Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Rating:
Summary: Not quite a classic but not bad either
Review: Fast Time at Ridgemont High is one of those films that prompt me to ask the same question over and over, "where were these girls when I was in high school"? Even though I graduated only a couple of years before the characters Cameron Crowe wrote about in his novel of the same name, none of the girls I knew even came close to the girls in this story when it comes to sexual promiscuity. But perhaps that is the difference between going to high school in Southern California versus Eastern North Carolina.
The story basically follows the lives of several teenagers attending Ridgemont High somewhere in the LA Area. Sean Penn almost steals the picture with a very funny performance as a wacked out surfer named Spicoli. His straight man is his history teacher, Mr. Hand, played by veteran actor Ray Walston. Their scenes together are very funny and it is obvious they have a chemistry between them that is seldom found in movies which involve student/teacher relationships. While Penn provides the comic relief, the rest of the film deals with characters such as Brad & Stacy Hamilton (brother & sister played by Judge Reinhold and Jennfer Jason Leigh) who are struggling with just growing up and the pains that teenagers share. Brad is BMOC and very popular with his peers until his world starts to crumble as a result of breaking up with his girlfriend and losing his job at a popular burger joint. Stacy is interested mostly in boys and sex. It is her more experienced friend, Linda, (played by Phoebe Cates) that mentors her in the ways of love. This character development leads to one of the more interesting situations in the movie- one in which Stacy seduces a boy and instead of enjoying love making, she ends up just having sex instead and later learns the hard way that sex does indeed have consequences.
Over all, FTARH is a fun movie with a lot of laughs courtesy of Penn & Walston. But this is not your typical teen sex comedy. And while alls well that ends well, some of the characters will have taken a few lumps on their way to adulthood. This could well be a "must see" for teenagers that are considering becoming sexually active.
In a way, FTARH reminded me a bit of the classic, American Graffiti in that there are several actors (Anthony Edwards, Eric Stolz and Nicholas Cage to name a few) that would eventually go on to great fame after appearing in this film.

Rating:
Summary: A definite vote of dissent
Review: The first half hour or so of this 1980s comedy is perfect. Sean Penn really juices up the screen as Jeff Spicoli; it's not hard to see why he went on to become a real film star. The conflict that's established between him and Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), Spicoli's teacher, is exactly what's needed in this type of comedy and it's absolutely spot on. The other characters are also well thought out--for the first half hour.

Then what happens is a definite lessening of impact as Stacy (played by a very young Jennifer Jason Leigh) gets serious with sex. Okay, it's true that you don't want sex to be a fount of ridicule all the time, but the transition from the first riotous half hour to these serious issues (loss of virginity, abortion, etc.) changes the film dramatically. By the time the really funny stuff starts up again, in the last third of the film, the comedic impact has been definitely lessened.

In addition, there seemed to be a number of characters (for example, those played by Eric Roberts and Anthony Edwards) who were just kind of there, not doing much at all. These two served as sounding boards for the amazing Sean Penn.

This is by no means a bad film. Not at all. I just found it inconsistent. It would have been great to see the real punch of the first half hour carried through the entire film.

Rating:
Summary: still classic
Review: Fast times at Ridgemond High has been with us for a while now. After all these years, you would think that teenagers would be far different now then they were in 1982 when the movie was released. However, you'll still find the teenagors now and then are still pretty similar. If you're now a teenager like mysefl you'll still enjoy the movie because it is funny and can take you back to when you were in high school.

Rating:
Summary: A welcome corrective to 'American Graffiti'.
Review: 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' remains the template against which all subsequent teen movies must be judged. although it is a delightful period piece, a portrait of small-town mall-culture in a particular time and place, a record of fashions, music, poses, language, codes etc., it manages to transcend its time in a way many teen movies (especially the Brat Pack ones) don't. This is because it doesn't impose any bogus narrative arc or spurious goal on its vignette-structured observations - its rapid, seasonal, jump-cutting storyline remains true to the developing emotional lives of its characters, where everything of the moment seems life or death, but everything flies by so quickly. Potential traumas that might have been Ponderous Issues in a lesser film, such as drugs, teenage pregnancy or abortion are treated lightly (even if the emotion behind them are not) and absorbed into the rush of the film (although the film's authenticity quotient is somewhat undermined by actors clearly in their 20s playing mid-teens). This gives the film its joyous energy, but also its poignancy, its admission of transience and failure - images of confinement and death recur, but never heavy-handedly.

