‘Fast Times At Ridgemont High’ Celebrates 30th Anniversary

Fast Times At Ridgemont High hit theaters exactly 30 years ago, and the 1982 film about a group of teenagers growing up in California has become a cult classic.

The film, frequently nicknamed Fast Times was written by Cameron Crowe and adapted to the big screen from his same-titled book that was based on his real life experiences in a high school in California, reports the International Business Times.

Fast Times was directed by Amy Heckerling and starred Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates. Cates was the heart throb of the film for her “girl-next-door” character.

The 1982 film ranked number three at the box office in 1982 and grossed over $3 million domestically during its opening weekend. Over its lifetime, the rated-R film Fast Times At Ridgemont High has earned $27,092,880 domestically, also holding a spot in the weekend top 10 for 164 times consecutively.

Cameron Crowe shared his thoughts with The Uncool on the film’s 30th anniversary, writing:

“On the last day of filming Fast Times at Ridgemont High there were high-fives and happy/sad goodbyes. Amy Heckerling had powered through a tough schedule, and we’d snuck the movie through the studio system, in no small part thanks to our fiercely funny and protective producer Art Linson. Sean Penn, who’d been in character the entire filming, arrived in a brown corduroy jacket and introduced himself. ”I’m Sean,” he announced. We all felt instantly nostalgic for the blonde stoner we’d known and called Jeff for the previous three months. I looked around, and saw one of the red trash cans that had followed us from location to location, from the Sherman Oaks mall to Van Nuys High. It’s been in my writing room ever since. Happy 30th Anniversary… and thanks to all the cast, crew and fine friends we still have from those b*****n’ summer days of not so long ago….

Have you ever seen the cult classic Fast Times At Ridgemont High? If so, who is your favorite character?