The 80’s. Atari games, stoners, dance music, and early teen sex. God, I
miss those days. Though we can never go back, we have the great “80’s
movies” to remind us of those times. However, in the midst of movies like
Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club that glamorized the trials and
tribulation of being a teenager in the 80’s, there was one teen movie
that didn’t “talk down” to kids. Instead, it captured the true essence of
80’s teen angst. This movie was none other than Fast Times at Ridgemont
High.
This is one of my favorite comfort movies (defined as "a movie one views
when the viewer does not want to be disappointed by the unpredictability
of watching a previously unseen movie"). It is easily on my Top Ten list
of Awesome 80’s movies. What makes it so special? Well, a couple of
factors. First of all, the script is very fresh and smart. Unlike other
80’s movies that look horribly dated, Fast Times stands alone with movies
like Heathers in looking as fresh as the day it was released. Part of the reason is that there was no pussyfooting around teenage life. In an hour and a half, the viewer is presented with teen sex, abortion, and drug
use. This is all done very comically, but with a lot of punch and some
shock value. Perhaps the most shocking thing is that these kids are
presented as normal kids and not excessively slutty or loose. In the real
world, this is true. All kids, regardless of what their parents think,
battle these issues everyday of their lives. Fast Times presents them in
such a way that embraces kids, instead of lecturing them.
The characters are easy to relate to and not “glamorized teen stars”. Not
to mention, the cast is absolutely amazing. It would almost be wrong of
me to impart all the early cameos to you. Instead, you should just watch
and see. Also, while none of the characters are particularly hard on the
eyes, they actually look like people you would see in your high school
(with the exception of Judge Reinhold, who looks like he’s 30). Combine
talent with a good script and a slew of good ol’ fashioned 80’s tunes,
and you got a gem of a movie.
This movie is one of those rare flicks that comes by once every 10 years
or so and continues to appeal to kids long after the original target
audience is grown up. Whether it’s your first viewing or you’re 21st,
this movie never fails to amaze. For you young ’uns who have a romantic
fascination with the 80’s and want to know what it was like living it,
this is possibly the closest thing you can come to doing so besides wearing neon
and jelly shoes. For a generation that lived fast, this was the perfect
movie. Enjoy.
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