*FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH* Movie Reaction FIRST TIME WATCHING

[@jenmurrayxo]

Who's your fav character in this? 1980's Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLQHhQlj8i5drsQx2uSifPV3sKWZEJrnyx BREAKFAST CLUB: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iGaUqqCliZecbbs

[@glenngalloway6191]

As much as I like to think of this movie as the prequel for Det. Rosewood from Beverly Hills Cop, Spicoli will always be my favorite.

[@philmakris8507]

Spicoli 🏄‍♂️

[@philmakris8507]

Fun Fact; one of the Pat Benatars is played by Bruce Springsteen's RL daughter.

[@philmakris8507]

Fun fact: (from the book) the reason Mr. Hand always say aloha (and bring him) in is bc he is obsessed with the TV show HAWAII FIVE-0

[@philmakris8507]

Spicoli passed. Mr Hand came to his house and gave him the final exam.

[@charlize1253]

Every male of my generation has a special place in their hearts for Phoebe Cates because of this movie

[@davemcbroom695]

It's not in my heart.

[@markdriscoll8119]

My buddy worked at a video store and he claimed the Fast Times videos wore out faster from guys repeatedly rewinding and pausing that part of the movie.

[@_BLACKSTAR_]

ya, maybe a little lower than my heart

[@idrinkthere4iam]

Everytime I hear “Moving in Stereo”

[@MatthewMortensen1]

Can confirm.

[@TroyBrophy]

They sniffed the papers because schools used to use mimeograph machines to print multiple copies of a document, and the ink was similar to marker ink...it could give you a little buzz if you inhaled the volatile compounds before they evaporated.

[@kpobuibo]

Damn, I lost out by 13 minutes. I was gonna post this. I used to loooove sniffing those pages. Mimeographs were in use in every school, way before Xeroxing became a lot cheaper to do.

[@bryanrhenderson6510]

We all used to do it 😂

[@BouillaBased]

And it's one of those smells that takes you right back to that time when you think about it.

[@3DJapan]

And it smelled really good.

[@AndyJayroe]

I can still smell that ink.....mmmmmm

[@charlize1253]

This movie catapulted the Van's sneaker line from a fringe brand into a billion-dollar phenomenon, just because Jeff Spicoli wore them

[@kpobuibo]

My sister used to date a guy like Spiccoli (however you spell it).

[@winstonmarlowe5254]

@@kpobuibo Sp*coli

[@paulamoya7956]

Facts !! In one weekend . The checkered White and Black Van couldn’t be found on any shelf literally within a day of movie release . Vans have been nothing but Hella Cool ever since. This movie came out when I was in Jr High. I had two pair of checkered side vans that year in school. Still have some .

[@nitro_001newman2]

Kids in my elementary class (1978) were wearing the white & blue and the brown & white (I think only slip on Vans made) years before this movie. Jeff Spicoli made the checkered ones popular. I remember them as being the first checkerboard ones I’ve seen, but slip on Vans were made years before, and in fashion before this movie. Take it from me who grew up in the San Fernando Valley, and saw this movie when I was going Jr. High School in Burbank.

[@xtldc]

24:17 the reason this movie and the characters feel so authentic is because after Cameron Crowe spent his actual high school years writing articles for magazines like Rolling Stone and going on tours with rock bands (which is the basis for his semi-autobiographical movie Almost Famous), he enrolled at Clairemont High School in San Diego as a 19 year old and pretended to be a regular student as he collected stories/scenarios from interacting with the student body and made note of the various characters, stereotypes, etc that he encountered.

[@TheCkent100]

The book is a really good read, but different from the movie as some characters were combined and other details changed.

[@andyb7942]

I actually read the book in college before the movie came out - it was part of a class that involved sociological analyses of various subcultures (high school being the one examined via this book). Hope Jen does more Cameron Crowe movies.

[@BDogg2023]

My best friend’s mom when we were teens in the 80s taught at Claremont, knew the real life Spicoli, and told us this was a very accurate portrayal.

[@colormedubious4747]

I read the book in the early 80s. I recall that "All-American Burger" was really Carl's Jr.

[@BDogg2023]

@@colormedubious4747Carl’s Jr was pretty huge in SD in the 80s…it’s where we all hung out after school and Fridays after the movies. One day when I conveniently got it, I stole the “Your order is #90” table markers and put it on top of my graduation hat when we walked. Still have it. 😂

[@kevinlewallen4778]

This movie has a cameo by guitarist Nancy Wilson of Heart: lovely blonde, fast car, stop light. She later married screenwriter Cameron Crowe and did scores for films he directed. See ya in the chat, Jen!

