Critic Reviews
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) Rank 5 Reviews
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based on (64) reviews
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Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
The comedy captured the brutal realism of post-sexual-revolution high school life and has been imitated often, rarely equaled, and surpassed only once. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Arizona Daily Star (Phil Villarreal)
Bullz-Eye.com
This R-rated comedy captured the natural humor of high school life, while also addressing serious topics like abortion. So many high-school flicks just rehash old clichés, while âFast Timesâ provides a nice dose of reality to go along with all ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Bullz-Eye.com
Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
Amy Heckerling’s portrait of high school/shopping mall life in Southern California is still just about as good as it gets...The panoply of teen types and turmoils is dead-on accurate. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Austin Chronicle (Marjorie Baumgarten)
DVD Talk (Aaron Beierle)
All in all, a great DVD for a great movie. My one glaring complaint is that the deleted scenes and extra footage that regularly show up on TV airings has been omitted from the DVD entirely. What gives? Some of those scenes added more humor and even ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at DVD Talk (Aaron Beierle)
eFilmCritic.com (Ryan Arthur)
The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
A Trojan horse of a teen comedy that balanced lowbrow gags with subtle humor, genuine insight—Crowe spent a year undercover as a high-school student—and pathos. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at The Onion (A.V. Club) (Keith Phipps)
Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Cameron Crowe (Say Anything) and Amy Heckerling (Clueless) would both go on to make better movies about the teen experience, but this old war horse is the one that essentially started it all. Apparently, there was so much talent lying around this ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Film Threat, Hollywood's Indie Voice
Movies for Guys
This film is worth owning if just to be able to relive a small part of history whenever the mood strikes. Remember the scene with Phoebe Cates getting out of the pool and removing her ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Movies for Guys
filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
What, you ask, is this movie of movies? This one which you've heard about? It's an eighties thing, with not much appeal for the modern troupe because its slower paced, less funny, than what you might see today. But, like a lot of eighties movies, it ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at filmcritic.com (Christopher Null)
filmcritic.com has some Fast Times
Film Frat
Years before Cameron Crowe helmed the College Classics Say Anything and Singles, he went undercover in an authentic high school. His purpose was to observe the realities of teen life, particularly sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Crowe wrote his first ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Film Frat
UpcomingDiscs.com (Michael Bell)
Movies for Guys DVD Review
Empire Movies (Liam Cullin)
Film Threat (Brad Laidman)
Sean Penn's scenes are still so stunning...His Jeff Spicoli is an unabashed kick every second he is on the screen. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Film Threat (Brad Laidman)
Montreal Film Journal (Kevin N. Laforest)
Home Theater Info DVD Review
dvdfuture.com (R. L. Shaffer)
Cinema Blend - DVD Review
Andrew Hicks (Andrew Hicks)
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
If the publicity release can be believed, he worked an entire year "undercover as a student to research teenage life". On the basis of what surfaces here - one stock phrase (the kids say "Go for it]" a lot) and a multitude of stock characters - Crowe ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (Rick Groen)
Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT
HIGH was an important and very popular film among teenagers at the time, and
although it's very dated by today's standards, it's one of those movies that
shouldn't be overlooked when going over the significant films of the ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Qwipster's Movie Reviews (Vince Leo)
DVD Clinic ("JaneBlo")
Director Amy Heckerlings directorial debut has become a classic 1980s teen flick that has stood the test of time for my generation. Focusing on a small group of Southern California high school students and their fast times at school and especially ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at DVD Clinic ("JaneBlo")
Movie House Commentary
TheBoxSet.com - Complete Movie/DVD Review
Salon (Bill Wyman)
Teen Movie Critic (Roger Davidson)
DVDTown (John J. Puccio)
DVDork.com (Ryan Keefer)
DVD Verdict (Norman Short)
Mutant Reviewers From Hell
Movieprop.com Review
DVD Town (John J. Puccio)
IndependentCritics.com (Richard Propes)
Close-up Film (Daniel Laverick)
digitallyOBSESSED.com (Dan Heaton)
Reel.com DVD review (Sarah Chauncey)
At-A-Glance Film Reviews
Box Office Prophets
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Spirituality & Health (Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat)
DVD-Dweeb.Com (Oliver Korioth)
Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
The book was optioned for a film before it even hit the bookshelves, and a year later, first-time director Amy Heckerling had the movie in theaters. Unfortunately, while the book is poignant, painful, and sometimes funny in its unrepentant honesty, the ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Q Network Film Desk (James Kendrick)
Film Values/Family Values (H. Arthur Taussig)
Variety (Staff (Not Credited))
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. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Variety (Staff (Not Credited))
TV Guide (Staff (Not Credited))
The film's most memorable character is the perpetually stoned surfer played by Sean Penn. His confrontations with Mr. Hand (Walston), a draconian history teacher, provide the film's finest moments. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at TV Guide (Staff (Not Credited))
NandoNext (Joe Scott)
DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
...largely prosaic, crude, stereotyped, and pointless. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at DVDTown.com (John J. Puccio)
Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
The filmmakers' attempts to capture the "real" high school experience run hot and cold, while the comedy quotient just doesn't cut it. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Creative Loafing (Matt Brunson)
Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Never all it was cracked up to be. ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Chicago Reader (Jonathan Rosenbaum)
Netflix (James Rocchi)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
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? Don't they know they have a star on their hands? I ...read the complete Fast Times at Ridgemont High movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
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