Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) - 5/10

Oh I remember the 80s. When we watched American movies from grey boring England and longed to hang out in malls and wear cool clothes. We didn’t know anything of the nonexistent healthcare system or the chances of getting shot for looking at someone the wrong way. Simpler times. This is a teen comedy classic, but let’s face it, it’s really just a bunch of horny kids goofing around in a very outdated, thin plot filed with troublesome jokes. In short, it’s aged terribly. Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is looking for a boyfriend with the help of Linda (Phoebe Cates). Rat (Brian Backer) likes her and wheeler dealer, Mike (Robert Romanus) is there to offer advice. Stacy’s older brother, Brad (Judge Reinhold) is in love with his car, not his girlfriend and Jeff (Sean Penn) the comical surf dude stoner. All the dated drama aside, it’s pretty well acted, to a point, by an, in hindsight impressive cast (including Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz and Nicholas Cage) especially by Penn, but really I think this only works if you were a teenager in the 80s and are looking for a nostalgia trip. It’s fun, but really not very good. Oddly though, I quite enjoyed it… again probably down to Sean Penn. There really is nothing else to say.

5/10