Fast Times at Ridgemont High was released 35 years ago today

Phoebe Cates and Jennifer Jason Leigh had very different nipples.

This is my favorite movie with Sean Penn in it. I haven't really liked him in many other movies. For Madonna to marry him at this time was legendary.

Nothing beat hearing "We Got the Beat" start before the first frame of the film was even shown. We knew we where in for quite a ride.

The advertisement in the Detroit Sunday papers the week this was released was just a picture of a pair of checkerboard Vans shoes.

Nancy Wilson (of "Heart") was Cameron Crowe's (the film's director) fiancee, at the time. Now his ex-wife.

(Gawd, I still remember those atrocious sweaters, and that hair!)

[quote]the cast started to strike back at Nicolas by doing imitations of Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now (1979), which finally got Cage to stop bragging about his famous family.

I don't get this (never saw AN). What about the Duvall imitation made Cage stop?

" . . . You don't care is she stays, lays, or prays."

Is Ron still working at the electronics store?

I friggin love this movie, I always have. What's amazing, when you think about it, is how many eventual Oscar winners/nominees were in this film: Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Eric Stoltz, R9

Wait, was he nominated for Mask?

I saw this as a tween which was too young. I thought that the JJL character was SO depressing and that the guy she fucked was so creepy. It all seemed so bleak and unpleasant to me.

As an adult I can appreciate the humor and performances. But those early memories linger which is why it's not a favorite.

R11, Yep.

I love that the tickets to see Van Halen(in the first 10 rows) Were $20! Scalped! Sounds like a bargain from their original face value price of $12.50

And then he brags about making $16 bucks. ($15 actually)

Whatever happened to Justine bateman?

Sean Penn is such an asshole, but I just love him as an actor in most things he does. He was born to be a star. I recall him being in a couple of episodes of Little House on the Prairie when his father directed.

R16 in The Falcon and the Snowman when he spits at himself in the mirror is a scene that has stayed with me all these years. His character hated himself and he played the scene really well.

Sean Penn, unfortunately is in one of my fav movies, state of grace.

R13...Eric Stoltz was not nominated for an Oscar for "Mask."

Fast Times was kind of gritty and real, as funny as it was. The whole story line with Stacy having bad sex and getting an abortion wouldn't happen in a movie these days. And even Linda was pathetically exploited.

It's like "Little House on the Prairie". That shit was brutal. I always remember it being funny with snotty Nellie Oleson, but there were always awful things happening to people. Watching as an adult, it was mildly horrifying.

I'll admit, I was turned on by Judge Reinhold's masturbation scene when I saw this movie as a teen.

[quote]It's like "Little House on the Prairie". That shit was brutal. I always remember it being funny with snotty Nellie Oleson, but there were always awful things happening to people. Watching as an adult, it was mildly horrifying.

Is it really that horrifying to see a baby used as a battering ram to get out of a burning house?

Stevie's song "Sleeping Angel" was played during the abortion scene...

The soundtrack was completely underrated. Amy and Cameron did their homework.

And loved when the entire class smelled their syllabuses.

A movie like this would never be released today, or else it would have to express how everything was morally right or wrong.

Clearly you bitches never saw the sequel, Clueless.

Clueless was entirely sexless.

A lot of people think Sean modeled Spicolli on Sam Whipple's brilliant space cadet Terry in the TV show Open All Night. The two traveled in the same circles and Penn's delivery is very similar to Whipple's.

The dialog in this scene still cracks me up all these years later: "Make up your mind dude. Is he gonna shit or is he gonna kill us"?

Last year, my female friend and I discussed this movie. She had just seen a Jill Soloway discussion about female representation in TV and cinema. She criticized Fast Times and yet I couldn't understand why she would pick Fast Times. I told her the director of the film was a female. She just shrugged it off.

I'm not sure what about the film bothered her. I thought Stacy's predicament was pretty realistic. She slept with a guy, thought he would keep in touch or date her but he didn't, got pregnant, she aborted the baby and had to move on with her life. What else was she going to do? I thought the film dealt with it sensitively. In fact, I liked the fact there wasn't all this commotion over it. Leigh had to internalize it through her character and her brother (played by Reinhold) was supportive.

Maybe she was bothered by the Phoebe Cates' nude scene but Judge Reinhold's character was a horny teenager who lusted after Cates' character. I guess you could make the case that Cates' character wasn't as well-developed as Leigh's (which is true) but she was a supporting character.

[quote]Is Ron still working at the electronics store?

No, he's in the Senate!

This was when Phoebe Cates was at her hottest.

