Heckerling helms the quintessential coming of age teen movie of the 80's. It helped that Crowe, who went undercover in highschool at the time, penned the screenplay. This film has superlative direction, cinematography, screenplay, setting, costume, soundtrack and acting. All the artists involved deliver unequivocal portrayals of life during the 80's. In particular Penn, Leigh, Reinhold, Cates and Walston are superb. Penn created one of the most memorable characters, Jeff Spicoli, to ever appear on film. Spicoli became a lifestyle for many fans. This viewer owned his first pair of black and white checkered Vans soon after the film. The plot revolves around two precocious teenage girls named Stacy and Linda. Stacy takes advice from her supposedly experienced best friend Linda and soon finds herself in a love triangle with a nice guy and his not so nice guy best friend. While this is all going down Spicoli, who lives to surf and get high, unwittingly starts to do battle with the strict teacher every highschool in the 80's had, Mr. Hand. Mr. Hand despises Spicoli's lifestyle and antics but eventually comes to enjoy the company of the loveable and somewhat oblivious stoner. The plot is clever, funny, offbeat, heartfelt, insightful and has a hilarious ending. The film has flaws and is not perfect but it's exemplary depiction of teenage life in the 80's makes up for it. There are so many memorable scenes and famous quotes in this film. One of the most unforgettable scenes is Linda's exiting the pool and heading to the bathroom. It's quite uncomfortable for one of the characters. To this day you'll hear fans utter such lines as Spicoli's, "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine". This is a timeless classic film in it's genre. It's a stellar homage to the 80's.
Review of Fast Times at Ridgemont High
