Sean Penn’s Classic 1982 Raunchy Coming-Of-Age Movie Is Leaving Netflix Very Soon

Sean Penn may not be the first actor who comes to mind when thinking over the history of funny movie performances. Indeed, Penn’s reputation is as the most serious of thespians, and his is a well-earned one, built upon award-caliber work in heavy-hitting dramas like Dead Man Walking, Mystic River and Milk. But in fact, Penn’s long and impressive filmography is peppered with roles that have seen him shifting gears from drama to comedy, sometimes with memorable results.

Penn’s co-starring turn with then-wife Madonna in Shanghai Surprise may have been an early disaster, but the star kept on scratching his comedy itch nonetheless, starring alongside Robert De Niro in the remake We’re No Angels. Letting his funny side out finally paid off for Penn in terms of awards love, when his performance as a self-absorbed jazz guitarist in Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown garnered an Oscar nomination. More recently, Penn played an over-the-hill Hollywood actor in Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedy-leaning Licorice Pizza.

Penn’s Fast Times At Ridgemont High Is Leaving Netflix Soon

December 31 Is Its Last Day On The Streamer

Fast Times at Ridgemont High has departed Netflix. Rolling Stone writer (and future filmmaker) Cameron Crowe famously went undercover at a real San Diego-area high school as research for his book of the same name. Crowe then adapted his book into a script, which was brought to life on-screen by director Amy Heckerling. The resulting film went on to be a sleeper hit, a critical favorite with a 78% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, and, ultimately, a 1980s classic.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High has retained its status as a beloved ‘80s coming-of-age tale, but the movie won’t be available on Netflix, as it left the streamer on December 31. It’s yet to be seen where the raunchy comedy will stream in 2025.

Our Take On Fast Times At Ridgemont High Leaving Netflix

Penn Fans Might Want To Pick A New Streamer

The Fast Times cast is legendarily stacked, featuring future stars like Phoebe Cates, Judge Reinhold, Nicolas Cage, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Forest Whitaker. However, Penn was arguably the biggest break-out name in the movie, thanks to his hilarious performance as oblivious stoner Jeff Spicoli. Penn’s portrayal proved influential, setting a template for movie potheads that is still being copied to this day.

Penn indeed demonstrated his comedy chops early on, but his Spicoli performance would prove atypical, as he quickly pivoted to hard-hitting drama. Today, Penn finds his name in the news more for his political stances than his acting work, but he still makes his way into the occasional movie. In 2024, Penn co-starred with Dakota Johnson in the drama Daddio, which found itself at the center of controversy after Quantas Airlines showed the R-rated film on a flight, angering passengers.

Daddio is an intriguing latter-day Penn movie, and with Fast Times at Ridgemont High exiting the streamer, it’s about to be the only option for Netflix subscribers looking for his work. There’s nothing shocking about the scarcity of older Penn movies on the service, given the general lack of classic titles in its lineup. As for more recent Penn movies, the actor’s diminished workload means he doesn’t have as much to choose from for a service like Netflix. A few Penn movies are bound to rotate through in the future, but for now, Penn’s fans who use Netflix are out of luck.

Source: Netflix