Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 25, 2021

Amy Heckerling's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new program with Olivia Wilde, Amy Heckerling, and Cameron Crowe; archival Q&A session; the longer TV version of the film; and more. Also included with the release is an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dana Stevens and a new introduction by Cameron Crowe, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If you started arguing that Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a great comedy, maybe even one of the greatest that the ‘80s produced, a lot of people will wholeheartedly agree with you. After all, this film does have some pretty darn funny moments that aren’t easy to forget, so your take on it would not exactly be controversial. But what if your take is, well, incomplete? What if the funny is only a small fraction of what makes the film good? Have you ever considered such a possibility?

Is there a good reason you should have?

Instead of giving you a simple answer, I would like to point you in the right direction with a few more questions. Do you identify with one of the main characters in the film? If you answered yes, why? Also, do you think that everything this character experiences throughout the film qualifies to be described as ‘funny’?

I wanted you to ponder the above questions because I am convinced that neither director Amy Heckerling nor screenwriter Cameron Crowe intended for the film to be a conventional comedy. Indeed, there are just too many clues that point to the funny as being a classic cinematic smoke screen, and once you see through it, viewing the film becomes a completely different experience. There is an excellent chance that from time to time you will still laugh, but I guarantee that once the final credits roll you won’t think of it only as a ‘great comedy from the ‘80s’.

The biggest clue is that every single character is scarred in a way that does not seem right for a silly funny film. Stacy Hamilton (Jennifer Jason Leigh), for instance, has to consider an urgent trip to the local hospital after a few rushed dates make her realize that there is a big difference between love and sex. Despite being a hardworking and loyal employee, the older and supposedly smarter Brad Hamilton (Judge Reinhold) loses his lousy job over a lie, and then has a second illuminating experience after his new boss demeans him just as badly as his first boss does. Mark ‘Rat’ Ratner (Brian Backer) has another illuminating experience after he accidentally discovers that his good friend Mike Damone (Robert Romanus), whom he has defended for years, would not hesitate to stab him in the back if there is a good reason to do it. Also, there is something quite disturbing in the manner in which everyone seems perfectly fine observing how the harmless stoner Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn) is slowly but irreversibly drifting away from the real world and heading down a path that will eventually book him a date with the Grim Reaper.

The only way in which the smoke screen I mentioned earlier remains invisible is if you convince yourself that these characters were not modeled after real people and you can’t connect with them as you should. It is why I asked if you identify with one of them. If you do, you should instantly recognize that Heckerling and Crowe are focused on the destruction of naivety and innocence that typically occurs during the period that is captured in the film. Also, they examine how it happens. In fact, this is the reason why the film is so interesting to deconstruct because it feels almost manipulatively sincere. Ponder this: it is filled with jokes, pranks, great parties and terrific music; the teachers at Ridgemont High are either too friendly or too clueless to realize that they are constantly being played; and there are no curious parents around complicating the lives of their daughters and sons -- and yet, for some ‘strange’ reason, everyone gets scarred while the fun is on. Why is this happening? Because this is precisely how young people have some of the greatest lessons in their lives, while the fun is on and their best friends constantly remind them that nothing can possibly go wrong. It is all casual fun, until it no longer is.

*Also included on this release is the TV version of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which features some edited and alternate footage that is not present in the original theatrical version. The TV version is ninety-five minutes long (01.35.07), which means that it is approximately five minutes longer than the theatrical version.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Fast Times at Ridgemont High arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created in 16-bit 4K resolution on a Lasergraphics Director scanner from the 35mm original camera negative. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for jitter, flicker, and small dirt. The 5.1 surround soundtrack was created in 2004 by the Universal Studios Sound Department from the original 35mm DME magnetic track and the half-inch magnetic music masters. Additional restoration was performed by the Criterion Collection.

Transfer supervisor: Amy Heckerling.
Colorist: Lee Kline/Criterion Post, New York."

This upcoming release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was supervised and approved by director Amy Heckerling. I did some direct comparisons with the previous release of the film from Universal Pictures and I just want to tell you upfront that the upgrade in quality is so dramatic that addressing specific areas is essentially a waste of time. Indeed, on the previous release the film actually does not have any notable organic qualities -- it looks sharpened, harsh, and smeary; plus, there are color inconsistencies and anomalies that make the visuals appear awfully dated as well.

