Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) 40th Anniversary Edition
Director: Amy Heckerling Run Time: 105 min. Rating: R Release Year: 1982
Starring: Brian Backer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Sean Penn
Country: United States
Language: English
The most outrageous, era-defining comedy of its time celebrates its 40th Anniversary, one night only at the Film Center. Save the date for July 28, 2022.
About the film:
Based on the real-life adventures chronicled by Cameron Crowe, the film portrays a group of Southern California high school students and their favorite subjects— sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll.
“the one that essentially started it all”
—Brad Laidman for Film Threat
One of the most iconic teen comedies of the 1980s, this sympathetic inside view of teenage American life was named to the National Film Registry in 2005 and remains as bold, daring and funny as it was a generation ago. The incredible cast of emerging talent includes Sean Penn with a memorable performance as a perpetually stoned surfer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Forest Whitaker, and Nicolas Cage making his feature film debut.
About the filmmaker:
Amy Heckerling is an alumna of both New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and the American Film Institute. Her feature films include Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), Johnny Dangerously (1984), National Lampoon’s European Vacation (1985), Look Who’s Talking (1989), and Clueless (1995). She has received the Franklin J. Schaffner Medal from the American Film Institute and the Women in Film Crystal Award for outstanding women who, through endurance and excellence, have helped to expand the role of women within the entertainment industry.
Heckerling’s feature directorial debut Fast Times was based on a book and script written by 22-year old Rolling Stone writer Cameron Crowe—the Academy Award-winning future director of films like Jerry Maguire (1996) and Almost Famous (2000)—who spent nine months undercover as a student at Redondo Beach’s Ridgemont High School.
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