Excellent but underrated film

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The 80's had a lot of great teen movies, in my opinion Fast Times In Ridgemont High is one of the best. Sex, drugs and rock n'roll(but mostly the sex) are the prevalent themes for the film. While the movie is hilarious, there are some pretty serious situations that the film takes on(minors having sex with adults, abortion,armed robbery,etc). The tone is mostly light, but very effective when there are serious situations. The cast is excellent and a lot of them went on to have success in the film industry. It should be no surprise that Sean Penn went on to become a big star as he steals the show with his iconic performance of surfer stoner dude Spicolli. Also we get awesome early performances from Judge Reinhold and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz and Nicolas Cage also appear and lets not forget about major 80's babe Phoebe Cates, who really shines in the pool scene. This is pretty accurate and authentic film about life in high school for teens in the early 80's. Fast Times.. really holds up and is one of the best movies of the teen comedy/drama genre.

Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has a typical teen life in California. At fifteen, she works in a pizza parlor after school and longs to have her first true romantic encounter. That's right, she's never gone "all the way". Her older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) also works hard at his job at Burger World and has been dating a fellow student for two years. Meanwhile, surfer-student Jeff Spicolli (Sean Penn) would far rather be smoking weed or riding the waves but his parents say he must attend school his senior year. What a shock when he gets put in a history class run by the no-nonsense Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). From his first late arrival, Spicolli rubs Mr. Hand the wrong way. A year long battle ensues. Unhappily, Stacy DOES become sexually active with the wrong guys. The first, a twenty-something, doesn't have any guilt about being with a gal so young and the second partner is also an out-for- himself dirtbag. Will she ever find someone who loves her? This classic coming of age film has its funny moments. Penn is a total laugh generator and many of the teens have such awkward moments they are comedic. Forest Whitaker likewise delivers many smiles for his annihilation of the opposing football team after his car is wrecked by others. But, there are also many serious scenes and situations which make the movie a good bet for teens who need reassurance that they are not alone with problems. Leigh is terrific and all of the other young actors are, too. The sets, costumes, script, and lively direction enhance the flick as does the wonderful soundtrack. If you somehow missed this movie, as I did, make a fast track to get your hands on it soon.

Fast times at Ridgemont High (1982) is considered by many to be an 80s classic. Is it worth such a prestigious title? In some ways yes I can see why it's loved by many, but I do have some objections to the film. First of all, I don't care for the use of the derogatory term f*g, which is used by Sean Penn's character Spicoli. Maybe that was consisted alright back then but it's not okay with me. And I could've done without the photos of naked girls EVERYWHERE in Spicoli's bedroom lol. The casting is good for the most part. I really loved Jennifer Jason Leigh in this movie, she was my favorite part actually. She goes through a growing up phase and a learning experience if you will. She has to learn throughout time in the movie that men should look for more in her than simply the potential to have sex. Not that that's wrong or that you shouldn't have some fun with it when you're young, but she has a couple of pretty bad flings and one ends up causing her some pretty bad pain. And that pain is only made worse when the guy she screwed with did something even worse to her, for which he's never really held accountable, would've liked more resolution there. Sean Penn plays a surfer dude who is literally high all the time and his vocabulary is limited to dude and man, didn't really think his character was funny or amusing, a little annoying actually. The rest of the cast does an alright job. The comedy is kind of sketchy, I didn't really laugh much. The thing I liked was Leigh's journey in the movie and seeing her storyline unfold. In my opinion there are much better 80s movies to be seen other than this one. 6/10.

The 2009 re-issue version contains a number of scenes that were not present in the original release. You would think there would be nothing new to say about high school high-jinks, American style, but Cameron Crowe did come up with a few fresh ideas in his novel which he has now skillfully transferred to the big screen. The movie is also indebted to a very, very capable cast, including Jennifer Jason Leigh, a talented young lady who is utterly convincing in a very difficult role. True, some of the other players are equally charismatic, particularly Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Becker, Robert Romanos and of course, Ray Walston as the sarcastic history teacher. Oddly, Sean Penn, who receives first billing, is not part of the main group but has a subsidiary role as a stoned surfie. All the fast-food scenes are very, very funny. I wasn't overfond of director Amy Heckerling's choice of camera angles. She seemed to be aiming for a quick sell-off to TV. True, she makes effective use of actual locations, but is inclined to use far, far too many close-ups. Oddly, the processing of the re- issue prints is far superior to the originals which were rather grainy and rough- and-ready looking.