Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High

R

1982

1h 29m

Comedy

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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.

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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.

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Paul Wagman

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

08/15/2022

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

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Richard Roeper

Chicago Sun-Times

07/30/2022

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

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Ernest Leogrande

New York Daily News

08/12/2015

2/4

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.

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Brian Susbielles

InSession Film

03/06/2023

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

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

08/26/2022

4/5

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)

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Joe Lipsett

Hazel & Katniss & Harry & Starr Podcast

08/04/2022

3.5/5

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.

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Zach J.

@Jenkins158 Dec 14

8/10

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tommy J

Dec 1

A culturally impacting classic movie!

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Jack F

@MovieFan111 Nov 17

I loved this movie, because it made me wish I was a kid in the 80s. Really makes me hate the 21st century and all it's weirdness...

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Tom R

Oct 7

Hilarious movie. If you think it's "aimless" - all it need to be is entertaining which it is. The scenes with the brother at work alone are all hilarious.

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Michael C

Sep 7

This is the definitive high school movie. It is not a big think film but is shows what happens and it rocks.

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Jace T

@CineChamber Aug 23

This is a slice in the life of film surrounding various high school students in the early 80's. It can be entertaining at times, but is also fairly dated in some of the portrayal of the subject matter in this film. The standout roll for me was Sean Penn as Jeff Spicoli, the stoner. He was most of the comedy relief throughout the film. It was kind of fun seem small rolls/cameos of Forest Whitaker and Nicolas Cage. All in all, this is a famous piece of media of it's time, so that could be a reason to give it a watch.

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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

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

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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: Refugee Films, Universal Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 13, 1982, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Runtime: 1h 29m

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