High Marks

I think I've seen nearly all the seminal teen movies of the 1980s, but one that had managed to slide through the cracks is Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

Lots of people made their names on this film. You've got writer Cameron Crowe (before he was big enough to be allowed to direct his own screenplays), basing it on experiences he got as a journalist going undercover at a real high school. There's Sean Penn as surfer dude Spicoli. Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold make one of their earliest appearances on screen. Phoebe Cates became a bit of an icon because of this. Blink and you'll miss Eric Stoltz and Forest Whitaker -- and Nicolas Cage, who I'm not even sure has any dialogue (a plus, in my book). And there's also established veterans (even at the time), Ray Walston and Vincent Schiavelli, in minor roles as teachers in the school.

It's not just the names in the cast that are commendable; they're all quite good in their roles. Some performances are strong for feeling very authentic and real -- Jennifer Jason Leigh and Judge Reinhold in particular. Other performances are strong for being a bit out there, but funny in the process -- Sean Penn and Ray Walston. In any case, this is an interesting and often entertaining batch of characters.

But the thing is, they're all characters in search of a plot. The movie doesn't really have one. You might stretch and say it revolves around the early sexual experiences of Jennifer Jason Leigh's character... but like I said, that's a stretch. The movie gives equal screen time to several different characters, and none of them is really caught up in any significant storyline. Instead, the film is just a collection of comedy sketches.

Actually, I should amend that. "Comedy" really doesn't seem to be the main aim of the film; it more seems to want to be "real, man." It's a mixed stew of slices of life. So in the end, although the characters are mostly interesting to watch, I found myself asking, "yeah, but why am I watching them?" By the end of the short 90 minutes, I was already feeling a bit restless.

Overall, I'd only rate Fast Times at Ridgemont High a C-. I'd give the nod to John Hughes for creating better "80s teen films" than this.