Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the 1982 subplot-stacked classic penned by Cameron Crowe and helmed by Amy Heckerling, was revived on Thursday night by way of a live reading featuring a guy who most certainly should have bagged an Oscar for Honey Boy: Shia LaBeouf.
LaBeouf was aboard the COVID-19 relief benefit in the role of Jeff Spicoli, the stoner archetype played by Sean Penn in the original movie. While a litany of headlines have focused on the low-hanging fruit of exes Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt taking part in the livestream, the real takeaway here is that no one does scene-stealing quite like LaBeouf.
The performance saw the always-dedicated LaBeouf incorporating the use of fittingly neon-tinged glasses, a believably stoned manner of speaking, and a marijuana-based item that certainly appeared to not be a mere prop. LaBeouf's take on Spicoli was joined in the hour-long benefit special by Morgan Freeman, Ray Liotta, Jimmy Kimmel, John Legend, Julia Roberts, Matthew McConaughey, the aforementioned Pitt, the also-aforementioned Aniston, and more.
The well-worth-your-time livestream was conducted in support of CORE’s coronavirus relief efforts, which are aimed at the protection of vulnerable communities, as well as the Reform Alliance. Donations up to $25,000 were matched by sponsor SnackPop. If a Spicoli 2020 T-shirt is of interest, you can buy one of those here. Each tee purchase will help CORE provide free COVID-19 testing.
And as we head into another quarantine weekend, there's no better way to shake off the week's responsibilities than with a celebration of LaBeouf's performance:
