A ltime capsule look at high school kids of the 1980s
Writer Cameron Crowe went back to high school undercover at age 22 to do research on what a new generation was doing and thinking. Enrolling as a senior, he passed the age test, wrote a novel based upon his observations, and adapted it into the screenplay for Fast Times at Ridgemont High. First-time director Amy Heckerling assembled a cast of young actors in a film that attempts to capture the foibles and mores of suburban teenagers in the early 1980s.<br /><br />Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and best friend Linda (Phoebe Cates) work in a mall pizzeria. Stacy’s brother Brad (Judge Reinhold) is a dedicated fast food worker. Mark (young Woody Allen lookalike Brian Backer) is a ticket taker at a movie theater. Mike (Robert Romanus) scalps concert tickets. Charles Jefferson (Forest Whitaker) is the school’s star football player. Unlike his fellow students, Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) isn’t burdened by these responsibilities. A carefree slacker marching to his own beat, he’s a dude who imagines a future as a surfing champ with women flocking to him. Meawhile, he disrupts history class and annoys its strict teacher, Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Fast Times at Ridgemont High follows these students over the course of a year.<br /><br />There’s no single through line for the film, but episodes showing various characters being themselves instead. Stacy and Linda converse graphically about boys and how to please them (yet what was once controversial has since lost its shock value). Brad, likable but not overly ambitious, bounces from one job to the next, always managing to prove himself a reliable, eager employee. Mark awkwardly tries to make Stacy notice him, taking tips from Mike, who willingly shares what he believes are helpful pointers. And Spicoli drives Mr. Hand crazy, arriving late, failing to take lessons seriously, and even having a pizza delivered to himself during class. His character is the most memorable, providing most of the film’s comedy.<br /><br />And though it is a comedy, Fast Times addresses serious issues, including casual sex, teen pregnancy, abortion, and betrayal. Stacy’s first two sexual encounters are not the idyllic moments she imagined and are hardly romanticized. Some scenes work better than others and the film lacks consistency. Heckerling enhances scenes with songs by Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Oingo Boingo, Stevie Nicks, Graham Nash, Sammy Hagar, The Go-Go’s, The Cars, Tom Petty and other musical artists of the time—the perfect soundtrack for a film about teenagers in the 1980s.<br /><br />The young cast is supposed to be between the ages of 15 and 18, yet only Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh fall into that category. The rest are older, and most of them look it. Many would go on to successful careers. For others, Fast Times would be their high point. Romanus as the cool dude who covers his insecurities with swagger and Backer as the shy nerd are convincing, but neither of them gathered enough steam from their roles to propel their careers. Penn, of course, became a star and has shown tremendous versatility in subsequent roles. Cates, Leigh, Reinhold, Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards, and Nicolas Cage (billed as Nicolas Coppola) would all enjoy fruitful careers.<br /><br />Bonus materials on the R-rated Blu-ray release include a new introduction by screenwriter Cameron Crowe; audio commentary featuring director Amy Heckerling and Crowe; the TV version of the film; a new conversation with Heckerling and Crowe; a 1999 documentary featuring interviews with the cast and crew; a 1982 audio discussion with Heckerling at the American Film Institute; and a booklet containing a critical essay.<br /><br />Fast Times at Ridgemont High cleverly blends comedy and drama. The film’s uninhibited approach to teen sexuality is not merely an excuse for frat boy jokes, but an unblinking look at what many young people deal with. The middle-class teens in the film are leading adult lives even though they’re not prepared for it, and times are moving faster than they can reasonably manage.
The movie title "Fast Times at Ridgemont High (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]," available on Movies & TV, has received an average rating of 4.8 from 796 reviewers. 
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 {"Genre": "Comedy", "Format": "Blu-ray, Subtitled", "Contributor": "Anthony Edwards, Laurie Hendricks, Michael Paseornek, Eric LeRoy, Douglas Brian Martin, John Hollander, Amanda Wyss, Ellen Fenwick, Brian Backer, Lois Brandt, D.W. Brown, James Bershad, Michael Wyle, James Russo, David Price, Reeves Nevo, Sonny Davis, Shelly O'Neill, Suzanne Marie Fava, Lori Sutton, David Doolittle, Patrick Brennan, Amy Heckerling, Judge Reinhold, Tom Nolan, Stu Nahan, Nancy Wilson, Burdette (Pee Wee), Chris Hanley, Sonny Carl Davis, Martin Brest, Stuart Cornfield, Vincent Schiavelli, Richard Hull, Ava Lazar, Cherie Effron, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Art Linson, Scott Thomson, Christian Halsey Solomon, Duane Tucker, Taylor Negron, Reginald H. Farmer, Phoebe Cates, Lana Clarkson, Robert Romanus, Stanley Davis Jr., Nicolas Cage, Julie Guilmette, Roy Holmer Wallack, Irving Azoff, Steven M. Martin, David Resnick, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, Sheldon (Sheldon), Kelli Maroney, Virginia Peters, Ernie Barbarash, Ricky Redlich, Ray Walston, Tom B Bralley, Kenny Lawrence, Pamela SpringsteenAnthony Edwards, Laurie Hendricks, Michael Paseornek, Eric LeRoy, Douglas Brian Martin, John Hollander, Amanda Wyss, Ellen Fenwick, Brian Backer, Lois Brandt, D.W. Brown, James Bershad, Michael Wyle, James Russo, David Price, Reeves Nevo, Sonny Davis, Shelly O'Neill,\u2026   See more", "Language": "English", "Studio": "The Criterion Collection", "Aspect Ratio": "1.78:1", "Is Discontinued By Manufacturer": "No", "MPAA rating": "R (Restricted)", "Package Dimensions": "6.73 x 5.35 x 0.55 inches; 3.53 Ounces", "Item model number": "BR3242", "Director": "Amy Heckerling", "Media Format": "Blu-ray, Subtitled", "Release date": "May 11, 2021", "Actors": "Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer", "Subtitles": "English", "Producers": "Irving Azoff, Chris Hanley, Christian Halsey Solomon, Ernie Barbarash, Art Linson", "Country of Origin": "USA", "Number of discs": "1"}

Here is a brief synopsis of the title : The wild world of adolescence has rarely been captured with as sharp an observational eye as in this refreshingly smart, frank spin on the teen comedy by director Amy Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe—for each of whom it kicked off a hugely successful film career. Based on Crowe’s experiences going undercover as a student at a Southern California high school, Fast Times at Ridgemont High blends hormone-fueled hilarity with an almost sociological examination of the 1980s teenage experience: the shopping-mall hangouts, fast-food jobs, buzzkill teachers, awkward dates, and first experiences of love and sex. This pop-culture touchstone launched to stardom practically an entire cast of unknowns—including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker, Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, and Sean Penn as stoner icon Jeff Spicoli—and broke new ground in its raw yet sensitive depiction of the realities of coming of age. Director-Approved Blu-Ray special edition features • New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Amy Heckerling, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack • Audio commentary from 1999 featuring Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe • Television version of the film from the eighties, featuring deleted and alternate scenes • New conversation with Heckerling and Crowe, moderated by filmmaker Olivia Wilde • Reliving Our “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a 1999 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew • Audio discussion from 1982 with Heckerling at the American Film Institute • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing • Plus: An essay by film critic Dana Stevens and, for the Blu-ray edition, a new introduction by Crowe..