MOVIE: Fast Times At Ridgemont High
STARRING: Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, Forest Whitaker
RELEASE DATE: August 13th, 1982
WHERE TO WATCH: VOD (Vudu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV)
By Justin Pomerville (2 Broke Geeks)
Every legend has a beginning.
Fast Times At Ridgemont High is the feature-film debut of Nicolas Cage. He has a very insignificant role as one of the main character’s buddies. He has maybe one line total in the entire film, but I felt that in order to be fair with the Nic Gauge, his first appearance should be included.
A brief history lesson about me and this film. I had never seen it. Over the years, I always found the reputation of this film confusing. I have heard so much about it and how it’s amazing. I also work in a store that buys and sells movies, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High is the most returned/sold back film that has ever come across my doorway. This is over the course of 10+ years in this business. So, the Nic Gauge chose this film for this week, so let’s see if I can finally unravel the enigma of this film.
Brad’s Buds, played by Michael Wyle (left) and Nicolas Cage (right) working at Captain Hook Fish & Chips in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Made in 1982, the plot of the film is the generic high school cliche. In California, at Ridgemont High, a group of teenagers are looking for something as part of the discoveries in their lives. The pothead Jeff Spicoli (played by Sean Penn) dreams of becoming a great surfer in Hawaii. His history teacher Mr. Hand (played by Ray Walston) gives him a hard time. The fifteen-year-old virgin Stacy Hamilton (played by Jennifer Jason Leigh) wants to have sex. The shy Mark Ratner (played by Brian Backer) is into Stacy. Stacy’s brother Brad Hamilton (played by Judge Reinhold) works as a fast-food employee to pay for his Cadillac. Brad wants to break up with his girlfriend Lisa (played by Amanda Wyss) because he is senior and wants to date other girls. Throughout the semester, they have surprises and make discoveries about friendship and love.
This film has an amazing cast. Not only do you have the previously mentioned notable actors including Nic Cage, but Forest Whitaker as the star quarterback of the school is also included. That is probably all I can positively say about this film. Overall, I am bias and not really into the high school films. This film is also definitely a product of the times. The comedy is out of date, using derogatory terms for cheap laughs, and having onscreen nudity between a 15-year-old girl and a 26-year-old man is bizarre and crass. I believe this film could not be made today. Those elements made it not funny and I found myself bored. It is more than likely because of the current climate in the world helped make this film unenjoyable for me. It was better than other Nic Gauge films on here, but this sits in “Terrible”.
