All I Need Are Some Tasty Waves, a Cool Buzz, and I'm Fine
August 16, 2022 12:31 PM Subscribe
Kids today will never know that having three, count 'em, three Pat Benetars was the norm.
posted by Melismata at 12:48 PM on August 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 12:48 PM on August 16, 2022 [12 favorites]
Every once in a while something reminds me that I've never seen this movie; then for one reason or another I never get around to watching it before the next reminder, rinse and repeat...
At this point I'm old enough that I probably won't enjoy it anyway.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:58 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
At this point I'm old enough that I probably won't enjoy it anyway.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:58 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Thanks for the FPP, chavenet. I'd forgotten who directed it. All those young young actors, and I was young too if not a teenager. It was a fun film, nice to be reminded of this milestone in movies. (No snark!)
posted by Bella Donna at 1:13 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Bella Donna at 1:13 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I highly recommend the Unspooled episode on Fast Times. Great talk with Amy Heckerling about the challenges she faced from the male establishment telling the female side of teenage sex.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:33 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:33 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
IMDB and all people tell me that the guy who played Mark Ratter is not young Bob Sagat, but somehow I still cannot believe them.
Abortions were a hot deal in the early '80s teen comedies, with this movie and "The Last American Virgin" strongly featuring them.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:46 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Abortions were a hot deal in the early '80s teen comedies, with this movie and "The Last American Virgin" strongly featuring them.
posted by The_Vegetables at 1:46 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
three, count 'em, three Pat Benetars
Surely *Pats Benatar...?
posted by The Tensor at 1:46 PM on August 16, 2022 [23 favorites]
Surely *Pats Benatar...?
posted by The Tensor at 1:46 PM on August 16, 2022 [23 favorites]
*Pats roof*
This bad boy can fit so many Benatars in it...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:08 PM on August 16, 2022 [13 favorites]
This bad boy can fit so many Benatars in it...
posted by Greg_Ace at 2:08 PM on August 16, 2022 [13 favorites]
The only thing I really get nostalgic for in this film is when you could get front row seats to Van Halen for $12.50. ($39 in today's money)
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:10 PM on August 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:10 PM on August 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
“Amy had a feeling that, ‘one more Eagles member with a song in this movie and I’m gonna freak out because I’m a CBGB girl,'” laughs Crowe.
woo, thank you.
posted by travertina at 2:15 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
woo, thank you.
posted by travertina at 2:15 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Phoebe Cates will always be the hottest woman in Hollywood.
posted by 517 at 2:27 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by 517 at 2:27 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
"When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV." -Mike Damone
When I was in college it was Roxy Music's Avalon.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:30 PM on August 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
When I was in college it was Roxy Music's Avalon.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:30 PM on August 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
Spicoli was hilarious! Did the actor who played him do anything else worth seeing?
posted by TedW at 2:53 PM on August 16, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by TedW at 2:53 PM on August 16, 2022 [9 favorites]
Mark Ratner actually did very well for himself. The character is based on Andy Rathbone, who made a lot of money originating the "...for Dummies" series of computer books.
posted by jonp72 at 2:54 PM on August 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by jonp72 at 2:54 PM on August 16, 2022 [3 favorites]
The only thing I really get nostalgic for in this film is when you could get front row seats to Van Halen for $12.50. ($39 in today's money)
And it was real Van Halen, not Van Hagar.
posted by jonp72 at 2:55 PM on August 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
And it was real Van Halen, not Van Hagar.
posted by jonp72 at 2:55 PM on August 16, 2022 [10 favorites]
When I was in college it was Roxy Music's Avalon.
When I was in college it was Portishead's Dummy.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:20 PM on August 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
When I was in college it was Portishead's Dummy.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:20 PM on August 16, 2022 [5 favorites]
Aging is totally bogus.
posted by srboisvert at 3:21 PM on August 16, 2022 [8 favorites]
posted by srboisvert at 3:21 PM on August 16, 2022 [8 favorites]
Everybody makes a big deal about Phoebe Cates's bikini-top-removing scene in this movie.
