Fast Time at Ridgemont High (1982) - 7/10

Watched Fast Time at Ridgemont High with the commentary by screenwriter Cameron Crowe and enjoyed listening to all details of making this risque 80s classic. Sean Penn IS Jeff Spiccoli in this movie and the highlight of this almost comedy like representation of sexual explorations in high school and the trouble kids get into. The movie was criticized at the time for all the nudity and showing teenagers having fun for the wrong reasons but I always liked the laid back approach and randomness to it, not really showing the cool kids in school but the dorky ones who represent most of the population. From ordering pizza in class to telling your teacher off, I definitely connected with Spiccoli's frustration and need to just not take everything so seriously. The commentary goes into the details of casting, using a real school and mall for locations, as well as the problems in finding out Phoebe Cates was only 17 when she filmed her topless pool scene. Fast Time is not a perfect movie by any means but brings back that nostalgia of high school and all the pressures to fit in while convincing girls to hook up with you. You can tell this is Cameron Crowe's early work compared to films like Vanilla Sky and Almost Famous but there is still that realistic dialogue and showing of the stuff not in typical studio movies that make this a winner.