Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Short description
Fast Times at Ridgemont High follows a group of teenagers at a Southern California high school as they navigate the final stretch of their school years. Their attention is largely absorbed by relationships, part-time jobs at the local mall, and the everyday pressures of growing up, rather than by their classes. Among them are Stacy, who is new to the complications of romance, her friend Linda, who presents herself as more experienced, Stacy's brother Brad, who is preoccupied with his job and future, and the perpetually stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli, whose ongoing confrontation with the strict history teacher Mr. Hand becomes one of the film's recurring threads.
The screenplay by Cameron Crowe draws on his own time spent observing high school life, and the film was directed by Amy Heckerling. It was the first feature she directed and the beginning of a career that continued with Johnny Dangerously, National Lampoon's European Vacation, Look Who's Talking, Clueless and later films. The cast includes Sean Penn as Spicoli, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Stacy, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Brian Backer and Robert Romanus, with 57 credited cast and 49 credited crew members.
On IMDb the film holds a rating of 7.1 from around 124,000 votes, while its TMDB rating is 6.8 from roughly 1,400 votes. A critics' score of 7 out of 10 from 59 reviews places it close to the audience assessment. Made for about 5 million dollars, it earned roughly 27 million worldwide, a return that indicates it found a substantial audience.
What's left behind the scenes
- The role of Linda could have gone to Justine Bateman, who declined the offer, preferring the series "Family Ties" (1982). Melanie Griffith and Tatum O'Neal also auditioned for the part.
- David Lynch could have directed the film, but he declined the offer, stating that the script was not to his taste.
- The principal of University of San Diego High School was not at all enthusiastic about Cameron Crowe's idea to infiltrate his institution, but he asked the young rock journalist which musical groups and performers he had worked with. Among others, Cameron Crowe mentioned Kris Kristofferson, and since the principal was a big fan of his, it helped him sway him to his side.
- Tom Hanks could have played the role of Brad.
- The film studio believed the film had very little box office potential and even seriously considered not releasing it theatrically on the East Coast.
- Alternative, milder versions of individual scenes were filmed for use in subsequent television showings of the film.
- The starting point for the film was an idea that came to Cameron Crowe at the age of 22: to spend a year undercover in a high school as a student and write a book about his experiences. The rights to adapt it for the screen were purchased even before its publication in 1981.
- Nancy Wilson, the future wife of screenwriter Cameron Crowe, appears in a cameo as the woman in the car behind Brad who laughs at his pirate costume.
- The book Arnold is holding while betting on the football game is Arthur C. Clarke’s science fiction novel “Childhood’s End”.
- A significant portion of the scenes were filmed at Van Nuys High School in one of the Los Angeles suburbs, Van Nuys. The school's mascot was a wolf, which was reflected in the fictional school in the film.
- The well-known American magazine Entertainment Weekly ranked the film second in its chart of the 50 best movies about school and high school life in 2006.
- During the filming of the movie, Sean Penn became so immersed in his role that he only responded to the name Spicoli. Moreover, a sign reading Spicoli hung on the dressing room door instead of the actor’s name.
- The film marked the film debut of Lana Clarkson and Nicolas Cage.
- The scene where Linda teaches Stacey oral sex was originally intended to take place in a hot tub, with both girls completely nude. This idea was abandoned, as it was believed the film risked receiving an X-rated classification.
- Matthew Broderick, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ralph Macchio, Meg Tilly, Geena Davis, Rosanna Arquette, Carrie Fisher, and Ally Sheedy auditioned for various roles in the film.
- The role of Jeff was offered to Christopher Reeve, but the actor refused the offer. John Travolta was also among the candidates for the role.
- The role of Mr. Hand was initially offered to Fred Gwynne, who declined due to his disapproval of the provocative nature of the film’s sexual scenes.
- Brooke Shields, Ellen Barkin, and Jodie Foster were all considered for the role of Stacey, and each declined the offer. Diane Lane also auditioned for the part.
- Sean Penn was asked to prepare for both the roles of Jeff Spicoli and Brad Hamilton, so that the producers could later make a better choice.
- Nicolas Cage tried to lie to the producers about his true age in order to get a larger role, but the deception was quickly exposed.
- The scenes in the supermarket were filmed at the Sherman Oaks Galleria shopping mall. It was severely damaged by the 1994 earthquake and then completely rebuilt in 1998. Filming took place at night when the supermarket was closed, between 9:30 PM and 9:00 AM. Because of this, the underage actors who appeared in some scenes had a very demanding schedule, as they were legally prohibited from working at night.
- Nicolas Cage auditioned for the role of Brad Hamilton, but after the auditions, producers found his performance too dark for the part, and the role went to Judge Reinhold. An additional reason was that the future famous actor was only 17 years old at the time and, according to the law, could not work on set as long as adult actors.
- The film's script sparked a number of controversies, as it contained the real names of students from the school where Cameron Crowe spent a year.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
