Thursday, January 3, 2013

Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

In response to The Best of Times, we are shown another side of high school through Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High starring Sean Penn. The story is a slice of life at Ridgemont High, showing Sean Penn's character doing what he does best- getting high, surfing, and skipping American History. The film also looks at the lifestyle around sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Just kidding- only sex. The story of a young girl who is constantly hooking up with boys realizes that although every guy she hooks up with turns her away- there was always one boy who truly cared for her. The third story being told is that of Brad, the brother of the promiscuous girl who seems to have trouble holding a job- until he stops a robber towards the end of the film. Finally, the film ends with a school dance, where everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

Nicolas Cage had a very brief but very meaningful role, He plays the character Brad's bud who works at the burger joint Brad is fired from (1:21). At first glance one might believe his character serves no purpose and is only included in the film to make it seem as if people actually worked at this place. But once you look deeper into his character, you can see Cage is afraid. Because as soon as he sees his manager coming to fire brad for threatening a customer, he hides. He hides because he's afraid of losing his job, which he must believe is more important than his friendship with Brad. This leaves us with the question "Is Nic Cage really Brad's 'Bud'?" Brilliant character development Nic, brilliant.

Pros- Actually a really funny movie. The script is well written and there are some classic "babe" scenes which spawned from this film. Also Sean Penn is a hilarious stoner.
Cons- Not nearly enough Cage.

Overall, it's worth watching, even if our Lord's appearance is brief.

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