In the 1980s, high school was actually more boring than we remember, but “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” (1982) has been adopted as one of the definitive stories of my generation. So many scenes have been permanently absorbed into pop culture, they are too numerous to list (everyone my age has their favorites). The abortion and stoner subplots made it a controversial film at the time – and not worth an argument with my mom – so I didn’t see it in its entirety until several years after it came out. By then, I’d heard all the spoilers, but it didn’t matter.
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Even though, it’s called “Shag” (1989) it’s not some kind of Austin Powers prequel. Instead, it’s a celebration of white privilege and unlawful sexual conduct in 1960s South Carolina. It tries to capture the vibe of a 1960s teenybopper flick. It achieves the goal in that it’s just as awful as they were. There’s implausible whirlwind romance, dopey characters, lousy dialogue and the inevitably climactic dance contest. I suspect Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda and Annabeth Gish sometimes gather in the woods late at night to sip wine and burn VHS copies of this film. Maybe they shag around the bonfire.
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