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Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Metascore
67 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 13 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
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  1. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    100
    Amy Heckerling’s portrait of high school/shopping mall life in Southern California is still just about as good as it gets...The panoply of teen types and turmoils is dead-on accurate.
  2. New Times (L.A.)
    Reviewed by: Luke Y. Thompson
    100
    Perfectly capturing the zeitgeist of American high school life in the '80s, complete with a Rubik's cube reference, the funny and occasionally harsh Fast Times, with all due apologies to John Hughes and Mickey Rooney, may be the greatest teen movie ever made (even though Cates was the only real teen).
  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    90
    A Trojan horse of a teen comedy that balanced lowbrow gags with subtle humor, genuine insight—Crowe spent a year undercover as a high-school student—and pathos.
  4. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Brad Laidman
    80
    Sean Penn's scenes are still so stunning...His Jeff Spicoli is an unabashed kick every second he is on the screen.
  5. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Rick Groen
    75
    If the publicity release can be believed, he worked an entire year "undercover as a student to research teenage life". On the basis of what surfaces here - one stock phrase (the kids say "Go for it]" a lot) and a multitude of stock characters - Crowe might better have spent the time curled up with re-runs of Ozzie and Harriet. Give this intrepid researcher 12 months at General Motors and he might just discover the wheel.
  6. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Pauline Kael
    70
    I was surprised at how not-bad it is. It may fall into the category of youth-exploitation movies, but it isn't assaultive, and it's certainly likable. [1 Nov 1982, p.146]
    All this critic's reviews
  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    The film's most memorable character is the perpetually stoned surfer played by Sean Penn. His confrontations with Mr. Hand (Walston), a draconian history teacher, provide the film's finest moments.
  8. Variety
    Reviewed by: Staff (Not Credited)
    60
    The nice thing is that Crowe and director Amy Heckerling have provided something pleasant to observe in all of these characters though they really are sadly lacking in anything gripping.
  9. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Elvis Mitchell
    50
    There's a lot to make [Heckerling's] film likeable, but not much to hold it together. [3 Sept 1982, p.C6]
    All this critic's reviews
  10. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joy Gould Boyum
    50
    At least the film has a sense of humor and a degree of energy... [but the] film never carries any of its characters or situations much beyond weary cliche. [10 Sept 1982, p.29(E)]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    50
    Never all it was cracked up to be.
  12. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    40
    Heckerling lacks the intuition to let things flow. The actors seem rushed and the scenes incomplete. For instance, Stacy and her brother Brad (Reinhold) almost build a poignant scene outside the abortion clinic. Just when they're about to show us their stuff, poof, it's off for a car crash or a football game. [13 Aug 1982]
    All this critic's reviews
  13. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Richard Harrington
    30
    It's an uninspired blend, integrating the boys from "Porky's" and the girls from "Foxes" into a vehicle resembling the worst of "American Graffiti" and the best of "Rock and Roll High School." [13 Aug 1982]
    All this publication's reviews
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