Details like the scent of syllabi on the first day of class or the number of students donning the “Pat Benatar Look” are the tiny idiosyncrasies that shape a relatively straightforward script into something profound. The exchanges between these polar opposites are the film’s finest moments, resembling some kind of microcosmic cold war between sarcasm and antagonism.Īnother key to the film’s success is author Cameron Crowe’s insight into the minutiae of teen culture. Offering comic relief is the oft-shirtless and perpetually stoned Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a poster child for the Cali-surfing lifestyle who warbles in a spacey Valley accent and regularly runs afoul of authority, particularly ornery History professor, Mr. Despite these setbacks, Brad manages to find self-sufficiency and extends support to his younger sister when their parents aren’t able to provide it. Single and newly unemployed, Brad’s left to tread water between the pressures of minimum wage work and an embarrassing poolside slip-up in front of the comely Linda (cue iconic, slow-motion fantasy sequence). As his Senior Year approaches, he practices a break-up speech planned for his “clingy” girlfriend, who, ironically, wants to jump ship just as bad as he does.
Unfortunately for Rat, his cold feet eventually drive Stacy into the arms of the half-interested Damone, culminating in a heartbreaking final act that confronts the worst case scenario of teen sex head on.Ī few years older and hardly any wiser, Stacy’s brother, Brad (Judge Reinhold), polishes his beloved car in his spare time and endlessly flips burgers to make the monthly payments.
When he finally musters the courage to ask her on a date (with Damone’s copy of Zeppelin IV firmly in hand), he forgets his wallet at home, has nary an interesting thing to say and bolts seconds into an already uncomfortable sexual dalliance. The aforementioned Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) shuffles through her shifts as a waitress at an Italian cafeteria, dreaming about going steady with college guys and deliberating over the sexual prowess of male classmates with her experienced (but naive) best friend, Linda (Phoebe Cates).Īdmiring Stacy from afar, theater usher “Rat” Ratner (Brian Backer) is so incapable of striking up a conversation that he’s willing to take advice from local ticket scalper and self-proclaimed casanova, Mike Damone (Robert Romanus). Fast Times shows them struggle to see over the edge of the table from those big chairs and we can’t help but empathize and laugh along.ĭrawn like moths to a flame, these young people of Ridgemont congregate at the local mall, either taking up summer jobs or loitering in the arcade. These teens are stuck in a purgatory between childhood and adulthood, too old to depend on their parents, but too young to depend on themselves.
What seems like a subtle and unnecessary sight gag gradually reveals itself as an astute bit of symbolism. As they struggle through small talk and knockwurst, the camera pans back to reveal that they’re barely tall enough to fit into their comically oversized leather chairs. There’s a telling moment, roughly halfway through the funny and frank Fast Times at Ridgemont High, where the sexually curious Stacy Hamilton and skittish wallflower Mark “Rat” Ratner share a meal at a tacky, dimly-lit German restaurant.