Amy Heckerling directs Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold and Sean Penn in this seminal teen movie where a group of Californian high school students ignore their studies in favor of sex, drugs and minimum wage jobs at the mall.

One of Natalie’s favourite, I have more appreciation than affection for it. I guess I prefer the crystal cut visuals, cynical emotions and existential pretensions of John Hughes. That’s the teat of teen culture I was raised on. This is more a sensitive, self aware sex comedy. Iconic in the VHS era for launching the careers of Phoebe Cates and Sean Penn thanks to two very memorable scenes. And Spicoli ordering a pizza to class is a truly brilliant one. Famously based on a Rolling Stones article where a still youthful looking Cameron Crowe went undercover to a high school this genuinely does feel like it has insider perspective. For all I love about Hughes, his sixteen year olds are wrinkle free Boomers with big hair. Fast Times is one the few Eighties teen flicks that doesn’t lend the fashions as an anthropological freak show and feels grounded in terms of the tribal splits. There are funny set pieces, the tentative hook ups are both sad and sexy. Almost everyone grows. Jennifer Jason Leigh is perfect in her good girl exploring sex role… she has had the best career since. Even better than Penn’s if your metric is a body of work that has stood the test of time.

7

Perfect Double Bill: Licorice Pizza (2021)