Intended as a loose follow up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Wild Life brought back writer Cameron Crowe and had producer Art Linson take over the director's chair for yet another slice of 80s teenage confusion as it follows a group of recently graduated, and soon to graduate, high schoolers who are trying to eke out their own identity, deal with relationships, and (in some cases) avoid thinking about the future altogether. It's a sadly forgotten teen comedy/drama, with a cool musical score co-written by guitar maestro Eddie Van Halen, that hits many of the same notes as Fast Times only with more raunchiness while still maintaining its character development - something a lot of 80s teen flicks didn't really bother with.

Taking over from his brother Sean in the title role, Christopher Penn plays the fast-talking slacker Tom who doesn't seem very interested in progressing beyond hanging-out, his bowling alley job, and partying. This not only upsets his girlfriend Eileen (Jenny Wright) who wants a commitment but also his best friend Bill (Eric Stoltz) who has to deal with his behaviour while trying to become a responsible adult by getting his own place and save money to go to College. Also in the mix is Bill's ex-girlfriend, Anita (Lea Thompson) that's seeing an older, married, police officer and his younger brother Jim (Ilan Mitchell-Smith) who is obsessed with the Vietnam War and coasting through his evenings getting up to minor juvenile delinquencies.

It's on this base of characters that Crowe takes us through the ups-and-downs of one summer in their lives fleshing-out realistic characters but not forgetting to add in the "Wild Life" of the title throwing in a bar brawl at a strip club and a finale that trots out over-the-top party mayhem - including a Michael Jackson look-a-like drinking Pepsi in a not-so-subtle joke about Jackson's hair setting on fire earlier in the year while filming a commercial for the sugary soda.

What makes The Wild Life work better than it should can not just be credited to Crowe's more mature approach to the material but also the film's young cast who handle it extremely well. While Penn doesn't quite reach the insane level of his brother's portrayal of Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times, and having to say the film's attempt at creating a catch phrase of "It's Casual" numerous times, he's still pretty likeable in the lead with Stoltz and Mitchell-Smith (Weird Science) are solid, Wright is incredibly cute, and Thompson plays yet another girl next door type much like she would in Back to the Future and Howard the Duck (possibly why I had such a huge crush on her back then). It's also worth noting a side role from Rick Moranis ("SCTV", Ghostbusters) as Eillen's lustful co-worker, Randy Quaid as a haunted Vietnam Veteran, and it's hard not to mention Ashley St. Jon's lithe naked body as one of the featured strippers at the club - the other being Kitten Nativdad (Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens) and her 42D cannons.

I remember first seeing The Wild Life on late-night television around the time when goofy humour, and seeing naked women, was something that appealed immensely to my hormone-riddled pubescent self. All these years later, I'm still akin to silliness and skin but, back then, I didn't catch on to the subtle maturity in Crowe's script. This is basically a coming-of-age story hung on the framework of a T&A sex comedy and even if its cut from much of the same cloth as their previous effort, Crowe and Linson deliver another entertaining time capsule of American teenage life in 1984. It's the kind of flick I'll always stop and watch if I happen to come across it on cable and one that definitely deserves to see a DVD release sometime in the near future. (Chris Hartley, 6/3/10)

Directed By: Art Linson.
Written By: Cameron Crowe.

Starring: Christopher Penn, Lea Thompson, Eric Stoltz, Jenny Wright.