Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Play trailer

0:30

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

R

Released Aug 13, 1982

1h 30m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

78%

Tomatometer

59 Reviews

80%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice by her uninhibited friend, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), Stacy gets trapped in a love triangle with nice guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and his more assured buddy Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Meanwhile, Stacy's classmate Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who lives for surfing and being stoned, faces off against Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a strict teacher who has no time for the slacker's antics.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

While Fast Times at Ridgemont High features Sean Penn's legendary performance, the film endures because it accurately captured the small details of school, work, and teenage life.

Read Critics Reviews

Paul Wagman

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The movie ends up with no clear identity; it doesn't work as anything.

Aug 15, 2022

Full Review

Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

The best of the racy teen comedies perfectly preserves the fashions and attitudes of the ’80s.

Jul 30, 2022

Full Review

Ernest Leogrande

New York Daily News

What it doesn't have is a clear point of view, something that would make it of more interest than leafing through a high school yearbook.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 12, 2015

Full Review

Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

Order a pizza and learn about Cuba in an all-time teen comedy classic by Amy Heckerling and scripted by Cameron Crowe.

Mar 6, 2023

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

In the perfect wheelhouse of teen movies: Sexually frank, right up to the inclusion of an abortion subplot, but not too crass or exploitative. (40th anniversary)

Rated: 4/5

Aug 26, 2022

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast

40 years on, Heckerling's film is as iconic as ever. Fast Times...features no shortage of stand-out characters and memorable moments, but where the film truly excels is how refreshingly candid it is about sex, dating and abortion.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 4, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

thiago s

Filme mais ou menos, o roteiro é fraco, esse filme tenta fazer cenas engraçadas e não consegui, as cenas de nudez e de sexo salvam o filme, esse filme foi o começo de Sean penn que foi um retardado no filme, o filme é deveria ser bem melhor para um comédia dos anos 80.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/27/25

Full Review

Anonymous D

Kind of boring, actually... not sure it stands the test of time as a movie worth watching.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

12/29/24

Full Review

Larry K

I hope you had a hell of a piss Arnold

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/06/24

Full Review

Charles C

With some very solid and memorable performances, a great blend of comedy and drama, a fire soundtrack, great 80s style, and for the most part a pretty well aged film, makes fast times at ridgemont high as still as relevant of comedy as it was back when it was released.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/04/24

Full Review

Colby B

Sean Penn kind of carried the movie, but this movie is also a good time capsule of being young in the 80s. Some parts didn’t age well, but overall it kept me entertained. I think anyone in their teens or 20s will at least find some type of entertainment value from it.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

06/01/24

Full Review

Jay H

This "comedy" is about as funny as prediabetes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/17/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Amy Heckerling

Director

Sean Penn

Jeff Spicoli

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Stacy Hamilton

Judge Reinhold

Brad Hamilton

Robert Romanus

Mike Damone

Brian Backer

Mark "Rat" Ratner

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - He's Gonna Kill Us!

2:12

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Spicoli Orders a Pizza

1:54

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Spicoli's Surfer Dream

1:29

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Brad Gets Canned

2:24

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Carrot Practice

1:58

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - No Shirt, No Shoes, No Dice

1:05

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Mi-T Man

2:00

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Spicoli Meets Mr. Hand

2:39

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - Jefferson Makes Lincoln Pay

2:00

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: Official Clip - I Don't Know

2:29

View more videos

The Lonely Guy

50%

47%

The Lonely Guy

Watchlist

D.C. Cab

18%

52%

D.C. Cab

Watchlist

National Lampoon's Animal House

91%

89%

National Lampoon's Animal House

Watchlist

Which Way Is Up?

20%

82%

Which Way Is Up?

Watchlist

Mad Dog and Glory

79%

45%

Mad Dog and Glory

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Five Favorite Films with Jake Gyllenhaal

Five Favorite Films with Topher Grace

Ice Cube’s Welcome Back, Kotter Waiting On Weinsteins

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Presented by TCM: Fathom Events Trailer

0:30

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a pretty, but inexperienced, teen interested in dating. Given advice by her uninhibited friend, Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates), Stacy gets trapped in a love triangle with nice guy Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) and his more assured buddy Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Meanwhile, Stacy's classmate Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who lives for surfing and being stoned, faces off against Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), a strict teacher who has no time for the slacker's antics.

Director: Amy Heckerling
Producer: Art Linson, Irving Azoff
Screenwriter: Cameron Crowe
Distributor: MCA, MCA/Universal Pictures [us], MCA/Universal Home Video
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Refugee Films
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13, 1982, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Runtime: 1h 30m

Most Popular at Home Now