[@ortizmo]

She also did a cameo in The Wild Life, written by Crowe and starring the late Chris Penn.

[@pulsarlights2825]

@@ortizmo Eddie Van Halen did the music to The Wild Life, you can hear riffs from the "5150" album two years earlier...

[@carlosspeicywiener7018]

That's not the same Nancy Wilson. "Ladies and gentlemen, Nancy Wilson, not THAT Nancy Wilson..." From the dvd commentary with the writer and director.

[@dojoguitare]

@@carlosspeicywiener7018 She is the Nancy Wilson from Heart. They said that line because there is also the jazz singer of the same name, Nancy Wilson.

[@michaelb1761]

Check out the Revisionist History podcast. The April 10 podcast is an interview with Cameron Crowe about a screenplay that he and Nancy Wilson wrote on their honeymoon in a cabin in the Pacific Northwest that Ann Wilson owned.

[@chrislaustin]

As a teen in the 80's, I can concur that decade was amazing, if I wouldn't have had to go to school, it would have been perfect. The music, fashion, malls, and arcades, it was all just the best, and if I could somehow live there for eternity, I most certainly would. LOL

[@Eijianthony]

It was a perfect time to grow up.

[@3DJapan]

I turned 13 in 1990 but I still had a great time in the 80s.

[@ElectricKnight.]

And this is why I cut school so much back then! 🤣

[@islandseeker1260]

I graduated in 1979, and the crazy '80s were definitely sweeter because I moved to a new city (in 1980) where nobody knew me, had my own pad, made new friends, and was able to cut loose from all the baggage of a small-town childhood to sow my wild oats. Absolutely the best time of my life!

[@jeffrey_live1748]

If you've never seen American Graffiti you definitely should! Unbelievable cast before most were big famous.

[@izzyryder4969]

Mr Hand was played by the great actor, Ray Walston. He starred in many movies and TV shows from the 50's thru the 80's. I most remember him from a TV show in the 60's called "My Favorite Martian". He co-starred with Bill Bixby, the original "Incredible Hulk" from the late 70's.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Couldn't remember his name, but seeing him appearing in this kind of role would have been fun for viewers at the time.

[@THOMMGB]

Ray Walston also played Boothby, the groundskeeper at Star Fleet Academy on Star Trek TNG, so you’ll eventually see him again, Jen.

[@WoodsToLiveBy]

Kind of funny that the guy playing the 26 year old stereo salesman in this, was playing a teenager *3 years later* in 1985's MISCHIEF 😄. And Robert Romanus as "Damone", a high school student, was actually 25 here.

[@traceywoodward1354]

There's an episode of Cold Case that has Robert Romanus in it...and it has alot of fast times vibes ...check it out sometime

[@LordVolkov]

"Is she gonna break up with him?!" Amanda Wyss plays a similar role in Better Off Dead (with John Cusack). Put it on a list for Christmas or New Years 😉

[@RickLeMon]

Better Off Dead is so good. That's definitely one for the list

[@greeneyesinfl9954]

Yes, Sean Penn was in The Game he played Michael Douglas's younger brother. The girl at the stoplight that laughs at Brad is Nancy Wilson from Heart, she was married to Cameron Crowe.

[@IsraelShekelberg]

I always enjoy watching someone enjoy this one for the first time. I went to HS 1976-1979 about three blocks from Clairemont HS in San Diego -- the original 'Ridgemont'. I knew several people who were clones of Jeff Spicoli -- the surfer dude, complete with local accent. Sean Penn got the part when he went in to the audition and imitated someone he knew from SoCal.

[@dhart28]

You're my age, since I graduated in '79 (but in central Ohio). We experienced the best of both decades (the Disco 70's, and the awesome 80's). That was the best time to have been young.

[@trinaq]

Nicholas Cage had a bit part as one of Brad's buddies, where he was credited under his birth surname of Coppola. He stated that he had a terrible time on set, with him being bullied due to his famous uncle, and most of his scenes were ultimately cut.

[@davidstone9624]

"I bought it with my adult salary!". ... I laughed so hard.

[@BDogg2023]

My best friend’s mom growing up taught at Claremont High School in San Diego, where this was based off of, and knew the real life Spicoli, and said this was pretty accurate. She went on to create the AVID program to help less advantaged kids get into a college trajectory in school, with a 98% success rate. She was Time magazine’s Educator of the Year back in 2001. Mary Catherine Swanson.

