Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Fast Times has a bit of everything in it. The awkwardness of first crushes, weed induced humor, playful banter from a doped out Sean Penn, and a rather portly Forest Whitaker. It's a bit like my high school experience, minus the two famous actors. I want to say that Fast Times at Ridgemont is an accurate depiction of the American public school system today, but hey, that was the 80's. And we all know what happened in the 80's.

Fast Times interweaves the stories of slacker Jeff Spicoli (Penn), awkward Mark Ratner (Brian Backer), scummer Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), and little miss innocent Stacey Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Each character interacts with one another which somehow affects everyone else.

Now, I'm not product of the 80's, but the casting totally filled out each high school stereo type perfectly. I have never even heard of Brian Backer, nor then or now, and he plays a kid who is equally unnoticeable. His mannerisms are awkward, almost like a pre-pubescent Woody Allen. He makes eye contact, but only when angry. His sentences end softly. The dude is a total chump. Stacey, oh sweet Stacey. She is innocent, unaware, vulnerable. Stacey sleeps around with older men, but is oblivious to those her own age. She isn't cocky, just adventurous. And when she gets knocked up at the end of the movie, a new character emerges, one who is more aware of reality and the harm it brings. Mike Damone reeks of scumminess, not hockey player scumminess, just pure putrid scumbag. In high school, he scalps tickets for various events, he gets girls pregnant, and never shows up to bring them to the abortion clinics. His friendships are ruined because of his mistakes. He is a character who understands his cons, but can't bare to correct himself. Finally, there is Jeff Spicoli. Mr. Spicoli, as his history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston) refers to him as, is laziness personified. Am I out of line to even call him a precursor to The Dude from The Big Lebowski? I mean what kind of kid orders a pizza and has it delivered to his classroom while teaching is going on? For a student so warped out of his mind, Sean Penn transforms Spicoli into a figurehead and an icon. Who can forget Judge Reinhold's memorable role as Stacey's brother Todd, a senior who tries to act older then he is and plan his life according to his status in high school. Despite his fine planning, Todd sees misfortune after misfortune throughout the movie until finally he is redeemed when he saves his Convenience Store from being robbed. This is probably the best scene in the movie because Todd has seen shit for the past hour and it's a real heart warmer to see that big grin on Judge's rectangle of a head.

Characters are the most essential piece of this movie. Yes it has a plot that drives it forward and it tackles social issues like underage sex and abortion and all that hoorah, but its creative process is most noteworthy. Cameron Crowe penned this movie and is most noted for his ultra descriptive characters. Movies like Almost Famous, Jerry Maguire, and Elizabethtown all have memorable characters who portray a distinct role in society. Fast Times is incredibly pleasing to watch, it gives a laugh to anyone who has ever experienced "the high school scene". It set the stage for hundreds of stereo typical high school comedy dramas and for that we say "Learn it. Know it. Live it."