Its a great time capsule of high school in the early days of MTV that came along right before "Thriller" and to a lesser extent, the new British Invasion changed the pop music and cultural landscape forever.

Someone thought this movie was anti-woman? Really? I think it's one of the most sensitive depictions of abortion I've ever seen. Early 80's movies like this and The Last American Virgin were really pushing the boundaries. Little did we know, that was as far as they'd ever be pushed. These films are still pretty daring to this day.

R12, I feel the exact opposite. I thought the sex scenes were funny, but now as an adult I'm horrified by them. (I still think Mike Damone is hot, though)

R35 the actor who played Mike Damone played Speed on Days of our Lives AFTER Fast Times in the 80s

Cameron Crowe WROTE Fast Times at Ridgemont High, r5.

Amy Heckerling is the one who directed it.

Danone played a character on will and grace who dealt weed out of grace's office

As great as "Fast Times" was cast, that's how bad the casting was in "Clueless" (Alicia aside). The boys were all dull as dirt except maybe Sisto. And, yeah, that's when I first hated Paul Rudd, the ultimate "non-star".

I think the soundtrack is very well-regarded, r24. It's mostly the Go Gos, and they have a good rap.

Remember that rock music is Cameron Crowe's specialty. He started as a Rolling Stone reporter and even makes movies about the music industry (Almost Famous).

So all of Cameron Crowe's films are filled with great rock songs. He's almost a curator of music or DJ. He'll even cast famous musicians in bit parts, such as Pearl Jam in Singles.

Wasn't Ratner a closeted gay? He seemed like the typical Italian or Jewish fag who liked cocks.

I always liked The Wild Life too, which was sort of Crowe's sister-movie to Fast Times. It had Stoltz, Lea Thompson, Sean Penn's brother Chris. Jenny Wright, Ilan-Mitchell Smith and Randy Quaid in a weird role as a junkie Vietnam vet.

^^^Great movie that was rarely shown on TV then or now.

Love The Wild Life. The theme song by Bananarama is one of their best - and most underrated - songs.

I've never seen the wild life but I love Jenny wright!

Loved Damone.

Love the Bananrama Wild Life theme song!

You should check it out R45.

Did Judge Rienhold bring his own dildo to the set? is he gay?

Xeroxed, freshly printed papers

"Mr. Spicoli has been kind enough to bring us a snack. Be my guest. Help yourselves. Get a good one."

R51 "there's no birthday party in here!"

Was a manager of a multiplex in a mall at the time. The hilarious Ray Walston stood shoulder to shoulder with Penn and got huge laughs himself.

Robert Romanus played Mike Damone. He filmed a full frontal scene for the film that was not included. As far as I know it has never been seen. Too bad as he was kind of hot.

Am I wrong? Does anyone have it?

R54, he was creepy as shit. The full frontal scene caused the movie to get an X rating, which is why it was deleted.

What are you, people? On dope?

Count me in as another who found Romanus hot in this. There was just something sexy about him. Not conventionally handsome but sex appeal. I can totally understand why Leigh's character was attracted to him.

In case anyone's interested, here's side one of Led Zeppelin IV.

I drove by Van Nuys High School this week, and the mural of portraits of MLK/JFK/Lincoln seen across the street when Damone and Stacey walk outside the entrance is still painted there.

When I visited LA in the eighties, one of the first places I visited was Perry's Pizza in the Sherman Oaks Galleria.

Romanus should have played Richard Ramirez as there's more than a passing similarity.

"That girl looks just like Pat Benatar!"

It got so many small details right. My favorite scenes are the ones related to their jobs, like the girls in their dumb Perry's Pizza uniforms all working together to pull down the security fence when the store closes for the night, the conversation between Brad and the other guy about their respective secret sauces ("ketchup and mayo, what's yours?" "Thousand Island Dressing."), or "You're the assistant to the assistant manager of the movie theater. I'm tellin' ya, Rat, if this girl can't smell your qualifications, then who needs her, right?"

That was from the ditto machine, R50.

Bruce Springsteen's sister was in the movie, a cheerleader IIRC. And she was briefly engaged to Sean Penn.

She was a cheerleader and the other was Kelli Maroney who was the vixen Kim on Ryans Hope.

No matter how much of a self-important jackass Penn is, I can't hate the man who created Jeff Spicoli

Want to echo the other posters who said it would never get made today, which is sad. It was an honest sex and drugs look at teen life . Stacy having sex with someone out of high school, the drug use, the abortion, even the masturbating could not be presented like that today. It could be in a movie, but, as someone upthread said, there would have to be some huge message and heavy-handed moral lesson behind it. It couldn't just be left as simple non-judgmental look at some of the things teens do and experience, good and bad.

