Do you remember the era when every company was announcing their streaming services? It was a moment when it seemed like everyone wanted to prove they could do what Netflix does. Peacock was one of the services to come out, and all these years later, it’s still hanging around.
And, what’s more, Peacock actually has plenty of movies that are worth your time. If you’re looking for something to watch this August, Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a great place to start. This foundational teen movie is smarter and subtler than you remember. Here are three reasons you should check it out.
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It’s remarkably sensitive about each of its main characters
Although a lesser teen movie might paint some of its characters as heroes and others as villains, Fast Times instead presents each of its central characters as somewhere in between. There are characters who behave nobly and others who behave shamefully, but the movie never condemns anyone completely.
Mike Damone, the character who behaves the worst over the course of the movie, is ultimately revealed to be more pathetic than malevolent, a man who can’t own up to his actions and is also facing much more severe poverty than his classmates.
It features two all-time great young actor performances
Amy Heckerling’s casting work on Fast Times was impeccable across the board, but casting both Jennifer Jason Leigh and Sean Penn was a remarkable feat. If Fast Times has a lead, it’s Leigh, who is remarkably vulnerable as a young girl who is trying to navigate sexual relationships for the first time.
Meanwhile, Penn delivers the most iconic performance in the film despite his lack of screentime. Jeff Spicoli, the stoner who combats with his history teacher before ultimately coming to an understanding, is a genuinely hilarious character, but also one that Penn manages to imbue with some real pathos.
It works hard to avoid stereotypes
Fast Times has held up so well in the decades since its release. While many of the characters conform to the archetypes we’ve come to expect from teen movies, they also complicate them in interesting ways.
Spicoli is smarter and more introspective than you might expect, and the school’s popular girls are really just teenagers trying to figure things out. Crucially, this is also a movie that emphasizes that many teenagers have to work and that their jobs are often only manageable because they can hang out with one another.
You can watch Fast Times at Ridgemont High on Peacock.
