Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982): Back to School

August 20, 2018

This coming-of-age comedy follows a group of high school students in the early 80's. It is reminiscent of Dazed and Confused in that it doesn't have any major plot points, it just kind of follows the students through the year with general high school type plots happening along the way, which I think is kind of the genius of this movie. It doesn't try too hard which makes it seem really realistic. There are 3 main characters groups that are followed through the film. The first is Brad, the all American boy who is fired from his job and loses his girlfriend. He begins struggling with finding a new job and trying to figure out what he should be doing with his time. Meanwhile, his sister Stacey begins sleeping with different guys after mistaking her crush's shyness with disinterest. Her crush, Mark, struggles with telling her how he feels. The other character we spend some time with is Jeff, the schools resident stoner, who feuds with his history teacher. This movie is funny and a great coming of age film. I definitely recommend checking it out to get ready for back to school.

Netflix available? No

Hulu available? No

Xfintiy available? Yes

Holiday rating: 9 backpacks