"It bugs the heck out of Deana and me."

"Rea-lly!!!"

This movie was aimed at my age demographic when it was released, but it's just too hetero for me.

As a gay boy, I just couldn't relate to all the pussy hounds.

So is The Wild Life a sequel or not. Either way- is it any good? Better than Fast Times? What about the tv show?

Just watched 'atypical' on Netflix and gasped when I realized Jennifer Jason Leigh was the mom. Didn't recognize her and she plays a total tool of a mother - sort of a cross between Lorelei Gilmore and the kid that got her character pregnant on fast times- the ticket scalper.

#68 not true. In fact now I think they make it too easy, if anything. Sex happens, parents supportive, no one really cares and you practically have to be autistic to have any difficulties. No one has body issues. Biggest problem seems to be a wish fulfillment scenario where the girls freak out when the boy vocalizes his undying devotion.

[quote]So is The Wild Life a sequel or not. Either way- is it any good? Better than Fast Times? What about the tv show?

It's not a sequel, just a similar LA-based film about teen angst. Obviously, Chris Penn's performance was compared to his brother's iconic performance in Fast Times, but his character is a totally different kind of guy. He's lazy and self involved like Spicolli, but he's not a surfer dude at all. I loved this movie growing up, and it has a killer soundtrack.

Dya see his cute little butt?!

Fellating carrots in public is always fun!

Phoebe Cates was so beautiful...she has plumped up a bit but still looks good.

[quote]Robert Romanus played Mike Damone. He filmed a full frontal scene for the film that was not included. As far as I know it has never been seen. Too bad as he was kind of hot.

Ha, coincidentally just read a NY Times article with Jennifer Jason Leigh and she said about the scene, they "Cut it to shreds, which is a shame because I think the scene was a classic. The boy in the scene is a virgin which no one is supposed to know, and it's his first attempt at love making, and it's very awkward, shallow, awful. But funny too."

Apparently it made young women uncomfortable in test screenings.

Leigh continued....."If it had been romantically done and pretty to look at, like "Endless Love", it wouldn't have bothered people. But this was real, almost documentary".

Good thing Justine turned them down or Sean Penn would've beat her up.

So Romanus' character was supposed to be a virgin?

Is it me or Sean Penn always looks like a lesbian

Romanus' character being a virgin would have been interesting.

He was obviously a virgin. I got that even with the pivotal scene cut. Not only was Damone a two-pump chump when they fucked, but he was so pressed about the whole thing the following day in school, walking around proud as a peacock. He was also super nervous when Stacy approached him.

Damone struck me as a guy who played up his sexual exploits and knowledge about women to be way more than reality. But, I didn't think he was a virgin. Interesting angle.

Remember, the biology teacher's wife (Lana Clarkson) was the woman Phil Spector murdered.

Damone and Linda both exaggerated about their sexual experience and expertise to impress their younger friends Rat and Stacey. Totally believable. JJL's performance as an insecure young teen dealing with sexual pressure, being used and discarded by older men after succumbing to sexual pressure, abortion and dealing with her narcissistic, unstable & Shitty influence of a best friend. Jen jason Leigh is still killing it today. The soundtrack was perfection: somebody's baby, I don't know, oingo boingo, poco, don't be lonely, waffle stomp etc... thief film captured the essense of real high school experience even tho I didn't enter high school until 13 years after fast times was released. Major props to sean penn (who killed it as spicolli) for immediately taking on a leading dramatic role as a damaged teenage criminal in the acclaimed 1983 drama Bad Boys. He could have been typecast as stupid stoner for the rest of his career.

I didn't much care for "The Wild Life" when it came out. I might need to watch it again.

I do remember Hart Bochner played a sexy cop...his character was a douchebag, but I thought he was hot!

[Quote] .."If it had been romantically done and pretty to look at, like "Endless Love", it wouldn't have bothered people.

Endless Love was an infuriating movie. While The Last American Virgin was depressing.

Endless Love did suck but it had an ending that you wouldn't see in today's Hollywood movies. I think the recent remake had a happy ending.

I recently bought a two-for-one DVD of Last American Virgin and Losin' It (Tom Cruise/Shelley Long). It was cheap and I was feeling nostalgic. They don't make teen movies like that anymore!

I don't even remember how it ends just that the majority of the movie pissed me off lol. I haven't seen the remake but it wouldn't surprise me if it ended on a happy note.

Loved it. Love the Jackson Browne song and Phoebe Cates. She was such a hot thing.

[Quote] She was such a hot thing.

Indeed.

