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Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

tomatometer

80

Average Rating: 6.8/10
Reviews Counted: 46
Fresh: 37 | Rotten: 9

While Fast Times at Ridgemont High features Sean Penn's legendary performance, the film endures because it accurately captured the small details of school, work, and teenage life.

33

Average Rating: 3.9/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 4

While Fast Times at Ridgemont High features Sean Penn's legendary performance, the film endures because it accurately captured the small details of school, work, and teenage life.

audience

76

liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 148,389

My Rating

Movie Info

Amy Heckerling's adaptation of Cameron Crowe's Fast Times at Ridgemont High is often considered one of the finest films of a disreputable genre (the teen sex comedy), and kick-started the careers of many future stars. The center of this ensemble film is Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy Hamilton. She is a young, innocent high-school student who, as the film opens, is asking for advice from her friend, the sexually outspoken Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates). Stacy takes a liking to nebbish Mark Ratner

R, 1 hr. 30 min.

Drama, Comedy

Cameron Crowe, Jonathan Roberts

Nov 2, 2004

Universal Pictures

Cast

All Critics (46) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (10) | DVD (27)

Director Amy Heckerling has failed to provide the raunch or poignancy that would interest young moviegoers, all of whom have seen American Graffiti and its 467 imitators. Ridgemont High? A nice place to visit, but who would want to transfer there?

March 13, 2009 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | Comment
TIME Magazine
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Fast Times will always be remembered for one thing: showing respect for and insight into the members of its core audience, something that was as rare in the 1980s as it is today.

June 10, 2008 Full Review Source: ReelViews | Comment
ReelViews
Top Critic IconTop Critic

The nice thing is that Crowe and director Amy Heckerling have provided something pleasant to observe in all of these characters though they really are sadly lacking in anything gripping.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Variety | Comment
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Was never all it was cracked up to be.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | Comments (2)
Chicago Reader
Top Critic IconTop Critic

How could they do this to Jennifer Jason Leigh? How could they put such a fresh and cheerful person into such a scuz-pit of a movie?

October 23, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | Comments (5)
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A jumbled but appealing teen-age comedy with something of a fresh perspective on the subject.

August 30, 2004 Full Review Source: New York Times | Comment
New York Times
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Fast Times is a brilliant, funny and often challenging examination of teenage life in the early 1980s.

January 29, 2012 Full Review Source: IGN DVD | Comment
IGN DVD

Teen movie is full of sex, drugs, and misbehavior.

January 1, 2011 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media | Comment
Common Sense Media

A cult classic.

March 21, 2010 Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | Comment
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Great fun if not quite the great teen pic some believe it to be.

August 7, 2007 Full Review Source: Film4 | Comment

A brashly funny yet sensitive comedy that has become a cult favorite.

July 18, 2007 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | Comment
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Director Amy Heckerling almost encourages the film's shapelessness, letting the individual moments speak for themselves, rather than molding a cohesive whole.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | Comment
Combustible Celluloid

Lacks the frenzied energy which allowed Porky's to beat all competitors in its field.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out | Comment

[Penn] sets the tone of fun for the whole movie.

December 6, 2005 Full Review Source: Film Threat | Comment
Film Threat

This R-rated comedy captured the natural humor of high school life, while also addressing serious topics.

July 5, 2005 Full Review Source: Bullz-Eye.com | Comment
Bullz-Eye.com

Sean Penn's calling never left Mr. Hand's classroom.

June 13, 2005 Comment
MovieCrypt.com

overrated

May 28, 2005 Comments (5)
Classic Film and Television
More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Fast Times At Ridgemont High

Fast Cars, Fast Girls, Fast Carrots...Fast Carrots?Good fun movie. An 80's classic with all the typical high school happenings. In this film you cann see a whole lot of young hollywood stars which made it big and other who didn't. Even Nicholas Cage made a cameo in this film when he still went as his original birth

July 8, 2009
xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
Manu Gino

Super Reviewer

This film has quite a reputation, but you know what? It's pretty overrated. Oh yeah, it's entertaining, but I always thought there was more to this movie than there really is, and that it was far more epic or something. Instead, it is funny and entertaining, but underwhelming. I think the style is to blame.The film

April 16, 2007
cosmo313
Chris Weber

Super Reviewer

    1. Jeff Spicoli: Hey, I know that dude.
    – Submitted by David F (2 days ago)
    1. Jeff Spicoli: Hey, Bud, let's party!
    – Submitted by Chris P (9 months ago)

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