Stranger Things Season 4 California Story Has a Fast Times Movie Vibe
Stranger Things season 4 stars Charlie Heaton and Eduardo Franco describe the California storyline as being very similar to the 1982 coming-of-age comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Releasing nearly three years after season 3, the upcoming season of Netflix's supernatural-horror series finds the heroes of Hawkins, Indiana separated as they try to continue their lives after the Battle of Starcourt. With Jim Hopper (David Harbour) imprisoned in Kamchatka, Russia and Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) having lost her powers, a new threat emerges that will yet again threaten the lives of the citizens of Hawkins.
Based on the book of the same name by Cameron Crowe, Fast Times at Ridgemont High tells the stories of a variety of students at a Californian high school as they deal with the intricacies of teenage life in the early '80s. Although the film did not fare too well at the box office, Fast Times gained cult status with its releases on home media and television. In 2005, the film was selected by the Library of Congress to be preserved in the United States National Film Registry for its cultural significance.
In a virtual set visit during the filming of Stranger Things season 4 last year, Screen Rant participated in a group interview involving Franco and Heaton, who described the upcoming California story like that of Fast Times at Ridgemont High. When comparing the Hawkins location to having a Nightmare on Elm Street vibe, the actors were asked if their California-based story was inspired by films like Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. Read on for what Heaton and Frano had to say:
Eduardo Franco: Yeah, it's supposed to be exactly that - ET, that vibe. Like Charlie said, we still haven't gotten around [to filming] yet. Hopefully we do, that would be great. I'd love to be a part of the show! But yeah, it's that. It's so different from what's been shown in the previous [seasons].
Charlie Heaton: I don't think we've explored this theme in our show so far. Obviously, over the years, it's varied but it was always an '80s nostalgia where this is a different kind of take on the main representation.
Eduardo: Fast Times
Charlie Heaton: Fast Times! Yeah. Lord of the Flies.
With the Duffer brothers, the Stranger Things' creators, leaning heavily into their 1980s influences with each season, it would be no surprise that one of the biggest teen comedies of the decade would be an inspiration. Franco described the upcoming California scenes as being something unlike anything the show has done before. At the end of season 3, Eleven is placed under the care of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) and was relocated, along with the entire Byers family, to California for their protection. The Byers family must adjust to a new life, complete with all the hardships of integrating into a new school as well as growing into adulthood at the same time.
Franco is slated to play a new character named Argyle in Stranger Things season 4, and although details on how he fits into the story are scarce, he is described as a stoner similar to that of Sean Penn's role of Jeff Spicoli in Fast Times. The loyal-but-constantly-high best friend who also holds a deep philosophical outlook on life has been a staple in many teen high school comedies, a character clearly molded by Penn's iconic role. If Stranger Things season 4 can emulate the unique experience that was Fast Times at Ridgemont High, then fans will be in for a treat.