The new master boasts very nice delineation, clarity, and depth. Density levels are very strong as well, so if you view your films on a larger screen you will discover all sorts of different fine details and nuances that are lost on the previous release. Also, the new master is very nicely graded. Both the primaries and the supporting nuances look very healthy and nicely balanced. This being said, there are a couple of scenes where I felt that saturation levels should be slightly better, and I am quite certain that in native 4K they are. On the other hand, I think that the darker areas have plenty of subtle nuances that I would have expected to see in native 4K. (Together with everything else that I saw, this basically confirms my suspicion that this new 4K master will look incredible in native 4K). However, in a couple of indoor sequences I noticed that the grain becomes a tad looser than it should be, so a few minor encoding optimizations could have been used to strengthen its appearance. So, the new 4K master delivers the type of solid upgrade Fast Times at Ridgemont High desperately needed and its fans hoped would materialize. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

*Also included on this release is the TV version of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which features some edited and alternate footage that is not present in the original theatrical version of the film. The TV version is ninety-five minutes long (01.35.07), which means that it is approximately five minutes longer than the theatrical version. The TV version is presented in 1080p and has a Dolby Digital 1.0 audio track. There are no optional English SDH subtitles for it.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High has a top-notch soundtrack with great '80s hard rock tunes, so I had the volume on my system turned up a lot. I thought that the lossless track was outstanding. It had plenty of oomph (for a film from the era), great depth, and solid clarity and sharpness. Really, folks, it sounded fantastic on my system. (Check out the sequence where Sean Penn wrecks the racer). The dialog is clear and stable. There are no traces of annoying age-related imperfections.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Reliving Our "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" - this archival documentary focuses on the production and lasting appeal of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Included in it are clips from interviews with Amy Heckerling, Cameron Crowe, producer Art Linson, casting director Don Phillips, and actors Brian Backer, Sean Penn, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Eric Stoltz, Scott Thomson, and Ray Walston. The documentary was produced in 1999. In English, not subtitled. (40 min, 1080i).

• The TV Version - presented here is the TV version of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, which features some edited and alternate footage that is not present in the original theatrical version of the film. The TV version is ninety-five minutes long (01.35.07), which means that it is approximately five minutes longer than the theatrical version. The TV version is presented in 1080p, with Dolby Digital 1.0. There are no optional English SDH subtitles for it.

• Interviews -
  
  1. Olivia Wilde, Amy Heckerling, and Cameron Crowe -- in this new program, actress/director Olivia Wilde, Amy Heckerling, and Cameron Crowe discuss the book that inspired Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the development of the film, the unique characters that make it so interesting (and some key themes), as well as its lasting appeal. The program was produced in 2020. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Amy Heckerling - presented here is an archival audio session/Q&A session with Amy Heckerling that was recorded at the AFI in 1982. Mrs. Heckerling discusses the progression of her career as a writer/director, the genesis of Fast Times at Ridgemont High (with some very interesting comments about the editing of the film), the issue of "kids growing up too fast", the film industry and her relationship with Universal Pictures, etc. Audio only. In English, not subtitled. (48 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe in 1999. It has appeared on other home video releases of Fast Times at Ridgemont High.

• Booklet - 20-page illustrated booklet an illustrated leaflet featuring an essay by film critic Dana Stevens and a new introduction by Cameron Crowe, as well as technical credits.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Amy Heckerling and Cameron Crowe struck gold with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I used to think that it was just a wild teen comedy with an awesome soundtrack, but over the years I kept discovering minor nuances in its narrative that completely changed my perception of it. When recently I started reevaluating its characters, I also realized that their views on life were not as simplistic as I had thought, and perhaps just as relevant now as they were back in the '80s. If you think that this is a silly observation because what makes the film interesting is only the wild behavior of its characters, you should see it twenty or thirty years from now, when you are a little older and wiser, and pay close attention how all of them get permanently scarred while 'only' having fun. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release of Fast Times at Ridgemont High is sourced from a very solid exclusive new 4K master. It is a great upgrade, but I would have loved to have a 4K Blu-ray release as well. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.