Fast Times At Ridgemont High

“Fast Times At Ridgemont High” was Cameron Crowe’s first screenplay, adapted from his own book he wrote when he went undercover to get an inside look at what life was like in California high schools. I have not read his book yet, although I’m now going to find a copy of it to read it as well. The screenplay was a quick read, and for having so many characters it was still easy to track them all even as the story brought in multiple subplots.

It was entertaining to read again how being a year or two older lent people an apparent worldliness in high school. The ones who are turned to for advice and knowledge are only a year or two older than the seekers, but weathering the trials and tribulations of high school grants them the privilege to share their insights. Mark Ratner and Stacy Hamilton are younger high schoolers, and their mentors are Mike Damone and Linda Barrett. Of course, their mentors don’t have all that much more insight than they do, and it takes a little growing on Mark and Stacy’s parts before they realize that. That’s all fine, since that allows them to have the most pronounced character arcs in the story. The reading of the screenplay for the Words Behind The Pictures challenge was marred, unfortunately, by some a few instances of incorrect formatting – a few places where dialogue was set up as description, or vice versa. (Such are the hazards of freely available screenplays.)

Watching the movie, Amy Heckerling did a great job with the screenplay, and while there were several places where things were changed from the original screenplay, like the Stacey at the free clinic scene and Spicoli wrecking Jefferson’s car, the atmosphere and vibe were the same. That said, it was not exactly how I remembered it – maybe it was only me, but it seems like it was funnier years ago than it was this time around. It was still an enjoyable movie, and the parts of the teenagers at their low-paying jobs seems as current as ever, what with the way things are discussed and the kinds of work relationships that are created, particularly the kind of change that comes over people when they have the slightest bit more power over employees, like Brad’s assistant managers. And it was also enjoyable to see so many actors who’ve gone on to long careers, including the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it appearances of Nicholas Cage (billed as Nicholas Coppola), Anthony Edwards, and Eric Stoltz. Spicoli’s run-ins with Mr. Hand, also, are still treats to watch, as Ray Walston and Sean Penn worked so well off of each other.

© 2009, A Few Minutes With Michael. All rights reserved.