When you're closeted, that Phoebe Cates scene is a goto when pretending to be str8. If guys start talking about favorite nude scenes, that's the one you say.

There's no hot guys in Fast Time except Eric Stolz and Anthony Edwards. And their parts are brief.

On the DVD commentary, Amy Heckerling sort of laments choosing Judge Reinhold rather than Nick Cave for Brad. Cameron Crowe cuts in with the standard Hollywood " oh but Judge was so wonderful" stuff.

Fast Times is a classic--the cast, the humor and the real depiction of high school life in a non-judgmental way. This movie would never be made again, except perhaps as a small indie flick. As a San Diegan, I take exception to the supposition that it took place in LA--it was based on Clairemont HS in San Diego (Crowe's alma mater) and the Mall was the University Town Center west of La Jolla. The book upon which the movie was based describes the locales minutely enough that the locals identified them immediately.

The Last American Virgin is terrific. The ending is depressing but realistic. That IS what would happen.

Phoebe Cates and Brian backer mad a personal appearance at the UA Rivoli Theater opening day with free soundtracks.

I read Crowe's original article in (I think) Penthouse. I was just a year or two out of high school and amazed how universal all the cliques, etc, were.

R96 everyone thought it signified Valley life, like many movies of the time. That's what it represented for me. Suburban LA. No offense but nobody cares what was happening in San Diego in the early 80's.

[QUOTE]Justine Bateman was offered the role of Linda but declined. Instead, she preferred to star in the TV series Family Ties (1982) which ran for 7 years.

Really ? Since she would only have been 16 at the time, could they have filmed her in that scene where she emerges from the pool & take off her top ? Cates was of age, Bateman was not.

Now, not so PC

Lana Clarkson who would later be murdered by Phil Spector had a small role as the surprisingly hot wife of the goober teacher Mr. Vargas.

The last American Virgin was based on the Israeli "Lemon Popsicle" series is often used as an example of how women love guys who treat them like shit and the good guys always lose. Lawrence Monoson was a really talented actor. He was later in a movie called Gaby where he falls in love with a girl with CP and he's superb.

Crowe' s original book is nearly impossible to find. After years of searching, and not wanting to pay $110 for a used copy on Amazon, I found it on a pdf.

The movie is actually way better. Heckerling brought it to life in an amazing way.

Crowe went undercover at age 22 and attended a year of high school in order to write it. I really wish he would tell THAT story. It's pretty shocking that the school allowed him to do that. I'd be really interested to know what his friendships with these people were like. And how they reacted when they found out he was 22.

Reminds me of how Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood. The story of his personal relationship with the killers is the most interesting aspect of the story, but the book completely leaves it out.

Link pdf?

Phil Spector explaining the murder

For a split moment I thought it was that woman from the film DEVIL.

R107 "which is a castle" lol

r105. Interesting. That could be another movie, except I hope it wouldn't turn into a mushy quasi-creepy romance between teacher and faux-student as it did in Never Been Kissed.

It would be an even better documentary...

r83 Yeah I gathered he was a virgin from him saying, "I think I came, did you feel it?" and JJL then seemed to catch that also. I loved "Last American Virgin" and "The Wild Life" too but swear I read here in one of our Disney pedo threads that that Larry Monoson guy is also semi-involved in Dan Schneider's fuckery, does anyone remember that? I remember the abortion scene in this movie when it was played on tv but not on my vhs of it, am I crazy? I swear they show JJL with her legs in stirrups and then water swirling down the sink or something.

Has anyone been to Phoebe's NYC store?

Fast Times and Last American Virgin both hold up today, and part of the reason why I ended up moving to LA.

It always annoyed me that Damone tells Rat to play side one of Led Zeppelin IV for make-out music but he plays "Kashmir," which is on side two of "Physical Graffiti."

True, bugged me too, though the opening to "Kashmir" is so amazing, it's easily forgiven. Wonder if it was a replacement song when rights got tricky (what would be there from "Led Zeppelin IV", would you guess?)

My guess is that it was done on purpose to show that Rat either didn't know enough about Led Zeppelin or he thought it was bad advice and decided to do something different.

r117 Exactly, he played the wrong album and my sis and I weren't in on the joke until later when we were in college and wanted to hear Kashmir but we bought the album Damone said and it wasn't the one Rat played.

And we were supposed to deduce that it was Damone who stole the car stereo out of Rat's sister's car, right? Because we always did.

Thanks for missing my post at r58, r115, r116, r117 and r118.

Amy Heckerling went to the Fast Times screening at Hollywood Forever Cemetery a few years ago, and seemed to find it very funny that Lana Clarkson was buried there. It was disrespectful.

