“Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” August 15

Friday, August 15, 8 p.m.

Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL

Presented as the official back-to-school pick in the venue's Garden Cinema series, the 1982 cult classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High enjoys an August 15 showing at Rock Island's Rozz-Tox, the film praised by Richard Roepner as a work that "continues to resonate as a substantial time capsule of the period," and that stands as "the best ribald teen comedy ever made."

Directed by Amy Heckerling in her feature directorial debut, the movie's screenplay was written by future Almost Famous Oscar winner Cameron Crowe, and was based on his 1981 book Fast Times at Ridgemont High: A True Story, a work for which Crowe went undercover as a student at San Diego's Clairemont High School in subsequently wrote about his experiences. The film chronicles a school year in the lives of underclassmen Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and Mark Ratner (Brian Backer), and their older friends Linda Barrett (Phoebe Cates) and Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), both of whom believe themselves wiser in the ways of romance than their younger counterparts. The ensemble cast of characters form two subplots, with Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn), a perpetually stoned surfer facing off against history teacher Mr. Hand (Ray Walston), and Stacy's older brother Brad (Judge Reinhold), a popular senior who works in entry-level jobs to pay for his car. Beyond the aforementioned actors, Fast Times marks early appearances by several others who later became stars, including Nicolas Cage, Eric Stoltz, Forest Whitaker, and Anthony Edwards, the first two in their feature-film debuts.

Although early reviews were mixed, Heckerling's and Crowe's box-office hit was increasingly seen as a classic, and in an essay written for the Criterion Collection edition in 2021, critic Dana Stevens wrote, "Fast Times is the polar opposite of exploitation. Deep in its horny heart, this is the story of one fifteen-year-old girl's clumsy and sometimes painful introduction to the world of sex, related without judgment or preconception or the least hint of sentimentalization. Heckerling's film is a raunchy crowd-pleaser replete with stoner humor, a masturbation gag, and a blow-job tutorial that makes use of school-cafeteria carrots. But it is also attuned to the emotional lives of teenagers – girls and boys – in ways that place it far ahead of its time." Crowe's screenplay was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Adapted from Another Medium, and Fast Times ranks number 15 on Bravo's "100 Funniest Movies" and number two on Entertainment Weekly's list of the "50 Best High School Movies." In 2005, the film was also selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

For the August 15 screening of Fast Times at Ridgegmont High, guests are advised to bring blankets or lawn chairs and not bring their own food or drink, as the service window will be open. The 9 p.m. screening of the R-rated film will be held in the back garden, weather permitting, admission to the event for ages 17 and older is free, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 and visiting RozzTox.com.