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Movies / On DVD / Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

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Reviews Counted:43

Fresh:34

Rotten:9

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: While Fast Times at Ridgemont High features Sean Penn's legendary performance, the film endures because it accurately captured the small details of school, work, and teenage life.

Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: This highly appealing teen comedy created a host of new stars -- including Sean Penn -- and features a lively rock music soundtrack. The freewheeling story chronicles the sexual insecurities and... This highly appealing teen comedy created a host of new stars -- including Sean Penn -- and features a lively rock music soundtrack. The freewheeling story chronicles the sexual insecurities and adventures of a group of Southern California high school students. These shopping mall regulars experiment with drugs, surfing techniques and various fast-food secret sauce combinations. And in class (when they even go to class!) they wreak havoc -- especially when the pizza delivery arrives... [More]

Starring: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates

Starring: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Robert Romanus, Ray Walston, Eric Stoltz, Brian Backer, Pamela Springsteen, Martin Brest, Nicholas Coppola

Director: Amy Heckerling

Director: Amy Heckerling
Screenwriter: Cameron Crowe, Jonathan Roberts
Composer: Joe Walsh

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Reviews for Fast Times at Ridgemont High

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Great fun if not quite the great teen pic some believe it to be.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
08/07/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Lacks the frenzied energy which allowed Porky's to beat all competitors in its field.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

a high school comedy gem

comment Comment
09/19/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

What plot there is garnishes itself with an array of such like-minded sensibilities that you'd be hard pushed to find much in the way of fault.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
01/01/00
Mark Dinning
Mark Dinning
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Director Amy Heckerling has failed to provide the raunch or poignancy that would interest young moviegoers, all of whom have seen American Graffiti and its 467 imitators. Ridgemont High? A nice place to visit, but who would want to transfer there?

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
03/13/09
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
06/10/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/18/07
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A brashly funny yet sensitive comedy that has become a cult favorite.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/18/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Was never all it was cracked up to be.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
07/18/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader

No review available.

comment Comment
12/08/06
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Director Amy Heckerling almost encourages the film's shapelessness, letting the individual moments speak for themselves, rather than molding a cohesive whole.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

[Penn] sets the tone of fun for the whole movie.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Brad Laidman
Brad Laidman
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
07/02/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Sean Penn's calling never left Mr. Hand's classroom.

comment Comment
06/13/05
Kevin A. Ranson
Kevin A. Ranson
MovieCrypt.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/09/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

overrated

comment 3 Comments
05/28/05
Michael E. Grost
Michael E. Grost
Classic Film and Television

The great high-school comedy that spawned a thousand rip-offs.

comment Comment
04/03/05
Scott Weinberg
Scott Weinberg
eFilmCritic.com

The comedy captured the brutal realism of post-sexual-revolution high school life and has been imitated often, rarely equaled, and surpassed only once.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
03/04/05
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

No review available.

comment Comment
02/25/05
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

The filmmakers' attempts to capture the "real" high school experience run hot and cold, while the comedy quotient just doesn't cut it.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment 1 Comment
11/09/04
Matt Brunson
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Latest News for Fast Times at Ridgemont High

August 21, 2008: EW Lists 11 Movies with a Playboy Connection Opens in new window
Just in time for The House Bunny's theatrical debut, Entertainment Weekly has compiled a list of 11 notable films with a Playboy connection. Put on your bunny ears! More...

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January 03, 2006: Vincent Schiavelli Passes at 57
Character actor Vincent Schiavelli, the long-faced veteran of over 150 film and television appearances, died of lung cancer December 26 at home in Sicily. He was 57 years old. More...

August 15, 2005: Paul Rudd Wooed by Michelle Pfeiffer's "Woman"
Paul Rudd has signed on to play opposite Michelle Pfeiffer in the upcoming Amy Heckerling comedy "I Could Never Be Your Woman," says The Hollywood Reporter. More...

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