That summer my friends and I went to LA on vacation and went to the mall. Seemed there were more there touring the theater area than actually shopping.

Poor Lana

[quote] When you're closeted, that Phoebe Cates scene is a goto when pretending to be str8. If guys start talking about favorite nude scenes, that's the one you say.

Wouldn't that be really showing your age? You might as well talk about Vilma Banky and Theda Bara for all the millennials would understand.

Blame Nancy Wilson on "The Led" fuck up; she was the film's "Music Supervisor."

I still think it was a rights issue. Dangerous to shoot dialogue that refers to a specific song (or have a group singalong) without clearing the rights first and that gets complicated if it had different writers, etc. Even if you are dating Robert Plant and blowing him, he does not control the Publishing necessarily (certainly not on "Sea of Love"). I think someone fucked up but Damone's Led Zep advice was too great to cut so they just went with it.

"It always annoyed me that Damone tells Rat to play side one of Led Zeppelin IV for make-out music but he plays "Kashmir," which is on side two of "Physical Graffiti."

It didn't actually bug you at the time.

I agree, if there's one thing Nancy would NOT fuck up, it would be a Led Zeppelin reference.

R105 can you please link to the PDF of Cameron crowe's novel. I don't want to pay $150 for a used copy and I don't want to download some malware.

I thought the Led Zep fuck up was to show up Damone, to demonstrate he was all bluster. Knew what to say to sound cool, but had no fucking idea what he was talking about.

Up for debate whether it was Rat deliberately showing him up in his own way, or whether he was equally clueless.

The led zep Fuck up was due to not being able to acquire the musical rights. They kept Kashmir in the movie because it was funny. Before I knew it was a musical rights issue I figured it was Rat not knowing the difference between Led Zeppelin albums and songs. It's a funny scene. I'm glad they kept it in

Phoebe Cates daughter is a semi succcesful Hipster indie musician. It must feel awful Constantly having your homely looks compared to your stunningly beautiful mother

[quote]On the DVD commentary, Amy Heckerling sort of laments choosing Judge Reinhold rather than Nick Cave for Brad. Cameron Crowe cuts in with the standard Hollywood " oh but Judge was so wonderful" stuff.

Nah, Judge was perfect. Tall, goofy, and yet a believable jock. Cage would've been all wrong for that part, even though I know he played one of Brad's preppy friends. His best teenage roles were as the punk kid, the rebel. Imagine him trying to do the teenager schtick he did just a few years later in Peggy Sue Got Married in Fast Times. Disasterous.

David Lynch was offered the job of directing fast times at ridgemont high and he turned it down. I can't even imagine how it would have turned out.

[QUOTE]Exactly, he played the wrong album and my sis and I weren't in on the joke until later when we were in college and wanted to hear Kashmir but we bought the album Damone said and it wasn't the one Rat played.

Point being that it's all part of the white trash national anthem

135 posts and not one includes a reference to Oscar winning action Forest Whitaker. You bitches are disgusting.

The younger brother with the long brown hair in The Wild Life was my crush back then

R136 can read numbers but obviously not R9

Supposedly the scene where Phoebe comes out of the pool and takes off her bikini was always worn out on VHS rental tapes. Probably the most fapped to scene in film history. I'm sure the lesbians liked it too.

Great thread. Very informative.

I totally forgot that Vic Morrow was Jennifer Jason Leigh's father.

And poor Lana Clarkson. : (

Don't fuck with it.

Someone not like Judge Rhinehold? He was great! Here's a link to watch the film...

I still remember how the dittos smelled. They'd be slightly damp if right off the press, and the ink had a purple cast to it. The teacher would rush in from making her copies in the office and start passing the fresh dittos out. Everyone would inhale that aroma, just like in the movie.

Of course Damone was a virgin. It's obvious in what he does and says in that scene and in his following scenes.

Forest Whitaker may have an Oscar, but Ray Walston and Brian Backer have Tonys!

Ugh. That is Phoebe Cates' daughter? How in the hell is she so homely when her mother is so beautiful?

I have to say, this film really nailed it regarding middle-class teenage sex. It really was as degrading and unsatisfying as the film depicted.

R146 Well her father is Kevin Kline.

What's wrong with Kevin Kline?

Nothing, but I can see some aspects of his looks not transferring that well to females.

"The younger brother with the long brown hair in The Wild Life was my crush back then"

Isn't that "Weird Science" kid? Ilan MItchell-Smith or whatever? He went on to become a professor somewhere. Loved him in scanty underwear in "Science..."

