Fast Times at Ridgemont High has always been one of my favorite teen movies. It's really funny, but like the good ones, there are a few lessons you can take away from it. It really makes you appreciate what you have, and it gives you a few laughs along the way. It also definitely reminds me of what it is like to be dating for the first time in my life.
The cast is fairly large, but contained in a few circles that occasionally overlap. The first is Mark, who has a thing for Stacy. Stacy is a young girl who isn't sure what she wants, and that leads to trouble when she gets involved with Mark's best friend, Mike Damone. Stacy's brother is Brad, a workaholic teenager who has quite a bit of stress in his life. Of course, Jeff Spicoli is the stoner of the bunch, who shoes up for a few laughs here and there, but really can't be considered a part of the actual story.
Like any good teen movies, the key is character interaction, and this movie has plenty of it. The best scenes probably involved Mike and Mark, as Mike tries to pump up Mark to go over and talk to Stacy. The characters are a little larger than life in this movie, but it works fine. Since each character is playing such a broad stereotype, it works out perfectly. Brad's outburst on his last day at the Burger Joint is hysterical, and something every working man could relate too. Mark is the geeky character, and we're almost relieved when he actually does get Stacy's number.
This movie makes a lot less sense than Dazed and Confused or The Breakfast Club, but it still does a great job of illustrating what the teen life can be like. It follows all the stereotypes, like it's football season but the movies ends with a last day of school dance. Like much of the '80's, it's all about the glam, but it's also about what happens backstage. And that's what makes it great.