[@allengray5748]

Now that's TOTALLY AWESOME! ☮️

[@bjgandalf69]

Jen surprises me everyday. Today, I learned she has a bong...😮😂😅

[@cchavezjr7]

This is one of the most authentic movies that show the high school experience in the 70s and in my experience through the early 90s. An amazing soundtrack as well that i still listen to .

[@maxducoudray]

This is from an era when we lived off of cable TV, and there weren't many options so they'd replay the same movies over and over. So of course I've seen this countless times.

[@LordVolkov]

But with, um, scenes 'key to the plot' 😉 edited

[@chrisleebowers]

Why there's so much great licensed music: This is the first screeplay by writer/director/producer Cameron Crowe, who began his career as a music journalist. He was actually a boy genius that got his first assignment writing for Rolling Stone and touring with big-name bands when he was 15. He made a fictionalized, quasi-autobiographical account of this in 2000 called "Almost Famous" which is awesome and which you should definitely see and do a reaction to next. "Fast Times" began as an article he wrote after going back to school undercover as a student to write an expose on modern (back then) SoCal high school life. It was optioned to be adapted into a movie and he wrote the screenplay beginning his film career. His first big hit as a director was "Say Anything" (which is the one most similar to this one and you will love for a lot of the same reasons) and he's also known for "Singles" "Jerry Maguire" and "Vanilla Sky." Due to his connections in the music industry, all those movies have amazing soundtracks. "Fast Times" director Amy Heckerling also made "Clueless" and the "Look Who's Talking" movies

[@BDogg2023]

Almost Famous is a great movie, and I watched it again recently. I was pondering why more reactors don’t watch it, and thought maybe it was just too hard to get past all the copyright strikes. Then again, the Forrest Gump ST is one of the best of all time, and everyone reacts to it, so who knows. Love all of Crowe’s work.

[@Cheepchipsable]

What's that got to do with the music? I doubt Crowe had a lot of say in musical choices, especially as a first screen writer. Most of these songs were popular at the time, and it was much cheaper to licence music for films. Sometimes the production company or their parent company owned the rights to the music as well so could get them cheaply, or effectively free. Sometimes it was a percentage deal on ticket sales. Look at that TV series, (can't recall the name or even the actor), about the guy who was raised on TV and had flashbacks which were composed of classic movie/TV clips. That was produced by a Ted Turner company who owned a huge number of movie rights. Without Turner owning those rights that show would not have been possible.

[@light9999]

@@Cheepchipsable 'Dream On'

[@treetopjones737]

Vanilla Sky is an American remake of Abre Los Ojos.

[@stevenpiccirillo7825]

On the directors commentary, Any Heckerling discusses how she didn’t want all early 70s dinosaurs like The Eagles and Jackson Brown on the soundtrack but got overruled. She did get some new wave in the film, but wanted a different vibe. I don’t think Crowe had a lot of power in this one as he was just the screenwriter and a relative nobody.

[@caldwellkelley3084]

the Anthem Movie for us 80's kids! Enjoy and Thanks! Note: Best Cameron Crowe movie is "Almost Famous"!

[@Rickhorse1]

Trivia - Phoebe Cates & Kevin Klein have been married for 35 years. (2 children). By all accounts the most down to earth, "non Hollywood couple".

[@mcgilj1]

Never have Heard that description of them.. But I love hearing it.. I'd really hate hearing that Kline was a jerk.. he always seemed so likable and genuine in his roles.. "Dave" is probably one of my most rewatched films.

[@kpobuibo]

Phoebe Cates was also good in the two Gremlins movies.

[@kpobuibo]

@@mcgilj1 I like that one, but for me, A Fish Called Wanda and French Kiss are two other good films of his.

[@mcgilj1]

@@kpobuibo I also thought he was great in "I Love You to Death" and "January Man".

[@Cheepchipsable]

@@kpobuibo So was Judge Reinhold.

[@richardw64]

Smelling the methylated spirits on the test sheets from the old duplicating machines. Did the same thing back in my school days.

[@reesebn38]

I was in High school when Fast Times came out. It was just like this at my school and mall.

[@anthonyguadagnino2681]

This cast, judge reinhold, Sean Penn, Eric stoltz, Anthony Edwards, Forrest Whitaker, Jennifer jason Leigh, Nicolas cage, phoebe cates

[@greenbeech3055]

Jen, you should watch "Valley Girl", it's a cute movie very similar to Fast Times.