Heckerling's direction has a freshness usually missing from the genre, mixing reality, dream and fantasy with an irony undercutting some of the screenwriter's lazier assumptions, the latter evincing even at this young age a tendency towards the reactionary. It is particularly enjoyable to see actors who have subsequently taken themselves Very Seriously, in a comic context - Jennifer Jason Leigh is especially appealing and wide-eyed and funny, like the less smart elder sister of Kirstin Dunst; Sean Penn (I forgive everything!) is hilarious as the Bill/Ted/Butthead/Jay-prototype stoner slacker with a private kind of twisted intelligence. Despite the explicit content, there is a pervasive 50s air of innocence which avoids the sentimentality of Crowe's later work as a director. The soundtrack is an awful and unlikely selection of mostly soft-rock 'classics', but in a movie this good you forgive everything.

Rating:
Summary: "Awesome....Totally AWESOME!!!"
Review: This flick really takes me back to the days when teen films didn't take themselves too seriously. Except for the topic of abortion that comes up in Fast Times, the movie isn't bogged down with brooding characters full of angst like some newer films. The characters are pretty funny, happy people and this translates into a good time for the viewer. I know Sean Penn would never admit this, but this is probably his best film - even with some of the fabulous stuff he has done over his career. If you are a former teen of the 80s or just love a goofy fun film, check this one out. Don't watch the TV version with the awful voiceovers ("He's been STRANGE since the third grade" as opposed to "He's been STONED since the third grade." )The soundtrack is great and sounds terrific on the DVD player- Billy Squire, Stevie Nicks, the Ravyns, etc. Weed-toking video arcade addicts and rock and rollers still have a place in the world.

Rating:
Summary: Am I the only one who doesn't think it's a comedy?
Review: Yes, it has many very funny scenes. Yes, I laughed throughout. But am I the only one who thought that Stacy's story is a bit tragic? There's a genuine human warmth at the core of this movie. As somebody else said here, you'll never again hear Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" without thinking of Stacy losing her virginity. Moreover, if you're at all a decent person, the memory will be a sad one, remembering how she was used and discarded. The film is full of moments like that. It's not just a comedy, it's a cautionary tale, but without being preachy.

Rating:
Summary: Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Review: Judge Reinhold and Sean Penn were very funny . This is just a good wholesome funny movie.

Rating:
Summary: Sean Penn High school WAY COOL
Review: Sean Penn is so funny in this movie. If you love 80s looking high school and the life they had during there school this is the dvd for you. You wont be disapointed get this and enjoy over and over again.

Rating:
Summary: Started a genre
Review: For being a fantastic movie that launched it's stellar cast upon the world, I duly thank the filmmakers. For producing a great DVD release with fun extras (the reunion document and the "look at the places where Fast Times was filmed" are great additions), I thank whomever it may concern.

For unleashing upon the world the plague of legions of sub-par (often even seriously crappy) cheap imitations, I deduct 5 stars from my original rating of 10. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate High School Classic
Review: Fast Times At Ridgemont High is a monumental film for a lot of people. I was 3 or 4 when it came out, but this film would still work and ring true to people my age in this modern day and time. That's why this film is completely timeless. The premise is pretty simple. It's about a bunch of high school kids in the early 80's dealing with everyday life, which includes girls, boys, sex, drugs, sex, and, oh, did I mention sex?. After watching this hilarious and downright touching film, you wonder why Phoebe Cates isn't a bigger star. Her famous scene(not for children)is classic and the fantasy of every red blooded American male in the country. Sean Penn gives one of comedy's most memorable characters as stoner Jeff Spicolli. He is brilliant in this film. There has not been another teen/school movie like this that is as special or classic. There have been a few that came close. The rest of the cast is great: Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forrest Whitaker, Ray Walston. This is a great film. A true comedy classic!.