May 10 2008
The Brilliance of Fast Times
Back in 1982, Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe teamed up to create what has become one of the best movies of all time, also known as Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
The genius included casting Sean Penn as a stoner named Spicoli, Jennifer Jason Leigh as the virginal Stacy, Judge Reinhold as big brother Brad, Phoebe Cates as sexually active beyond her years Linda, and Forest Whitaker as a high school football star.
In malls, cars, fast food joints, classrooms and cabanas, the film’s characters learned hard lessons about life, love and the future.
And yes, the music was great, too. Jackson Browne’s “Somebody’s Baby” is still one of my favorite 80s tunes.
Not shying away from both light and dark topics, Fast Timesaddressed everything–masturbation, abortion, drug use–nothing was out of bounds, and that is why the film still remains an important piece of the 80s.
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