Amy Heckerling

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The wild world of adolescence has rarely been captured with as sharp an observational eye as in this refreshingly smart, frank spin on the teen comedy by director Amy Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe—for each of whom it kicked off a hugely successful film career. Based on Crowe’s experiences going undercover as a student at a Southern California high school, Fast Times at Ridgemont High blends hormone-fueled hilarity with an almost sociological examination of the 1980s teenage experience: the shopping mall hangouts, fast-food jobs, buzzkill teachers, awkward dates, and first experiences of love and sex. This pop-culture touchstone launched to stardom practically an entire cast of unknowns—including Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Forest Whitaker, Anthony Edwards, Eric Stoltz, and Sean Penn as stoner icon Jeff Spicoli—and broke new ground in its raw yet sensitive depiction of the realities of coming of age.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1982
  • 89 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #1075

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Amy Heckerling, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Audio commentary from 1999 featuring Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe
  • Television version of the film from the eighties, featuring deleted and alternate scenes
  • New conversation with Heckerling and Crowe, moderated by filmmaker Olivia Wilde
  • Reliving Our “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a 1999 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
  • Audio discussion from 1982 with Heckerling at the American Film Institute
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: A new introduction by Crowe and an essay by film critic Dana Stevens

New cover by F. Ron Miller

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New, restored 4K digital transfer, supervised by director Amy Heckerling, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Audio commentary from 1999 featuring Heckerling and screenwriter Cameron Crowe
  • Television version of the film from the eighties, featuring deleted and alternate scenes
  • New conversation with Heckerling and Crowe, moderated by filmmaker Olivia Wilde
  • Reliving Our “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” a 1999 documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew
  • Audio discussion from 1982 with Heckerling at the American Film Institute
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: A new introduction by Crowe and an essay by film critic Dana Stevens

New cover by F. Ron Miller

Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Cast
Sean Penn
Jeff Spicoli
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Stacy Hamilton
Judge Reinhold
Brad Hamilton
Robert Romanus
Mike Damone
Brian Backer
Mark “Rat” Ratner
Phoebe Cates
Linda Barrett
Ray Walston
Mr. Hand
Scott Thomson
Arnold
Vincent Schiavelli
Mr. Vargas
Amanda Wyss
Lisa
D. W. Brown
Ron Johnson
Forest Whitaker
Charles Jefferson
Kelli Maroney
Cindy
Tom Nolan
Dennis Taylor
Blair Ashleigh
Pat Bernardo
Eric Stoltz
Stoner bud
Stanley Davis Jr.
Jefferson’s brother
James Russo
Robber
James Bershad
Greg
Nicolas Coppola
Brad’s bud
Reginald H. Farmer
Vice principal
Anthony Edwards
Stoner bud
Pamela Springsteen
Dina Phillips
Stuart Cornfeld
Pirate king
Martin Brest
Dr. Miller
Stu Nahan
Himself
Credits
Director
Amy Heckerling
Produced by
Art Linson
Irving Azoff
Screenplay by
Cameron Crowe
Executive producer
C. O. Erickson
Director of photography
Matthew F. Leonetti
Art director
Dan Lomino
Edited by
Eric Jenkins
Costumes by
Marilyn Vance
Casting by
Don Phillips
Sound
Tom Overton
Camera operator and additional photography
James Glennon

Current

Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Kid’s-Eye View
Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A Kid’s-Eye View

One of the most influential high-school movies ever made, Amy Heckerling’s debut feature is both a raunchy crowd-pleaser and a keen sociological snapshot of teen culture.


By Dana Stevens