[@ericbrinkmann7318]

Agreed, severely underrated movie.

[@Ramjetwarrior]

Wait, wait a minute! Valley Girl is a timid, tame movie compared to Fast Times!! Peace out...

[@treetopjones737]

With young Nick Cage.

[@c4manke]

In "Not Another Teen Movie" towards the end when the characters are leaving the prom, you can see a Spicoli TV repair shop on the corner.

[@shawneldridge4465]

I was 12 years old at the time when this came out, even though it's the year 2024 here, this is a great movie and one of my favorites. You cannot go wrong with any of the 1980 movies. great reaction and I thank you for doing this.

[@cbretschneider]

Hi Jen! Great reaction. You will absolutely love American Graffiti. It's one of the most beautifully shot films ever, very similar vibes as this film but it all takes place in 24 hours on the last day of school 1959. Dazed and Confused is very similar but set in the 70s and just as good fun. For more James Cameron I definitely recommend Say Anything with John Cusack and Jennifer Connelly next. You'd love Almost Famous too. Glad you enjoyed this, it was fun. 🥂

[@KithKanan64]

1962. "Where were you in '62" was the movie tagline. :)

[@tomhoffman4330]

12:36) "Jen's a Joker...She's a Smoker...And a KZbin Toker"😂(LOL) The next time I hear that Song on the Radio, I'll be Thinking of YOU, "My Friend!" 💖👍

[@xondxonderson5784]

Camron Crow - Almost Famous is one of my all time favs. Amazing coming of age movie. Stupendous sound track. You's love it.

[@seanbumstead1250]

I was in highschool in the 80s and this is exactly how it was,and my school was Argyle and our school rival was Sutherland

[@floretionguru2977]

@10:00 "I think we owe it to ourselves to be free." this is a nicer breakup than her line "I think it's time for us to go out with someone better looking, more popular, drives a nicer car" in the movie "Better Off Dead" (also featuring the same cool teacher). According to legend, this movie was greatly responsible for the word "dude" entering the vernacular of everyday English. This movie has one of the most endearing brother-sister relationships portrayed by actors.

[@user-bd9qx7qf2f]

Did you even realize that Spicoli was a young Sean Penn and two guys he was with shirtless were Anthony Edwards who did 8 seasons of the show ER and Revenge of the Nerds and the third one was Eriic Stoltz who played with Cher in the 80s movie "Mask." He was also the original Marty McFly in Back to the Future and they shot most of the movie, but his portrayal wasn't what they wanted and then they brought in Michael J. Fox who they had asked first to play him, but he couldn't get away from filming his TV show "Family Ties."

[@wendywoodruff2871]

Whoever cast this had an eye for talent. So many teens went on to great careers. The angry big bro whose car got smashed is Forest Whitaker. He is great in A Rage In Harlem, and The Last King of Scotland, and everything else he's done. Eric Stoltz was the redhaired bud of Spicoli. In The Mask and Pulp Fiction and many others. The other bud was Anthony Edwards. He was great in Revenge of the Nerds and was the lead doctor on ER. And Vincent Schiavelli the morgue teacher was the angry ghost on the subway in Ghost. Fun!

[@Cheepchipsable]

Anthony Edwards was also in Top Gun. Forest Whitaker, who dabbled in Scientology - appeared in Battlefield Earth with Travolta.

[@darylnelms1654]

The teacher is a Martian. 👽

[@Deathbird_Mitch]

My favorite one.

[@SilentBob731]

0:06 We Got The Beat - The Go-Go's 2:22 American Girl - Tom Petty 7:00 "What are you people, on Dope?" was sampled in the song "Let's Eat Out" by Canadian band Bootsauce back in 1990. 10:50 I mean, if Kashmir by Led Zeppelin doesn't get your motor running, I don't know what to tell you. 😂 14:24 This is absolutely the best part of the movie...because Moving In Stereo by The Cars is the greatest song in history, and for no other reasons whatsoever.😁

[@erictaylor5462]

You know it's a great movie when it is enjoyed and still relatable 40 years later.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Teen themes will probably always be relatable in some way.

[@drail37]

The smell of a fresh ditto is something younger generations will never experience. It's heaven.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

The inside Mall scenes were filmed at The Sherman Oaks Galleria. I live in The San Fernando Valley. I used to hang out there on the weekends around the same time this was filmed. The Song Valley Girl references "The Galleria" is a reference to this Mall. Commando was also filmed here too.

