"What are you, people? On dope? " -Mr Hand.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a coming-of-age teen comedy that follows a group of high school students lives. It follows Stacy Hamilton and Mark Ratner with their many friends and what romance means to them.

I found this movie to be highly entertaining and easy to watch. It was interesting to see how particular actors have grown since such as Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker and Nicholas Cage. Penn in particular played the hilarious stereotypical stoned surfer boy who has no interest in school but would rather cut class, get high and hit the waves. Penn sets the tone of fun and funny for the entire movie. His relationship with Mr. Hand was particularly amusing as you see the typical harsh professor who thinks everyone is on dope and his interaction with the stoned lazy student.


Stacy on the other hand, is stereotypical 15 year old girl looking to have sex for the first time. We follow her trying to find the right guy while facing many problems along the way. This movie portrays stereotypes in a new way. They are not portrayed as the “jock” “nerd” or “loser” but as typical teens with part-time jobs trying to make it through high school. It is refreshing not to have the same stereotypes played out. Granted, there is the “stoner” but we also see a girl seeking a special relationship, another with a long distance relationship with a guy in college, a guy who is incapable of being committed to one girl and a guy who questions his current relationship and wants freedom. These cover the problems that many people face not only in high school but also in their everyday lives.