Cast and Crew: Amy Heckerling (Director); Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Phoebe Cates, Vincent Schiavelli, Forest Whitaker, Amanda Wyss, Eric Stoltz, Nicholas Cage, Taylor Negron

What It’s About: Based on the book of the same title written by Cameron Crowe reporting his year undercover in a San Diego high school, Fast Times at Ridgemont High chronicles a year in the life of a group of high school students. 

Why Watch it Today?: The final exam in Mr. Hand’s (Ray Walston) history class is today, June 3rd.  Fast Times at Ridgemont High is one of the rare high school comedies that mostly gets the feel of what it’s like to be a high school student right, even if the early 1980s cultural references are now quite dated ( “Can you honestly tell me that you forgot? Forgot the magnetism of Robin Zander or the charisma of Rick Nielsen?” ).  The cast is jam-packed with soon-to-be-famous young faces.