[@LordVolkov]

The Galleria had such a great interior. Horror movies Chopping Mall and Phantom Of The Mall really take advantage of the space, and even Night Of The Comet has some fun scenes in The Galleria.

[@TheCkent100]

Sad that that mall is no longer there. It was demolished because of the damage that it sustained in the Northridge Earthquake of 1994. Another mall has been built on the same site, this time an open air mall. I've got some wonderful memories of that old mall.

[@ramonalfaro3252]

@@TheCkent100 The new Mall is lame compared to the old one. The old design was very inviting. We did not realize it then, but looking back The Galleria was an organic town hall.

[@KithKanan64]

@@ramonalfaro3252 in California at the time, that's actually pretty close to legally correct. The California Supreme Court interpreted the California Constitution's affirmative free speech clause as extending rights of free speech and petition to public areas of private shopping centers, one reason being that privately owned spaces had begun to replace the old town squares, and the US Supreme Court affirmed that decision in 1980. For a while that was very broadly applied but in 2012 another CA Supreme Court decision narrowed the scope considerably to only "common areas" explicitly designed for people to linger and interact (food courts, plazas, atriums, etc.) and not corridors, sidewalks and medians in private parking lots, and other areas mainly for access and transit, so you no longer encounter signature gatherers and protesters in as many private shopping centers as was common in prior decades.

[@lou6454]

This and Porky's the two big coming of age comedies .

[@mr.knowitall6440]

The song at the end is "Goodbye Goodbye" by Oingo Boingo. It's the only song they ever did in the Rockabilly style, and they absolutely kill it! They're great musicians. You need some Boingo in your life...

[@raybernal6829]

The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo .... Danny Elfman is a musical genius

[@candicelitrenta8890]

Yes, Sean Penn WAS in the Game. He played the brother of Michael Douglas

[@kevinsieg2076]

Jen, thank you very much for always reminding me why I love movies.

[@darrenmacdonald1499]

When this came out we didn't really know that much about it beforehand. I remember meeting friends before the movie and smoking a lot of weed. We pulled up in front of the theater and opened the door and let out a huge cloud of smoke and all the people in line looked at my friends and myself, mostly down their noses. When the scene played in the movie and the van pulls up and lets out all the smoke, half of the theater turned around and looked at us. Kind of stressful as a 16 y/o. Now at 58, I just have a puff and a giggle.

[@StevePaur-hf4vy]

A little FYI, Spicoli was played by Sean Penn and one of his stoner buds was Anthony Edwards of Top Gun, ER and Revenge of the Nerds fame. Forrest Whitaker plays Jefferson the football player and the blonde lady who plays Mrs Vargas was the wife of famed music producer Phil Spector whom he later murdered.

[@johnohara8395]

Further fyi: the actor playing Vargas played dr Kaufman in tomorrow never dies.

[@randybass8842]

The actor who played Mr. Hand, Ray Walston, was better known for a TV show in the 1960s called "My Favorite Martian." His spaceship breaks down, and he tries to fit in as a human in mid-60s suburbia, until he can repair it. He had two antennae that occasionally pop up from his head like TV rabbit ears.

[@thestingman2966]

I loved him in the show Picket Fences.

[@TheCkent100]

Yes, that was Don Henley. He did the song "Love Rules" for the soundtrack. In fact, 4 of the 5 Eagles (at the time) did solo songs for the soundtrack: Joe Walsh did "Waffle Stomp", Don Felder did "Never Surrender" and Timothy B. Schmit did "So In Love". Other great artists on the soundtrack were Jackson Browne, the Go-Go's, Billy Squier, Sammy Hagar, Jimmy Buffett, Graham Nash (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), Poco, Donna Summer, Stevie Nicks, and Oingo Boingo. The actual soundtrack, as opposed to some of the songs heard in the movie, was filled with songs that had never before released. "We've Got the Beat" by the Go-Go's, heard in the opening scenes, was a previously released song, so also does not appear on the actual soundtrack album. One error in the movie: Damone tells Rattner to play side 1 of "Led Zeppelin IV". The song we hear is "Kashmir", which is on "Physical Graffiti" (and is not on the soundtrack). As someone else observed, Nancy Wilson of Heart appears in the movie. Heart also did a song for the soundtrack, but I believe their record company (Epic Records) wouldn't allow it to be released on the soundtrack, which was on Elektra Records. That song, "Fast Times" appears on their "Private Audition" album, which was released a couple of months before the "Fast Times" soundtrack.

[@treiz666]

The bit where they play Kashmir has bothered me for so long. Thank you for mentioning it.

