| Fast Times at Ridgemont High | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Amy Heckerling |
| Screenplay by | Cameron Crowe |
| Based on | Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story by Cameron Crowe |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Matthew F. Leonetti |
| Edited by | Eric Jenkins |
Production company | Refugee Films |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 90 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[2] |
| Box office | $27.1 million (domestic) or $50 million[2] |
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Amy Heckerling (in her feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by Cameron Crowe, based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, and starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, and Ray Walston. Crowe went undercover at Clairemont High School in San Diego and wrote about his experiences.[3]
The film chronicles a school year in the lives of sophomores Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner and their older friends Linda Barrett and Mike Damone, both of whom believe themselves wiser in the ways of romance than their younger counterparts. The ensemble cast of characters form two subplots with Jeff Spicoli, a perpetually stoned surfer facing off against history teacher Mr. Hand, and Stacy's older brother Brad, a popular senior who works in entry-level jobs to pay for his car and ponders ending his two-year relationship with his girlfriend Lisa.
In addition to Penn, Reinhold, Cates, and Leigh, the film marks early appearances by several actors who later became stars, including Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, Forest Whitaker, and Anthony Edwards (the first two in their feature film debuts).
In 2005, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[4][5]
- ^ "Fast Times at Ridgemont High (15)". British Board of Film Classification. September 9, 1982. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- ^ a b Brown, Peter H. (January 20, 1985). "We're Talking Gross, Tacky and Dumb". Los Angeles Times. p. 6.
- ^ "15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Fast Times At Ridgemont High". IFC.com. October 13, 2014. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ^ "Librarian of Congress Adds 25 Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. December 20, 2005. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.