Posted on 07/17/2022 5:42:04 AM PDT by Rummyfan
“You old, red-faced ************.”
That’s the line Sean Penn delivered to Ray Walston in 1982’s classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Penn was playing Jeff Spicoli, a surfer and stoner, and Walston Mr. Hand, a tight-assed history teacher. The two clash when Spicoli’s late for class. Mr. Hand sends him to the principal, and Spicoli reacts by calling Mr. Hand a “dick.”
Not in the final film is Penn’s effort to get Walston truly riled up and add some genuine tension to the scene. As the camera panned over to Walston, Penn dropped the bomb about Hand being a red-faced MF’er. Walston wasn’t pleased.
That’s one of the bits of trivia found on the new Criterion Collection edition of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. It’s one of the best teen movies of the 1980s and deserves inclusion in the highbrow Criterion Collection. The film’s success and continued relevance is mostly due to director Amy Heckerling. Although the movie is based on the book by Cameron Crowe, it was Heckerling who fought the studio to capture the tone and stye of the film. Heckerling suggested Fast Times be set mostly in a mall. She refused to put any adults in the film. She rejected bland conventional choices for music, insisting the Go-Gos “We Got the Beat” open the film, a perfect choice.
(Excerpt) Read more at splicetoday.com ...
are you surprised?
I am not.
He was in one brief scene and didn't even have a speaking role.
Same here. She was a hot little spinner.
JJL is daughter of actor Vic Morrow.
They are just cheesy and lowbrow. A better quality coming of age movie from the same period would be something like “Risky Business.”
Risky Business,another awful film. I just do not like the genre.
Judge Reinhold was great in “Ruthless People”, the scene where he’s trying to sell the stereo to the young married couple.
WOW, I was 30 when it came out. Have watched I don’t know how many times and never realized it was him.
and the Jason is for Jason Robards.
At the time I thought it was the best movie ever. Saw parts of it several years ago. Now realize my huge error.
I don’t like the movie because of the presented notion that the villain in an abortion scenario is the guy who won’t pay for it (similarly shown in Last American Virgin where Gary simps for her by buying her baby’s death).
But, the Phoebe Cates scene is the best scene of the ‘80s.
No shirt. No shoes. No service.
Huh? Never heard of it. Of course, I was an itinerant adventurer at the time and missed a lot of what was happening. Ill have to look that one up.
It's not that he won't pay for it. It's that he can't pay for it.
Recall he was hitting up all the people that owed him money?
POLICE: "Alright, Goodson. We know you're in there. Joel, the house is surrounded. Do exactly as we say, and nobody gets hurt! Get off the babysitter. Put on your pants, come out with your hands up.
JOEL'S MOTHER: Please, Joel, do what they say...just...get off the babysitter!"
Hahahahahah...it is not a great movie, but it is a fun movie for that time. As others have said, a bit of a time capsule. All the Pat Benatar wanna be’s...
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