[@TheCkent100]

@treiz666 I first saw the movie at a radio station sponsored premiere several days before it officially opened to the public. When that part came on, I almost shouted, "That's not Led Zeppelin IV !!!". Given that the radio station was a rock station (I think KMET Los Angeles), I'm sure most of the audience thought the same thing.

[@cdlehner511]

Yikes; really!? I have a sneaking suspicion…given some of the people involved in this film…it was a writing/licensing issue, and not an error. “Side 1 of Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti”…doesn’t have quite the poetry; and besides…Black Dog isn’t a make-out song. They probably wanted Stairway there…and couldn’t get it/afford it, etc. Hope you can move on 😂

[@RenaissanceMan888]

Jen, you're so cool and down to earth. It's so fun to experience these classic movies with you. I'm happy that I found your channel. Now I just need to catch up with all of your reaction videos. 😎

[@jenmurrayxo]

Happy to have you ☺️👍

[@erictighe1683]

Very Authenticate, in a way. Based on the same High School I went to "Clairemont High School" in San Diego CA. The author has said in interviews over the years that it was based on real people from his time at the same school but he merged multiple people into certain characters for the book. The author went to the school before my time there.

[@rayhunter-o3w]

This was one of the most well done raunchy high school kid movies of the 80s. Mr. Hand made a great high school teacher.

[@Cheepchipsable]

Mr Hand was famous for being in My Favourite Martian and a lot of older classic TV shows.

[@waynezimmerman1950]

As a twentysomething at the time this movie came out, I'm giving a shout out to Mr. Hand(Ray Walston) who played the classroom games as a pro; not an ass. Ray was known best to my generation as Uncle Martin from the mid 60s tv show: My Favorite Martin, and to movie fans for musical films like Damn Yankees and South Pacific(both 1958), and Paint Your Wagon(1969) opposite non singers like Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin. 😎👍

[@IDLERACER]

😄👍 Freeze the frame at 9:09. 😜 Yes, that IS Nicholas Cage, making his film debut as a non-speaking extra. A couple of years later, he would go on to costar with Sean Penn in "Racing With The Moon" (1984). And by the way, you HAVE seen Sean Penn before (sort of) in "Team America, World Police." You have also seen Judge Reinhold in "Beverly Hills Cop." You have also seen Vincent Schiavelli (Mr. Vargas) before...he was one of the mental patients in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." And of course, you know Phoebe Cates from "Gremlins." One other thing you've seen before...That mall. The iconic Sherman Oaks Galleria (no longer there) was also featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film "Commando" (where he lifts the phone booth up over his head). Ray Walston (Mr. Hand) had an extremely lengthy career in every aspect of show business. He co-starred with Clint Eastwood in "Paint Your Wagon" (1969). 😎 By all means, check out "American Graffiti." In order to fully enjoy it, you have to sort of look the other way at the fact that every high school student in it was in their mid-20s and looked it (Richard Dreyfus and Cindy Williams were both 27 and Harrison Ford was 30).

[@treetopjones737]

See young Nick in "Valley Girl"

[@treetopjones737]

Schiavelli angry ghost on the train in "Ghost"

[@christophercrane9540]

They sniff the papers in the first Mr. Hand scene because you used to be able to get a high off the stuff they printed it with if you got it before it fully dried.

[@flobp2381]

No offense, but, it's obvious you've never smelled mimeograph ink.

[@allisterfiend_2112]

@@flobp2381 huh! I'm not sure of the name of the chemical that they used for ditto's, but I can tell you that everyone in my high school smelled it to get a quick high.

[@flobp2381]

@@allisterfiend_2112 I was in high school, too. Yeah, maybe someone might get high if the paper was DRIPPING wet. But damp drying ditto paper, not a chance!

[@mikerhodes8454]

I was in middle school when this came out and everyone talked about the Phoebe Cates scene if they were lucky to see it. I agree, best soundrack ever.

[@bjgandalf69]

Ann Wilson of the band Heart is the woman that laughed at Brad in the pirate uniform.

[@harveylee51]

I Enjoyed this immensely , i had kind of a rough go in Highschool but i won't dwell on that here , this was my era too and i love the music , the arcades and the movies . looking back there's that lens of nostalgia and this movie does bring that feeling back with humor and a surprising bit of heart as well. Thanks again Jen for another reaction that brightened my day .😃 Cheers .