I know it was an autocorrect fail, but R95's reference to casting Nick Cave in the Judge Reinhold role would have worked awesome in David Lynch's Fast Times At Ridgemont High (as per R134).

Her and Alexa Ray Joel should start a support group for celebrity daughters who took after their rock star fathers instead of their model mothers.

^^^Meant for poor Greta Kline.

Son Owen Kline is also quite homely..

Owen isn't hot, but not ugly, IMO. Not as tragic as Greata, thought I'm basing that on the one picture of Greta posted in this thread.

"Charles Jefferson" is too stereotypical to pass muster today.

They'd give him a name with many asterisks

"Is that your little brother? he's a good looking kid!" I love that kiss ass line and then the other kid, "wow, does he really live here? I thought they just flew him in for games!"

Just want to agree that Judge Reinhold was perfect as Brad. Can't imagine anyone else in the role.

I shall serve no fries before their time.

Link to blog on Playboy article.

Includes a link to an excerpt, but doesn't work for me.

Try this:

A Late Night Phone Conversation

“There’s one thing you didn’t tell me about guys.” said Stacy. “You didn’t tell me that they can be so nice, so great … but then you sleep with them and they start acting like they’re about five years old.”

“You’re right,” said Linda. I didn’t tell you about that.”

I actually thought Judge was kinda cute back then. Then he went and fucked up his face.

I liked cutie Amanda Wyss as Brad's girlfriend Lisa. She cut her hair into a bob and appeared a couple of years later as Freddy Krueger's first on-screen victim in A Nightmare on Elm Street...

Brian Becker was originally cast as Joel in Risky Business, before he was replaced by Tom Cruise. He was in the early auditions for the costars and there are pictures of him with the rest of the cast in Curtis Armstrong's new book.

Amanda Wyss will always be BETH from Better Off Dead to me!

Hottie James Russo was the inept robber in the end sequence.

[quote] Supposedly the scene where Phoebe comes out of the pool and takes off her bikini was always worn out on VHS rental tapes. Probably the most fapped to scene in film history.

I'll admit I shot many a load to this scene but it had nothing to do with Phoebe's boobs and everything to do with the sight of Judge Reinhold pleasuring himself. As a young teen, this was the closest I could get to gay porn at the time (even though you never see his cock). Plus, I thought he was kinda cute.

R129

I hope you had a HELL of a piss, Arnold!!!

Thanks r170 !

The Pat Benatar look, worn by at least three girls at Ridgemont.

Hottie DW Brown pounding the vaginal juices out of Jen J. Leigh complete with butt humping from afar is the stuff of masturbatorial dreams...

"I liked cutie Amanda Wyss as Brad's girlfriend Lisa. She cut her hair into a bob and appeared a couple of years later as Freddy Krueger's first on-screen victim in A Nightmare on Elm Street..."

She was also good as Pru on St. Elsewhere.

R28, I worked with a director named John Leonetti and it turned out that Sean Penn actually modeled Spiccoli on him. John was the ultimate quirky LA surfer dude. His brother Mathew was the DP for Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Sean spent a week ir so hanging with John before the film started principal photography.

Come on, we can't forget this guy. Even the small parts sang,. "Please... (checking nametag) Brad."

r177 well he did eat most of it already so...No one answered me, was I alone in thinking Damone was the one who stole the stereo out of Rat's car at the restaurant?

R176 The timeline doesn't quite match up for Leonetti to have still been in high school in 1979. I guess it's possible that Crowe knew him outside of his high school experience. And many of the kids from Clairmont said that Spicolli wasn't really based on anyone there, but an amalgam of different surfer/stoners.

The guy who The Rat was based on went on to create the "For Dummies" books and it rich beyond imagination. That would be such a good "What happened to" card at the end of the movie.

R179, I never said John Leonetti was in high school at that time. He was apparently a legendary surfer pothead when he WAS in high school, he had the lingo and accent and so Penn, an East Coast guy, used him as a jumping off point for Spicoli's character.

R170 ❤️ Thanks

[quote]dealing with her narcissistic, unstable & Shitty influence of a best friend.

I disagree, Phoebe Cates' character was a friend in need to JJL's character and was very protective of her, she vandalized Damone's car after he mistreated her friend.

Damone was shown to be many things but a thief was not one of them. I can't see him breaking into a car, Rat's or any other. He was a wuss trying hard not to be a wuss.

Thank you, r183, I just found it suspect that it was broken into at a supposedly nice place and on a night when Damone happened to be there, but I bet you're right.

I don't remember the car break in. Fast Times is yet another example of older movies that were written/edited so fucking tight. They don't seem rushed, yet they're not long, so they don't lag - under two hours, often just 1 hour 25 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. Movies are often seemingly endless now.

