He made his mark as a teen prodigy writing rock crit for Rolling Stone, until he went back to highschool in his 20s to do research on teen life (seems he didn't have one since he spent his teens hanging around the likes of Led Zeppelin). Anyhow, here's my three cents on his movies:
Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982): The absolute pinaccle of that much-maligned genre, the teen flick. In a word - AWESOME, DUDE! Sean Penn's Jeff Spicoli character spawned a generation of dumbass burnouts - Bill & Ted, the hopeless Pauly Shore, Beavis & Butthead even. And Phoebe Cates steals the picture with several infamous scenes revolving around sex - particularly the one with the carrot (and the one that immortalizes the Cars' "Moving In Stereo" - gawd, I will never hear that song again without thinking of that scene; if you've seen it, neither will you). Plus it quotes Cheap Trick and Van Halen, dude. And yes, Side Two of Led Zeppelin IV works every time.
Grade: A
The Wild Life (1984): There are mysteries in this universe only vaguely comprehended by research physicists and inner members of the Psychic Friends Network, and this movie is one of them. Did the same Cameron Crowe direct this generic teen flick crap? This is Fast Times without the wit or charm: you know you're in for a secondhand turkey when Chris Penn reprises his elder brother's role as a clueless stoner jerk. Its cultural legacy comprised of helping initiate head butting as a trend among the young, drunk, and stupid.
Grade: C-
Say Anything (1989): After churning out two teen party movies in the early '80s, Crowe settled into the second phase of his career: crafting sickeningly sweet romances for modern singles. The first one is by far the best, and really a wonderful film. John Cusack was born to play his best ever role as Lloyd Dobbler, playing every 18-year-old girl's platonic ideal of the perfect boyfriend (and I do mean "platonic" in both senses). Cusack is so good he overshadows all the other main actors, even Ione Skye, and that guy who plays the father on Fraiser; heck, his performance even overshadows Crowe's script. Auteur theory blown to shreds.
Grade: A-
Singles (1992): Two types of people were attracted to this movie: those who came for the music, and those who came for a nice date flick. And both were satisfied. Best part about the musical subplot: the scene in which the members of the grunge band read their scathing reviews in the local papers. Best scenes of the "singles" plot: a)when Bridget Fonda accidently engages in phone sex with a guy who isn't her boyfriend; b)the subplot revolving around Fonda's attempted breast enlargement (especially when she turns on the TV and is bombarded with images of big bosomed women. I bet a lot of flat-chested women related to that scene quite a bit). Very funny movie.
Grade: A-
Jerry Maguire (1996): The last two films Crowe made were kinda sappy, but this is ridiculous. Sure, it's entertaining, and I hold nothing against Frank Capra for inventing the strictures for this form of motion picture. Renee Zwellager (spell?) is cute, and Tom Cruise plays, well, Tom Cruise (has he ever played anyone else?). Tugs at my heartstrings in too many manipulative ways, though. This is a fine, crafted movie of its sort, but where is the Crowe of old? Can I hear Jeff Spicoli saying, "This maturity stuff, man, it's a drag"? No head butting, but plenty of on field football injuries, and Cruise gets karate kicked by an ex who's not taking their breakup very well.
Grade: B-