The ‘80s were witness to numerous films that featured young adults as the main protagonists, including beloved standouts such as Pretty in Pink, and Sixteen Candles. Amy Hecklerings 1982 Fast Times at Ridgemont High follows the lives of various high school students, however, it refrains from being more than just any coming of age story. The film is often regarded as a silly comedy due to the class stoner character, Jeff Spicoli, who is played by Sean Penn, and at times, seems to be the movies most memorable attribute. However, Fast Times at Ridgemont High steps up where others do not, by delivering a movie told largely by the female perspective. We as spectators are use to watching movies through the male gaze, in which women are presented through the lens of a heterosexual male- in short, they are often viewed as objects of pleasure instead of people. At the end of the movies opening sequence, we are first introduced to our main protagonist, 15-year-old Stacey Hamilton, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Stacey and her coworkers-who are all female-notice an older man who has entered their workplace and use phrases like, “look at his cute butt” to describe this man. Here, it is suggested that this film will be through the female perspective, and as the story progresses with Stacy engaging in sexual activity,it makes it all the more evident. It is common to see men take the active role of seeking out sex, they are the ones to pursue women, whether it is ‘80s comedies or action films of today. In Fast Times at Ridgemont High it is Stacey playing the more dominant role, initiating sex with three different men during the movie; the older man from her work, Mark Ratner, Mike Damone played by Brian Backer and Robert Romanus. The movie also takes on a non-judmental role when it comes to sex. Stacey, and her friend Linda Barrett, portrayed by Phoebe Cates, enjoy several candid conversations about their sex life, the two women never demeaning one another. Though, it is arguably how the sex is portrayed which is the most “revolutionary” when it comes to adolescent female perspective. In an interview conducted by Susan Wloszczyna, for the website known as Roger Ebert Interviews, Fast Times at Ridgemont High director Amy Heckerling commented this: “There is this physical drive towards having sex and, initially, it is not always the most amazing thing in the world. And your mind wanders.” This is exactly how Stacey’s first sexual encounter goes, viewed entirely from her perspective. Many movies aimed toward the teenage audience work to depict a young couple’s loss of virginity as romantic, yet in the case of Stacey, it is the opposite. There is a medium shot of Stacey, her face in obvious discomfort, and as her mind wanders during the encounter we see shots of the grubby dugout pit. There is graffiti on the wall, the place is filthy from dirt, and the dugout is illuminated by a harsh overhead lighting. With Mike Damone, the camera focused only on Stacey's face during as opposed to her and Mike’s face, which would have made the scene feel as if the two were more in sync with one another. Instead, we only see her face, and after Mike leaves there is a shot of Stacey laying naked on the sofa the two making it painfully obvious that Stacey is dissatisfied with her second sexual experience. Of course, an essential part of presenting a film through the female perspective is the depiction of the female characters. In 1977 Women&Film magazine published a piece which outlined the certain roles that women were always casted in; wife, mother, virgin, and whore. These roles are neat tiny boxes, leaving little room for overlap between the four stereotypes, and is often referred to as the “virgin-whore dichotomy.” Yes, stereotypes do originate from some truth yet they “serve oppressive ends, usually by categorizing people in objectifying ways that demean their individuality.” (Nichols, 399). The harm is that female characters are restricted to being just one thing, a singular quality is played up to substitute for a personality. As stated, the movie’s stance towards Staceys sex life is non-judgmental, and she is presented as a good student, a good daughter, yet a young women who is eager to engage in sexual activity-and she is not shamed for it. She is allowed to be more than just one thing, she is both the “virgin and the whore,” presenting as a fully formed character. What does happen, though, is real-life consquences which come when having sex with Mike without the use of protection. Here may be an example of qualities associated with the virgin stereotype, such as innocence, as this may show her lack of knowledge when it comes to sex. However, Stacey proceeds to charge of the narrative, which challenges the role of virgin, in which the woman is seen a helpless, naive, and often needs to be saved. Stacey confronts Mike about being pregnant, and Mike tries to blow her off casually by suggesting it is her fault because “she wanted to have sex.” Stacey instantly takes a stand, telling Mike bluntly that Mike“wanted it more than her,” to which Mike cannot rebut. There is then a moment in which the movie differentiates from other teen movies, as Mike suggests an abortion, and it is Staceys agrees. Initially, it is Mike who brings up the idea, yet when he fails to show up for the abortion process and help pay the fine, Stacey does not think twice about taking matters into her own hands and goes through the process, paying for the whole of it. Beyond the presentation of its female characters, Fast Times at Ridgemont High also takes steps in the questioning the typical masculine men seen in movies, an interesting dynamic shown between the two friends Mark, and Mike. Mark has what are considered more feminine qualities than Mike, at times being more open about his emotions then the other male characters. In one scene, Mark professes his love for Stacey, to which Mikee replies, “Stop being such a wuss,” as Mike believes that Marks only relationship with Stacey should be a sexual one. Though there is nothing inherently wrong with this, Mike comes across as the masculine stereotype who shows few emotions as he considers them a sign of weakness, which is seen in his comment to Mark. He is the smooth-talking, confident, male who only looks for sex in girls, and tries to mold Mark into being the same. Mark, however, does want more than just sex, which is made evident when he denies Staceys sexual advances. Stacey takes this as disinterest in her, which stems from the larger belief that men’s interest is determined by if they want to have sex with you. Frequently through movies, masculine men are the ones who are rewarded, and if they do not start as so, and a huge portion of their character arc is becoming more masculine. In films like Back to the Future George Mcfly only gets the girl when he starts to act more masculine, before, women took no interest in him. However, Fast Times at Ridgemont High ends with Mark and Stacey ending as a couple, despite Mark not changing from his more feminine self, while challenging the idea that men only want sex. Mike however, instead of being celebrated for his masculine traits, they are ultimately what gets him into trouble. His lack of consideration is what allows him to sleep with Stacey, almost ending his one true friendship with Mark. In addition, once Linda finds out that Mike did not show up for Stacey’s abortion, she ruins his car and locker by spray painting “little prick” on them,while being the one who we suspect told Mark about Mike and Stacey having sex. Withing Fast Times at Ridgemont High there is no denying that it is not a perfect film when it comes to representation, there is a lack of people of color and individuals who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. However, the movie differentiates itself from those like it as the time, by its progress in showcasing fully developed female characters, and the brief exploration of non-masculine male characters. Though underappreciated, the movie was a huge step forward in the portrayal of female and male characters, especially those navigating their way to adulthood. Works Cites /@shaynamurphy. “On Sex, Feminism And Growing Up With 'Fast Times At Ridgemont High'.” Medium, Medium, 22 Sept. 2017, medium.com/@shaynamurphy/on-sex-feminism-and-growing-up-with-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-716a904b0bb. Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 13 Aug. 1982, www.imdb.com/title/tt0083929/. Nichols, Bill. Engaging Cinema: an Introduction to Film Studies. W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. VanderHoff, Kerri. “Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Porky ’ s: Gender Perspective in the Teen Comedy.” McNairs Scholars Journal , 2005. Wloszczyna, Susan. “Amy Heckerling On.” RogerEbert.com, www.rogerebert.com/interviews/amy-heckerling-on-fast-times-at-ridgemont-high-cluesless-and-more.
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Film 100 was an especially exciting class for me as I finally pursued my interest in film. Here you will find film analysis essays discussing various film theories.
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