It was just a line mentioned when Rat was taking Stacy home after that long awkward date awaiting the return of his wallet (which is one of Mike's few kind moments in the whole film, another reason I don't see him stealing a car stereo).

By the way, I am almost positive that strudel restaurant they go to was actually Barone's in Toluca Lake, a nice part of the Valley where I lived for years -- and where car break-ins were actually rare in general, thank God. I sat in those oversized leather-ish booths many a time but it was Italian food, not Deutsch.

r185 It was a quick mention when they are sitting on Stacy's bed back at her house, listening to Stevie Nicks. She says, "I'm really sorry your sister's car got broken into" and he says how yeah, he can't believe her stereo was stolen and at such a nice restaurant. Then they flip through the yearbook and she makes a move. I have seen this and "Caddyshack" way too many times, I know all the little plot points.

Fast Times is one of my all time favorite films, for the reason that r96 stated so well. At the time I thought it was a more realistic step above your average teen comedy and that cast. In my opinion, perfection. I own the Blu-ray and watch it whenever it shows up on TV. It never gets old. You can clearly see why Sean, Jennifer, and Forrest became the Oscar nominated/winning actors they are today. I thought Phoebe Cates was one of the most beautiful women ever. There was something about the way she played Linda that I really appreciated. Yes, Linda was a little extra but she was ride or die for her Stace. I thought the scene where she tearfully reads the Dear John letter from her older boyfriend was very revelatory for her character and made Linda that much more special. Everyone talks about Sean's performance, and it was iconic, but in my opinion, it was Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance as Stacey that was the best performance in the film. So realistic. I love this movie so much.

One of the best movie quotes ever: Mr. Hand: "What are you, people? On dope?" Ray Walston was perfection.

The scene with the cheerleaders always cracks me up:

[quote]Son Owen Kline is also quite homely.. Are you sure that's not Meg Tilly's son? ;)

r180 I though Penn grew up in Malibu and graduated from SM High with the rest of the Brat pack bunch (Rob Lowe, Estevezes, etc). His parents were from back east but moved West when he was young.

Same as Pam Springsteen's parents, they moved to LA when she was a small kid (before Bruce got really famous) and she graduated Santa Monica hs along with the rest of the lot. That's partly how she got the role in Fast Times and knew Penn, etc.

Pam Springsteen...

Never married, did she?

You are correct R190, Sean went to SM High, although Pam Springsteen did not. Her family was always on the East Coast. She got together with Sean for one reason: Springsteen.

Fast Times is special to me because it contains one of my favorite Stevie Nicks songs, "Sleeping Angel", an outtake from the sessions for her Bella Donna album.

Not true r192, they relocated to the LA area when Bruce was in his 20s, right before he blew up. He stayed behind in NJ with his band. His mother iirc had some kind of professional job and was promoted/transferred so off they went. Pam went to school in Cali and considers herself a SoCal girl.

The elder Springsteens did live in LA for a time for whatever reason. When Bruce got with Patti and had their kids they bought a big place in West LA and lived there for a few years. He got criticized for leaving New Jersey and 'going LA' at the time, when in fact he only wanted to be close to his parents when the kids were babies like a lot of regular people.

They eventually pulled up and moved back full time to NJ when the kids were ready for school.

I thought he lived in LA when he married Julianne.

I've not found anything that said Pam went to SaMo High.

Link to 1998 obit in the LA Times for Douglas Springsteen, who died in the Bay area:

The restaurant Stacey and Ratner go to is Barone's

R180 relax guy! I was just positing. It makes sense that he was a Penn acquaintance rather than a Crowe friend.

Reading the book, I imagined Jack Lord as Mr. Hand, mainly because of his love of things Hawaiian. At first, I didn't think Ray Walston was a good choice for the movie, but he definitely made the role iconic.

Well, John Leonetti doesn't say in this article that he inspired the Jeff Spicoli characterization (although Jeff Spicoli/John Leonetti are pretty similar names) but he did end up putting the word "gnarly" for the first time up on the big screen.

Here's what the outside of Barone's looks like.

I wrote this elsewhere but hit me again here: I remember once, circa 1990 or so, going to a crowded inexpensive Chinese restaurant on Santa Monica Blvd -- and there, on a table in the middle of the restaurant, as if on display, was Springsteen and Patti. Everyone noticed -- but everyone left them alone too. No friggin' way that would happen like that today. Phones snapping away photos and TMZ waiting outside (assuming they wait). It's not all progress -- and, yeah, Barone's is gone too apparently.

