Fast Times and Excellent Adventures

'Brilliant' Mail on Sunday

Take a trip back to the era of troubled teens and awesome soundtracks; of Reagan rap and Ridgemont High; of MTV VHS and 'Axel F'; of outsiders lost boys and dead poets; of Bill and Ted Brooke Shields and the Brat Pack; of three Porky's two Coreys and one summer when everyone called her Baby . . .

Fast Times and Excellent Adventures goes behind the scenes of a genre where cult hits mingled with studio blockbusters where giants like Spielberg and Coppola rubbed shoulders with baby-faced first-timers and where ambitious future superstars Sean Demi and Tom all got their big break. Music comedy and politics - all play a part in the surprisingly complex history of the '80s teen movie. And while the films might have been aimed primarily at adolescents the best tackle universal issues and remain a magnet to all ages. Time of your life huh kid?

From a late '70s Hollywood in flux to an early '90s indie scene that gave youth cinema a timely reboot respected film expert James King smartly highlights the personal struggles the social changes and the boardroom shake-ups that produced an iconic time in movie history.