Plot
A story of a group of California teenagers who enjoy malls, sex and rock n' roll.
Release Year: 1982
Rating: 7.2/10 (39,082 voted)
Critic's Score: 67/100
Director:
Amy Heckerling
Stars: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold
Storyline Follows a group of high school students growing up in southern California, based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe. Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner are looking for a love interest, and are helped along by their older classmates, Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, respectively. The center of the film is held by Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer dude who faces off with the resolute Mr. Hand, who is convinced that everyone is on dope.
Writers: Cameron Crowe, Cameron Crowe
Cast: Sean Penn
-
Jeff Spicoli
Jennifer Jason Leigh
-
Stacy Hamilton
Judge Reinhold
-
Brad Hamilton
Robert Romanus
-
Mike Damone
Brian Backer
-
Mark 'Rat' Ratner
Phoebe Cates
-
Linda Barrett
Ray Walston
-
Mr. Hand
Scott Thomson
-
Arnold
Vincent Schiavelli
-
Mr. Vargas
Amanda Wyss
-
Lisa
D.W. Brown
-
Ron Johnson
Forest Whitaker
-
Charles Jefferson
Kelli Maroney
-
Cindy
Tom Nolan
-
Dennis Taylor
Blair Tefkin
-
Pat Bernardo
(as Blair Ashleigh)
Taglines:
Hey Bud, Let's Party! [DVD]
Release Date: 13 August 1982
Filming Locations: 24124 Welby Way, Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $4,500,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $2,545,674
(USA)
(15 August 1982)
(498 Screens)
Gross: $27,092,880
(USA)
(17 October 1982)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia: Cameron Crowe wrote the screenplay based on his book. Cameron Crowe attended University of San Diego High School, he posed as a student at Clairemont High School. The principal then was not thrilled with the idea, but when he asked Crowe about musicians that he had met, he mentioned Kris Kristofferson. The principal was a big fan of Kristofferson and agreed to let Crowe on campus.
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers):
When Mr. Hand is yelling at the class for failing his test, he re-teaches and tells the students that the Platt Amendment is an Amendment to our Constitution and is vital in their daily lives. The Platt Amendment is neither a Constitutional Amendment nor is it important in Americans' daily lives. The Platt Amendment established Cuba as a US protectorate after the USA helped free Cuba from Spanish rule during the Spanish-American War. Mr. Hand also says the Platt Amendment was passed in 1906. It was passed in 1901.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Perry's Pizza Waitress:
Linda, Linda, there he is. There's that guy from the stereo store. Don't you think he looks like Richard Gere? Linda Barrett:
Did you see his cute little butt?
User Review
Required viewing for surviving the eighties
Rating:
All throughout the decade of pencil-thin neckties and Pat Benatar look-alikes,
various films came along that served to embody the times. "Valley
Girl" (which introduced us to Nicholas Cage) and "Secret Admirer" were just
a drop in the proverbial bucket. Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont
High" was the textbook definition of life as a teenager in the eighties and
remains so to this day. The story was brought to life in a very unique way
that hasn't been duplicated since:
There was no actual plot to speak of. This was just...High School.
It's a film about a group of kids looking for love, status, or a good buzz.
The film was nothing more than that, and it didn't pretend to be more. In
addition, Cameron Crowe's script made you *care* about what these kids went
through as if their individual situations were happening to us (as they may
very well have). It's almost a crime that a sequel was never made,
although a mediocre TV series was spawned. Armed with a cast of
characters that struck a chord with all of us (primarily because we knew
someone in High School who acted just like them), and a soundtrack that
reeked of the Mark Goodman-J.J. Jackson era of MTV, this film stands as a
perfect portrait of a decade a lot of us say we'd like to forget....shortly
before brushing the dust off an old Night Ranger cassette and indulging in
a guilty pleasure.
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