[@arobb4481]

3:50 they were smelling Ditto copier ink. It was like a drug😂

[@carlosspeicywiener7018]

My tidbit; During the hospital scene, you'll see a guy standing behind spicoli. Black hair, distinctive look. That kid wasn't even an actor, the director just liked the way he looked and asked him if he wanted to be in a movie.

[@charlessperling7031]

The impression in the book is that Spicoli "squeaks by" in Mr. Hand's history course. By the way, Mr. Hand's hero and ole model is Steve McGarrett from "Hawaii 5-0." Book 'em, Danno!

[@mikechen8075]

Another amazing reaction! You bring happiness and laughter in someone' life.

[@candicelitrenta8890]

The girl in the car next to Brad is none other than Nancy Wilson, the guitarist and background vocalist for the band Heart. She ended up marrying Cameron Crow and she was the music composer for his movie called Almost Famous which you HAVE to check out

[@Rudy4099]

Wow!!! Thank you, Jen! This made my day! I'm class of 84' and this brought back so many memories and emotions and LAUGHS! Spicolli.... =X-D

[@willingexile3374]

You should see one of Cameron Crowe's classics - Singles (1991) which also featured the grunge scene in Seattle. This was reportedly the inspiration for Friends.

[@Kebmo338]

The beginning part about the Van Halen tickets always cracks me up because the guy looks just like Van Halens drummer.

[@djm0111]

Sean Penn's greatest role. He was perfect.

[@karlsmith2570]

14:48 Interesting Fact for you, Jen: In the scene timestamped above, Judge Reinhold had a massive toy of a male member, so that expression on Phoebe Cates' face was real

[@michellebarry1555]

You had Spicoli’s voice down…on point! 😂

[@waterbeauty85]

This movie is iconic, but it makes me want you to watch the dark flip side of 1980's teen movies "River's Edge" (1986) starring Crispin Glover, Ione Skye, Dennis Hopper and a very young Keanu Reeves. It was a small film, but it got everybody talking about social issues above and beyond the movie itself.

[@toecutterjenkins]

Great movie

[@treetopjones737]

Shot in the East valley side of L.A.

[@phila3884]

I graduated high school just before this movie came out. It was not the "teen comedy" everyone expected- it was, but it was more, as you observed. Everyone loved it and quoted it, but it hit a little close to home for teens, of all generations it seems.

[@hjermsted22]

That song at the end credits is a Danny Elfman gem from when he was composing for Oingo Boingo. It's called 'Goodbye Goodbye'.

[@chrisgrove7829]

This and Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused are must watches in this genre:)

[@metalgrinch]

I went to high school in the late 90s and as much as I love the 80s, i feel like the EARLY 80s were definitely different than the later portion of the decades, and high school was a much rougher place to be. Mr Hand was a real deal teacher whose type doesn't exist anymore. Good and bad, as the expectations were SUPER high and he wasn't about "fun" but solely education. Kids didn't dare question him and parents were right on board. The atmosphere also had far more peer pressure and drama among the students.

[@BiggestDawgEver]

There is something very authentic and universal in this movie. The types of the social groups may vary by region or are called something different as time rolls onward, but this movie doesn't glamorize it's characters and because of it, we can all see ourselves and people we knew in the characters, regardless of what decade you are a product of. Every single one of us graduated from Ridgemont High.

[@fightingidiocy7724]

I worked a movie theater in HS from 1988-1992. Best job ever.

[@rubykrebs9550]

My high school years were in the mid 70's. I had the coolest 10th grade English teacher. I wrote on her blackboard, "Miss Brown's class trip, $2.00 a hit." and she left it up there all day!

[@MichaelShipley-u7t]

Spicoli is responsible for a huge increase in Vans popularity, and Senn Penn went and bought the shoes on his own for the role. His buds are Eric Stoltz and Anthony Edwards. Check out 1981’s Taps, with young Sean Penn, Tom Cruise, and Timothy Hutton. Also starring George C Scott, and even Earl Hindman (Wilson from TV’s Home Improvement.

[@taramcblakeshire8516]

Oh the early 80s brings back my memories of being a teenager in high school. What a time it was......

[@eximusic]

So Cameron Crowe first wrote Fast Times as a book, based on his undercover reentry into high school to do some investigative journalism.

[@n0tk0sher]

Fun fact: Kashmir is from Physical Graffiti not Led Zep IV. Fun fact #2: Nancy Wilson was the woman laughing at Brad's uniform. She married Cameron Crowe, he wrote the screenplay.

[@lurkerrekrul]

The pool scene is iconic. It was the inspiration for the music video Stacy's Mom by Fountains of Wayne.

