On the latest micro episode of the Substandard (subscribe, leave a review!), we look back on Fast Times at Ridgemont High, 35 years later. How well does it hold up? Written by Cameron Crowe, Fast Times (1982) marked the beginning of those 1980s teen angst films. According to the write up in Variety, it almost didn't happen. Who's going to watch a movie about teens hanging out in a mall, the studio execs wondered. It was racy, and it initially was slapped with an X rating. But director Amy Heckerling toned it down some, and the rest is history.
Yes, it was a success—primarily on VHS. Any guy who grew up in the 1980s will remember this (edited on YouTube) scene. But I also remember the line about playing Led Zeppelin and of course Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby"—now a nightmare of a scene if you have a daughter.
On the other hand, the abortion scene was treated cavalierly—in the end, no big deal, we're all graduating, so let's party! But that may have been accurate for how this was actually handled at that time. In any event, it's a world away from, say, Knocked Up and Juno.
We also discuss our favorite Cameron Crowe works. Say Anything and Singles did not fare well. Almost Famous, on the other hand...