Jennifer Jason Leigh not only overshadowed her, but was also a stone-cold-lock first-ballot Movie Nudity Hall of Famer based on this movie ALONE.
posted by delfin at 4:18 PM on August 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
Jennifer Jason Leigh not only overshadowed her, but was also a stone-cold-lock first-ballot Movie Nudity Hall of Famer based on this movie ALONE.
posted by delfin at 4:18 PM on August 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
Mr. Hand rules.
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:45 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by Lyme Drop at 4:45 PM on August 16, 2022 [6 favorites]
“That was my skull dude… Mr. Hand?”
Just watched a bunch of this a couple of nights ago. So cringe.
posted by Windopaene at 4:55 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just watched a bunch of this a couple of nights ago. So cringe.
posted by Windopaene at 4:55 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
I'm sure that folks here will remind me how problematic this film is, and how it didn't age well. And they would be right. But I still love it and quote it fairly often with my high school buds.
posted by sundrop at 5:40 PM on August 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by sundrop at 5:40 PM on August 16, 2022 [4 favorites]
(Thank you Dr. Stelline.)
posted by 517 at 7:53 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by 517 at 7:53 PM on August 16, 2022 [1 favorite]
As a young teen boy of course I remember loving this movie for the Phoebe Cates pool scene. But, I also remember the odd feeling that there were serious, "adult" things being talked about that I didn't really understand at the time. Like I wasn't supposed to be seeing it, even more than the nudity. I think I need to revisit this as an adult.
posted by HumanComplex at 6:42 AM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by HumanComplex at 6:42 AM on August 17, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm sure that folks here will remind me how problematic this film is, and how it didn't age well.
[comes crashing in through the window] Here's the recent thread on the purple, with my comment near the top. I mean... if it's an 80s movie, especially one prominently featuring and/or aimed at teenagers, and it has absolutely nothing problematic about it, is it really an 80s teen movie? You know? (There have actually been a bunch mentioned on the purple recently.) No reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater, although I do think that there are some that we can set aside. FTARH seems generally fine.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:15 AM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
[comes crashing in through the window] Here's the recent thread on the purple, with my comment near the top. I mean... if it's an 80s movie, especially one prominently featuring and/or aimed at teenagers, and it has absolutely nothing problematic about it, is it really an 80s teen movie? You know? (There have actually been a bunch mentioned on the purple recently.) No reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater, although I do think that there are some that we can set aside. FTARH seems generally fine.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:15 AM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
So many future stars came out of Fast Times, except for who I consider the lead, Brian Backer (Mark Ratner). Maybe that's what happens when you play the quiet straight man. (See Gary Sandy in WKRP for another example.)
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 10:08 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Furnace of Doubt at 10:08 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
Jennifer Jason Leigh's character is named Stacy, and the "Stacy's Mom" video is an homage to the movie, but I don't think they're the same Stacy.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:13 AM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:13 AM on August 17, 2022 [3 favorites]
I was today years old when I realized that Jennifer Jason Leigh shows much more skin than Phoebe Cates, and yet it's the latter that everyone remembers.
posted by Melismata at 11:18 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 11:18 AM on August 17, 2022 [1 favorite]
"When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV." -Mike Damone
The part that always stands out to me about this is not the quote, but the fact that the kid messes it up in the very next scene, where you hear "Kashmir" playing from Physical Graffiti.
posted by Brak at 3:01 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
The part that always stands out to me about this is not the quote, but the fact that the kid messes it up in the very next scene, where you hear "Kashmir" playing from Physical Graffiti.
posted by Brak at 3:01 PM on August 17, 2022 [4 favorites]
There was supposed to be full frontal nudity of Damone shown from Jennifer Jason Leigh's characters point of view to show how threatening that is for a young woman, but the studio heads wouldn't have it. Citing the Unspooled interview listed above.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:02 PM on August 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
"...to show how threatening that is for a young woman" you mean to show how threarening some people may perceive it to be. To asume that it is generally threatening is misandristic.
posted by 517 at 9:14 PM on August 18, 2022
posted by 517 at 9:14 PM on August 18, 2022
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posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 12:47 PM on August 16, 2022 [5 favorites]