Fast Times at Ridgemont High [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Amy Heckerling

Overview

Back in the late 1970s, author Cameron Crowe banked upon his youthful appearance to pose as a teen-aged high school student. The results of his hands-on research was the revelatory book Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which went on to spectacular success as a theatrical feature. The sociological inner lining of Crowe's book was sacrificed in favor of standard teen-movie dialogue and Animal House-style comedy, but the film is impossible to dislike, and it spawned a legion of future imitators. Ostensibly, the main characters are brother and sister Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold. However, the real breakthrough star is Sean Penn as the perpetually zoned-out Jeff Spicoli. It is Penn who has the film's most famous scene, wherein the decorum of teacher Hand (Ray Walston)'s classroom is interrupted by a pizza delivery. Fast Times at Ridgemont High was spun off into a TV series, the short-lived 1986 weekly Fast Times.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/11/2021
UPC:	0715515257916
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	R
Source:	THE CRITERION COLLECTION, INC
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00
Sales rank:	2,728

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

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 Ashleigh	Pat Bernardo
Eric Stoltz	Stoner Bud
Stanley Davis Jr.	Jefferson's Brother
James Russo	Robber
James Bershad	Greg
Nicolas Cage	Brad's Bud
Reginald H. Farmer	Vice Principal
Anthony Edwards	Stoner Bud
Pamela Springsteen	Dina Phillips
Stuart Cornfeld	Pirate King
Sonny Davis	Businessman,Businessman
Michael Wyle	Brad's Bud
David F. Price	Desmond
Patrick Brennan	Curtis Spicoli
Julie Guilmette	Pizza Waitress
Shelly O'Neill	Pizza Waitress
Stu Nahan	Himself
Duane Tucker	Dr. Brandt
Martin Brest	Dr. Miller
Douglas Brian Martin	Twin,Twin
Taylor Negron	Pizza Guy
Kenny Lawrence	Customer
John Hollander	Customer
Ricky Redlich	Customer
Nancy Wilson	Girl in Car
Virginia Peters	Waitress
Laurie Hendricks	Nurse
Lois Brandt	Mrs. O'Rourke
Ellen Fenwick	Stacy's Mom
Cherie Effron	Girl
Suzanne Marie Fava	Girl
Lana Clarkson	Mrs. Vargas
Roy Holmer Wallack	Santa Claus
Ava Lazar	Playmate
Lori Sutton	Playmate
Stuart Cornfield	Pirate King
Joe Walsh	Composer

Technical Credits

Cameron Crowe

Irving Azoff	Producer
C.O. Erickson	Executive Producer
Art Linson	Producer
Cameron Crowe	Screenwriter
Don Phillips	Casting
Tom Overton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Many teen comedies of the 1980s and 1990s tried to imitate the verve and nerve of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, but few succeeded. Films by John Hughes, such as The Breakfast Club, were much tamer. Others were much more gross and not as well-written. First-time director Amy Heckerling took a typical teen story penned by Cameron Crowe, a gabfest about sex, school, and status, and turned it into a film that is emblematic of an era. The Southern California suburban mall teen scene and its accompanying "Valley Girl" lingo were spreading widely, and this film both nails and lampoons this subculture with knowing effect. With only Taps behind him, Fast Times at Ridgemont High helped a young Sean Penn become the brightest star of a new Hollywood "rat pack" of sassy young actors. Many others, including Phoebe Cates and Judge Reinhold, also were boosted by their roles in the large and talented ensemble cast.