Nice stems.

This film, directed by the underappreciated Amy Heckerling, is silly, fun, visually interesting, and, most importantly,… kind.

Heckerling is a filmmaker who cares about her characters. The screenplay is full of snide remarks, laughable characters, and horrible situations for people to be in, yet she never comes off as mean or vindictive. She’s simply a filmmaker evaluating youth in all its naivety, large emotions, and need to grow up despite being “sophomores”.

This is the same hand with which she directs her actors in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, a movie that similarly focuses on youth culture that is seemingly gross and wild but in actuality is led by fear and uncertainty.

She is so empathetic in the way she portrays her characters and how she only wants the best for them, almost as if she’s grabbing Cher and telling her, “I know you’re confused. I am too, and that doesn’t change with being an adult. What does change is how we relate to the world and others around us. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean we should make it harder. The only way we get through this… is together.”

Once again, I love this movie. It's funny, it warms my heart, and I love all the happy endings for all of its characters, protagonists, and antagonists alike.