[@paulamoya7956]

I graduated in 86.. this is one of my all time favorites !! Rated R! Life was just different then ⭐️I adore you Jen !! Hella cool Chick💯☑️

[@xzonia1]

To answer your question, I think most or all of the songs in this movie were written for its soundtrack or were new unknown songs that the artists were happy to have included to gain exposure and hopefully become popular. This movie made many of these songs become hits because they were in its soundtrack. ;) Lol at your reactions! You are quite the party girl, Jen! I did sneak out in my younger years, but not during high school. I asked my older brother to let me ride his bike because it didn't have training wheels and mine still did; he said no. So I snuck out after everyone fell asleep for weeks and practiced riding his bike on the street in front of our house (zero traffic in our neighborhood at night) until my Dad caught me. That weekend, he took the training wheels off my bike. He also gave me a lecture about the dangers of sneaking out; I never snuck out again after that. Lol :)

[@Mikesupr1]

Young Sean Penn (best scene with pizza), young Forest Whitaker, young Nicholas Cage and beautiful Phoebe Cates - one of most iconic 80th teenage movie scene. 🙂

[@zziicckk01]

Thank you for your reaction!!!! This is such a throwback teen movie... with a bit of a heart. Spicoli was such an iconic character.

[@susanliltz3875]

Yes that’s Sean Penn !! Check out the movie: “MYSTIC RIVER “ With Sean, Kevin Bacon and Tim Robbins and directed by “Clint Eastwood “!! Powerful movie!!!

[@pulsarlights2825]

Speaking of Springsteen, Bruce's sister is the cheerleader with the dark hair

[@erictaylor5462]

12:55 I loved how Specoli "fixed' the car. He didn't repair the damage but he got his friend and himself out of trouble... and he got the W for the football team.

[@patrickwolff2727]

Hello, Jen. I’m glad you enjoyed this movie! Here’s some fun facts Nicholas Cage - Academy Award winner Sean Penn - Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker - Academy Award winner Jennifer Jason Leigh - Academy Award nominee

[@bubhub64]

Also Golden Globe nominee Eric Stoltz and Golden Globe and primetime Emmy nominee Anthony Edwards.

[@alphawave5603]

I saw this movie in the theater about 3 times. Brings back fun memories of an easier time although I was a marching band geek. Phoebe Cates and Whitney Houston were in Seventeen Magazine a lot. “Can’t Outdo ‘82” was our class slogan 😂. Thanks for the great review!

[@mrcody333cam]

Jeff Spicoli’s stoner buddies in this film are relatively unknowns Eric Stoltz, Anthony Edwards and a young upstart by the name of Nick Coppola (Cage) who unfortunately had his scenes cut.

[@robertravare3992]

Some people talk crap about the 80s but I had fun back then.

[@EKomar-z6h]

~8:00 - I had that piano scarf all thru my senior year of H.S. and thru college! Memories ...

[@chantelcarr53]

This is my second video of yours ! I love this movie ! I find it hilarious ! So watching your reaction (which is the one KZbinr I’ve seen react to this) was HIGHLARIOUS !

[@jenmurrayxo]

Happy you're here :)

[@thequietrevolution3404]

Was attending Jr. College when this movie made the scene. Thus, my first time viewing it was via a Blockbuster rental. Didn't think much of Vans but thankfully, in flew Air Jordans (1984).

[@rodsella]

I recommend Say Anything, directed and written by Cameron Crowe. Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) is my 80's crush

[@cronos222]

As soon as you said " Hot box'in in the van " I knew you were cool . 😎 I'd like to add as someone who was in high school in the 80's I thought your reaction was great , like I was watching with a friend . Very nice .

[@sonnercampbell1702]

Little Darlings (1990) is another good 80’s teen sex comedy, and an underrated & nearly forgotten movie. Because of music licensing issues it hasn’t had a physical media release in decades(it was released on 4K/Blu Ray for the first time earlier this year) and only recently has it been on any streaming service Correction: I mistyped, it was released in 1980 🤦‍♀️

[@scorpiouk5914]

Great recommendation! You surely hit the wrong key, though. 1980.

[@sonnercampbell1702]

@@scorpiouk5914 oh right, I didn’t even notice that. Thanks for pointing it out

[@jasonspaulding3949]

Sean Penn stayed in character during the filming insisting that everyone called him Jeff or Spicoli

[@alanndrake2619]

Sean Penn- At Close Range.. you won’t be disappointed