Plot Summary

At a school crossing, Stacy’s unnamed friend becomes fixated on her glamorous mother, played by Rachel Hunter. His fantasies unfold around the family’s suburban home: he imagines poolside encounters, a lawn massage, and a seductive kitchen dance, while Stacy remains convinced he is interested in her. The video builds toward a comic reveal modeled on Fast Times at Ridgemont High, as Stacy catches him spying on her mother in a bikini. Her laughter—and an “Ocupado” bathroom sign—deliver the final punchline.

Factoids & Trivia

Chris Applebaum directed the video, which was filmed in Los Angeles in late May 2003 and circulated to television in July of that year.

Rachel Hunter accepted the role because she already liked Fountains of Wayne and the song. Before Hunter was cast, the band had hoped to recruit Paulina Porizkova—then married to Cars frontman Ric Ocasek.

The clip is essentially a cheeky tribute to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. The poolside fantasy recreates the famous Phoebe Cates scene, which was accompanied in the film by the Cars’ “Moving in Stereo.”

The Cars connection runs throughout the video. Details include an “I (heart) RIC” license plate, a young character styled like Ric Ocasek, and a guitarist whose exaggerated movement recalls Elliot Easton. A copy of a magazine titled Nu Wave and a Roland Juno-6 synthesizer reinforce the reference.

Fountains of Wayne invited Ocasek to appear, but he never responded. The video therefore turns the missing cameo into an extended visual homage instead.

The adolescent fantasy is deliberately exaggerated rather than treated as a realistic romance. The striptease, wet-dream imagery, and voyeuristic pool scene push the song’s comic premise into broad early-2000s music-video territory.

The central characters are played by Rachel Hunter as Stacy’s mother, Gianna Distenca as Stacy, and Shane Haboucha as Stacy’s friend.

The video helped propel the song into the mainstream and reached No. 1 on VH1’s VSpot Top 20 Countdown.