R203 When I worked at 20/20 Video on Sunset Blvd, Bruce came in one day. This is circa 1994. His address in the computer was Bev Hills, natch.

Bruce and I, we're both from Monmouth County, New Jersey. And there was a hot, young filmmaker named Kevin Smith who'd just made Clerks in our hometown. I asked him if he'd seen it. He hadn't, but was looking forward to it. We chatted a bit about the area.

The next year I was working at the Virgin Megastore on Sunset Blvd, and he came in again this time with wife and kid in tow. I commented "cute kid" and Bruce said "yeah, he's, uh, somethin' else..."

In 2011 I moved by to my hometown for a while. I was working out at Work Out World in Shrewsbury, and I look up and see Bruce. I turned to the stranger on the treadmill next to me and said "Dude, look busy! The Boss is here!"

I have to say, I totally understand why he moved back. That area is a special place.

Well of course...why live in Beverly Hills when you can live in New Jersey?

Bruce lives in Rumson, which is the Beverly Hills of New Jersey, but better because the properties are bigger and nicer.

LA's Beverly Hills isn't as nice as it used to be, and wasn't all that great to begin with

[Quote] I thought the scene where she tearfully reads the Dear John letter from her older boyfriend was very revelatory for her character and made Linda that much more special.

I love that scene and that she took the time to write 2 different letters. "I have another version where i call him an asshole".

But it's still New Jersey, R206. That's a hard pass.

Madonna met Sean Penn over 2 years AFTER this movie came out

Their 1985 wedding was star studded, everyone from Andy Warhol (Madonna's good friend) to Cher to Emilio Estevez and Demi Moore to Tom Cruise to Timothy Hutton was there

Except for Eric Stolz, NONE of Penn's Fast Time costars were at his wedding to Madonna

Not even Nicholas Cage who was allegedly Penn's good buddy until Penn called him out for being a commercial sell out (a real dick move however true)?

"In the safe! Behind the donuts!"

So what they were saying is, these English guys were dicks and if we don't make some more rules, pronto, we'll just be dicks too!

[quote]Not even Nicholas Cage who was allegedly Penn's good buddy until Penn called him out for being a commercial sell out (a real dick move however true)?

From one nepotism dick to another?

This is one of those movies that seems much better than it is. Maybe too many characters?

There's no way they'd put an abortion subplot in a fluffy teen movie these days.

R215 moronic contribution to the thread - why bump this if that's all you have to offer?

I don't know if Judge Reinhold is gay, but he did call Eddie Murphy sexy (non-ironically) in a interview a few years ago. It's on YouTube.

Although the cast is quite good, they look way too old to be playing teenagers.

Saw the trailer for the next installment and...devastatingly Keanu is not wearing well.

I am embarrassed that Nicolas Cage was a doofus braggart and people had to shut him down.

What is the deal with Jennifer Jason Leigh these days? She looks certifiable.

I've always liked the idea of this more than the actual movie. It has a 70s/80s hybrid feel (which was very common with movies released around 1982-1983). It also reminds me of "Dazed and Confused." FTARH is thematically edgier, but DAD has an edgier tone and dialogue.

Years ago, I heard The Last American Virgin (1982) was funded by the mob. I think the industry during the 1980s was still sort of like the wild west. Cocaine was all over the place (even secretly factored into budgets by producers) and the mafia funding projects,

I LOVE THIS FILM! I’m always touched when I think about how Jennifer Jason Leigh and Phoebe Cates became best friends in real life and are still besties to this day.

40th anniversary this summer . I heart this movie so much. JJL was so cute in this

R30 A while back, a friend of mine said "What's that movie where the female gets an abortion, and it's treated as a valid, ok choice, and she's not punished for it? Oh yeah, that never happens in movies." I corrected him. Fast Times is exactly that. Jill Soloway is a fucking idiot. God, I can't stand her.

This movie is garbage. It doesn't even remotely hold up.

R227 "Garbage?" Wow I really do not agree.

Some parts are dated, sure. But, it's a remarkable snapshot of a time and place. The Valley just as the Valley Girl archetype was taking hold, and the San Fernando Valley was the teen cultural center of America. Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Lee, Phobie Cates and some others give wonderful performances. It has heart, it has great music. And there are some big laughs in it.

Characterizarion is extremely weak. Damone is pretty much the main character (by default), and he's less fleshed out than Bender in the Breakfast Club.

Its sort of like an early pass at a movie like Top Gun, where there really is no content or particular logic, just a series of emotions. Sleazy emotions in this case.

Jennifer talks about the original version of the sex scene.