Pulp Fiction :: Eric Stoltz :: Fast Times at Ridgemont High

From one stoner role to another, I'm connecting Eric Stoltz from Pulp Fiction where he played John Travolta's drug dealer and the guy who helps revive an overdosing Uma Thurman - to his role in Fast Times at Ridgemont High where he played one of Jeff Spicoli's stoner buddies.

No shirt. No shoes. No dice.

I grew up in the 80's, but never saw Fast Times until I was in college... I was too young to see it in theaters, and I suppose my older brother had never taped it off of HBO (which was how I got exposed to most other 70's and early 80's classics).

Sure, Fast Times looks dated, and you could dismiss it for the clothing styles, music, and mall-culture references that plant it firmly in 1982. You could also dismiss it as a stupid teen comedy or a stoner film. But still every time I watch it I'm impressed by the real issues that the characters have to go through, especially Stacy (Jennifer Jason Leigh). While most teen comedies revel in the "Yeah! Let's get laid!" mentality, Fast Times actually tackles how teenagers can get scared and confused about the realities of actually having sex and dealing with its consequences.

Plus, it's got Spicoli. Come on, there may not be a better stoner character on film. Sean Penn is great. And Mr. Hand as his nemesis is brilliant.

But who cares about any of that... It's got Phoebe Cates naked.

The Commitments :: Bronagh Gallagher :: Pulp Fiction

So Bronagh Gallagher isn't a huge name to start with for a connection, but like I said, the Commitments doesn't really have any big names in it, so I have to start somewhere.

She played the short-haired backup singer, Bernie McGloughlin, in The Commitments. In Pulp Fiction, she's Trudi, the friend of drug dealer Eric Stoltz's wife (the one without "all the shit in her face" as Travolta puts it in the movie).

I had rented Reservoir Dogs (or more likely had "borrowed" it without paying from the convenience/video store where I worked... don't worry I returned it) and loved the movie, so was excited when Quentin Tarantino's second movie was about to hit theaters. I didn't realize at the time that Pulp Fiction isn't exactly a good date movie, so I took my girlfriend Emily Safford to see it. I don't remember if she enjoyed herself or not, but I was floored. The retro soundtrack. The haircuts on Travolta and Sam Jackson. The fascinating dialogue. The interlacing stories. Drug use. Jack Rabbit Slim's. Christopher Walken. Marvin's head. Uma Thurman's overdose. Ezekiel 25:17. The Gimp. I had no idea what the hell I had just seen, but I knew I wanted more.

Pulp Fiction is by no means a perfect movie. (I usually find myself fast forwarding through large portions of the Bruce Willis part.) But it without a doubt changed my idea of what movies were allowed to do.