like this too. Hangouts Of Ridgemont High (Video Map)- It has a map that you can pick about 3 places in the movie, and then it shows you what they are and how they are used now. The places are the school, the mall, and the baseball dugout(it's called something else in the movie, but I don't remember.) A good extra feature. Music Highlights- Excellent. You can pick any song, and it will show you the scene in the movie where the song was played. Another good special feature. Overall it was good. It is 1.85: 1 widescreen, not too bad picture quality, great sound, and awesome menus. It has a couple of menus where you can pick a famous quote from the movie, and see the scene that it was in. I suggest you purchase this.It's a great buy.
Rating:
Summary: Holds up over time
Review: I hadn't really watched this since my teen years and was happy to revisit these characters. I hadn't remembered just how dark this film is and how the lives these kids lead are really more mature than they are ready for. I think it is a wonderfully accurate depiction of the teen lifestyle. Having sex at 15, when many adults are not prepared for its repercussions, is simply part of their lives. Drugs aren't really touched on so much (except for surfer marijuana use which is played for laughs), but the character of Stacy is confronted with the reality of pregnancy and subsequent abortion (although after the event, she doesn't really seem to suffer) after a one-time encounter in her pool changing room. So, okay, maybe it's not so realistic, but, hey, it's got a great cast of then-unknowns like: Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Eric Stoltz, and blink-and-you'll-miss-him Nicolas Cage. As well as an insightful screenplay by Cameron Crowe and spot-on direction from Amy Heckerling. A note on the commentary from Crowe and Heckerling: while not terribly enlightening about the process of movie-making, one does get the impression that everyone had fun making the film, and they two seem to be having fun making this commentary. Interestingly, it continues on well past the end of the film--almost ten minutes after. Which isn't so entertaining, having to look at a black screen and all, but is the first time I have seen this happen. Also included: Reliving Our Fast Times at Ridgemont High
This short documentary included on the Collector's Edition DVD and consisting mostly of interviews with the cast and director--including, surprisingly, Sean Penn!--and longish clips from the film (which, presumably, you had just watched) is entertaining, but only relatively informative. It's good, though, to revisit the cast members twenty years later and see how they have changed (all except for director Heckerling appear to have aged). Several cast members are missing including Cates and Leigh, but the most notable absence is that of screenwriter/novelist Cameron Crowe, although he is well spoken of and pictures of him at the time are shown. He is, however, present on the film's commentary. Enlightening enough on the subject of how fun the film was to make and how the casting process went about, and all in all a pleasant expenditure of thirty minutes.
Rating:
Summary: The best 80's movie ever
Review: What a great movie! There are so many scenes burned into my brain, and I'm not just talking about those amazing four or five seconds when Phoebe Cates comes out of the pool. Today's kids won't have a clue what's going on when the pop quiz gets handed out and everybody sniffs the paper. MMmmm... ditto paper...... I've heard that the Mark Ratner character was based on the guy that later went on to write Windows For Dummies. I hope that's true; it would be nice for the nerds to come out on top in the end! If you're over 30 and you haven't seen this movie, go buy it right now. You'll be happy you did.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the Collectors Edition you expect it to be!!!
Review: This is really a fun movie, like many High School movies of the 80's, this one really hits home, it is likely the movie that inspired John Hughes to make what seemed an endless stream of movies about High School that followed in the years after this one, come to think of it, I can't recall movies like these before Fast Times in 1982, anyway this movie has it all, just about every personality you can think of is here, with Sean Penn in his star-making role as a stoned surfer dude that is funny in just about every scene he is in, Penn has since become a hardcore serious actor, but here he shows his comedic charm, especially his run-in with Mr.Hand(Ray Walston) a strict history teacher that echoes many teachers we all remember, Jennifer Jason Leigh also got notoriety here as a sexually curious young woman who will sleep with just about anyone, as if she is searching for love & attention, Judge Reinhold(Bevery Hills Cop)is on hand as Leigh's brother Brad who worships his 1960's automobile(can't remember year & make), with Forrest Whiitaker who like Brad worships his Iroc-Z Camaro that gets destroyed by Penn & Whittaker's younger brother, Phoebe Cates is Leigh's best friend who gives her advice on sex, Cates' pool scene is a classic that has Iggy Pop playing "life is strange", a song that fits the scene perfectly as Reinhold fantasizes about her, there are many future stars here such as Anthony Edwards(ER)as one of Penn's pals who is sort of unnoticeable here, as is Eric Stolz sporting long hippie-like hair, Nicholas Cage is here as an unknown, which brings me to my gripe about the Collector's Edition, when this movie aired on the USA Network or TBS or even TNT, there is at least 15 to 20 minutes of additional footage, that for some reason or another is non-existent on this DVD, WHY???? , one of these scenes shows Cage standing in line with Reinhold at the cafeteria, who is talking to Leigh about her first day in Mr. Hand's classroom, they jokely mock Mr.Hand, which is funny, although the scene is somewhat in the movie, it is cut short, another scene has Penn is the men's room telling Stolz & Edwards that he is getting a hit before going to class, this sets up the scene later when Penn shows up late, why Universal or should I say the filmakers didn't include these scenes is a mystery to me, I won't buy this until they do, these scenes add many more comical moments, one scene has Cates talking to Leigh about her first date over the telephone in which she is sporting her legs, a scene designed to make any man google, until they do a director's cut, I will not buy it, it is a shame they didn't include these scenes.
