Movie Review – Fast Times At Ridgemont High
Principal Cast : Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Phoebe Cates, Ray Walston, Scott Thomson, Vincent Schiavelli, Amanda Wyss, DW Brown, Kelli Maroney, Tom Nolan, Blair Ashleigh, Eric Stoltz, Stanley Davis Jr, James Russo, Nicolas Cage, Anthony Edwards, Martin Brest.
Synopsis: A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n’ roll.
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As a kid from a certain generation, who grew up with Star Wars, Gremlins and Indiana Jones, revisiting some classic 80’s sex comedies is a little like returning to an old childhood home and discovering that, as they say, you can’t go back. Only, in this instance, going A perennial favourite of Gen-X and subsequently one of the defining comedies of the decade, Amy Heckerling’s surprisingly warm-hearted Fast Times At Ridgemont High is both a hugely dated comedy and a brisk, often meaningful dramatic coming-of-age gem, the result of clever writing, agonisingly funny setpieces and a snappy, charming cast of characters that makes this bawdy romp more than just crude adolescence.
The film’s large ensemble centers around students at the titular Ridgemont High, in particular eternal stoner Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), freshman Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and her brother Brad (Judge Reinhold), Stacy’s best friend Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), smooth-talking ticket scalper Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), and Mike’s friend Mark Ratner (Brian Backer). Forming the film’s quartet of storylines is Jeff’s continual confrontations with history teacher Mr Hand (Ray Walston), Stacy’s desire to have sex, Brad’s horny lusting for a better job and girlfriend (including a now-classic sequence in which he fantasises over Linda), and Mike’s realisation that he might need to develop deeper feelings than the superficial act he puts on at school.
Fast Times sits comfortably alongside Animal House, Porky’s and Risky Business as defining 80’s comedies from my youth, touchstone cinematic entries through which a strong association with VHS home video, and eventually DVD, ensured their longevity for horny teen boys around the world despite the passage of time. Eternal themes of teenage confusion abound in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, a classic forerunner to more recent classics such as American Pie, Cruel Intentions and the film career of Aston Kutcher, with plenty of crude misogyny and ribald situational humour that Cameron Crowe (yes, Almost Famous’ Cameron Crowe) writes with such realism and believability the comedy is almost secondary to the more natural undercurrent of adolescent awkwardness. Crowe, who famously went “undercover” at a local high-school for a year to write his book of the same name, captures the varied hilarity, sadness, melancholy and joy of being a teen in America – and as much as it translates to similar problems for an Australian audience, works really well.
Part of the thing about Fast Times is that it doesn’t treat its audience as idiots. Despite some of the characters being a step too outlandish to be real, there’s a real heart to Heckerling’s direction and Crowe’s script that translates into genuine empathy for everyone on the screen. The characters all feel lived-in, genuine and like they might actually exist, and their interactions as they cross paths throughout the brisk running time elicit a friendly warmth. Penn, as Spicoli, cruises through the film with typical stoner ease, and his fractious relationship with Walston’s gruff, antagonistic Mr Hand is eminently paternalistic, if not always respectful. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold personify the clean-cut all-American teen archetypes, and have a truthfulness and honesty about their characters that’s engaging and easy to care about – Reinhold, the guy trying to hold down a steady job to pay for his hotrod car, is frustrated by his lack of sexual activity, and his frustration manifests in some of the film’s funniest scenes. Arguably the more solidified story arc, however, belongs to Robert Romanus, as Damone, a slick, smooth talking douche who thinks he’s God’s gift to women and an entrepreneur, until his friendships and relationships are tested when he betrays somebody close to him. Phoebe Cates is hot has hell, bit-parts to a Vincent Schiavelli, Anthony Edwards and a blink-and-miss-it Nicolas Cage, as well as before-they-were-famous turns by Forest Whitaker and Eric Stoltz, leaving Fast Times At Ridgemont High wanting for very little in terms of star wattage.
Not only is Fast Times a cleverly written 80’s comedy, it’s one with a surprising amount of heart beneath the layers of sexualised dialogue and stoner-set pieces. Heckerling’s direction is tasteful and hilarious, Crowe’s script is simply terrific for the teenage set, and the continual needle-drop soundtrack is an absolute banger. The film might be well into its 40’s at the time of this review, but time hasn’t dulled its piercing take on the American teenage experience; it’s witty, laugh-out-loud funny, at times warmly moving and heartfelt, and an altogether charming entry into the genre from that decade. Seeing a lot of these stars at the entry-point to their careers is a bit of a whiplash headspin, sure, and in many respects I’d recommend it just to get people to see them in action; sweetly, the film is also pretty good entertainment despite the A-list talent involved. Highly recommended.
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