my favorite movie of 1982:

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

(Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Brian Backer, Robert Romanus, Ray Walston. Directed by Amy Heckerling.)

Movies in general are so much about women — it’s shocking what a small percentage of them have been directed by women.

Criterion, which has been focusing on female directors, just released a blu-ray (and DVD) with a restored version of Amy Heckerling’s directorial debut, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The most iconic character in this ensemble movie is a stoner named Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), who clashes with his high-school teacher, a strict — but not humorless — disciplinarian named Mr. Hand (Ray Walston). Meanwhile, other students make fumbling attempts at dating and sex.

I finally figured it out. I don’t want sex. Anyone can have sex. … I want a relationship. I want romance.

You want romance? In Ridgemont? We can’t even get cable TV here, Stacy, and you want romance!

A fun, goofy teenage comedy? Yes, but it’s more than that. A serious undercurrent emerges when one of the main characters gets an abortion, which is presented in a notably matter-of-fact way, not as a “controversial issue.” This New York Times video goes into more detail about that plotline after the 3-minute mark, so you might not want to watch it before seeing the movie:

The title of Fast Times at Ridgemont High says a lot: life happens too “fast” to these young people. In their painful awkwardness, they seem incapable of getting it right, but the movie makes them impossible not to love.

Stream Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Tubi (free with ads) or these sites.

Click here for the full list of my favorite movie(s) of each year from 1920 to 2020.