Rating:
Summary: Good Times
Review: Fast Times At Ridgemont High is Cameron Crowe's first foray into the movie industry. He started out (as chronicled in Almost Famous) as a teenage reporter for Rolling Stone. After he left the magazine, he posed as a high schooler in a Southern California high school. The result was a book that was turned into this movie. Mr. Crowe wrote the screenplay and Amy Heckerling directed. The movie follows several different students and is one of the funniest movies ever made. Sean Penn stars as the stoner surfer Jeff Spicoli who only goal in life is to find some tasty waves and keep a cool buzz. His history professor, Mr. Hand (played with menacing glee by the late Ray Walston), provides an adversary for Spicoli to go up against. Judge Reinhold & Jennifer Jason-Leigh play brother & sister, Brad & Stacy. Brad is a senior who seems to have it all, cool car, good job at a burger joint and a perfect girlfriend. All of this collapses on him as his girlfriend breaks up with him, he's fired from his job and is forced to work a couple of embarrassing jobs. Stacy is a freshman and works at a pizza place in the mall (which is the center of alot of activity in the film) with the world wise Linda (played by Phoebe Cates). Linda is constantly giving advice to the naive Stacy. She meets an older guy and in one of the more poignant moments in the film, loses her virginity to him in a baseball dugout. Mark Ratner works at the movie theater in the mall and has a crush on Stacy. His friend, Mike Damone (played by Robert Romanus) is a hustler who scalps tickets to concerts and he, like Linda to Stacy, gives advice to "Rat". Stacy and Rat eventual go out, but Damone ends up sleeping with Stacy. A whole mess ensues, but in the end, every one makes up. The movie was a springboard to the careers of Mr. Penn, Ms. Cates, Ms. Leigh and Mr. Reinhold and is riff with future stars in small roles including Nicholas Cage, Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz & Forrest Whitaker. The movie has a great soundtrack and is a perfect snapshot of the fashions, trends and lives of teenagers in the early 80's. But throw away the different hairstyles, clothes, slang and music, the situations that the kids get into are the same for any generation and we can all relate.
Rating:
Summary: A pleasure on so many levels
Review: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" Is a strong contender for the best teen movie from the eighties. The case for the movie is easy to make: It is written by Cameron Crowe, who wrote Jerry Maguire, Say Anything, and Almost Famous. It is beautifully filmed and directed. (Director is Amy Heckerling, who apart from being awefully cute has made such wonderful movies as Clueless.) It is funny and real. And it has a magnificent cast of young actors who where unknowns then. The surfer/stoner is famously played by Sean Penn in one of his first roles, and he is awesome. Jennifer Jason Leigh is perfect as the young innocent fifteen-year-old. (Amazingly she was about 20 when she played it, but you'd never know it.) And Phoebe Cates... As Amy Heckerling says in a featurette: The boys just loves Phoebe... the rental cassettes always track a lot around the place where she takes off her top, they've been freeze-framed so much..." Which is as good a reason as any to get the DVD version, they slow-mo and freeze-frame a lot better... But seriously, Phoebe is a wonderful actress who has been woefully underused by Hollywood. And she is also just stunningly cute to boot. Even if this film had nothing else going for it, get it for her. (She is also excellent in the later film Princess Caraboo, and she is buck nude in the light "Paradise", which I hope they will put on DVD soon.) Eolake
Rating:
Summary: Penn Always Brilliant
Review: The Academy finally awarded Sean Penn for his incredible acting skills, in Mystic River... and to make up for overlooking his performance in Fast Times. The best part of this DVD is commentary on how Penn stayed in character throughout the process. Penn insisted others call him "Spicoli", and even put "Jeff Spicoli" on his answering machine. The director *never* saw "Sean Penn," only Spicoli. Intense and oddly brilliant, Spicoli became *the* icon of the guys in my high school. (How many times did you talk about ordering a pizza in class?). Almost every line Spicoli said, and many reaction lines, became catchphrases. (And unlike movies today, I'll bet no one on Fast Times *tried* for catchphrases). The soundtrack is awesome too, especially Oingo Boingo, the Go-Go's, and the Cars. (Fast Times has turned "Moving in Stereo" into a national Pavlovian bell, getting everyone in earshot salivating). Overall... the movie isn't as exciting on DVD as it was while buzzing at the midnight movies. Still, when sober the story holds up well, and the acting may be the best of that generation. The only early 80's movie in a class with Fast Times is Valley Girl... (and those guys are f%#@s!) Aloha!
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