Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
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This film has been preserved in the National Film Registry in 2014.
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 Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
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Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 teen comedy starring Matthew Broderick as the title character. The film co-stars Mia Sara and Alan Ruck. The film was written and directed by the late John Hughes, who previously wrote and directed The Breakfast Club and was co-produced by Tom Jacobson.
Plot
High school student and longtime school slacker Ferris Bueller decides to play hooky and take a day off from school.
Why It Rocks
- The story is well written and also pretty good for a film directed by John Hughes.
- Cool performance from Matthew Broderick, who actually does a good job as a teenager and even captures the performance on what a real teenager would act like.
- Great performances from the supporting cast; including Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, Mia Sara, and Jeffrey Jones.
- Ferris' fourth wall monologues are very sharp, funny, and well-executed.
- Recognizable songs, especially "Oh Yeah" by Yello (which is also known as the license test failure theme in Gran Turismo 4) and the Beatles' cover of "Twist & Shout".
- Spectacular performances by Mathew Broderick among many others.
- Excellent moral about just chilling out and having fun.
- The iconic scene where Cameron goes berserk.
- The parade scene and the museum scene are also very memorable.
- "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it".
Bad Qualities
- Ferris plays hooky and is a poor role model, particularly due to his smart-alecky personality and slacking off.
- Although intended to be John Hughes' love letter to Chicago, it wasn't filmed entirely there as some portions were shot in Los Angeles (such as Ferris' house) for budgeting reasons.
- From Cameron's description, his father is an asshole who cares more about his car than his own family.
Reception
Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released on June 11, 1986 with positive reviews from critics and audiences. Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a positive review with a 3 out of 4 stars and stated that it was "one of the most innocent movies in a long time,” and “a sweet, warm-hearted comedy." while Gene Siskel disagreed with Roger's review of the film. The film currently holds an 81% "Certified Fresh" with an average of 7.7 out of 10 and a critic consensus that reads "Matthew Broderick charms in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, a light and irrepressibly fun movie about being young and having fun." In 2014, the film was placed in the National Film Registry. In 2016, the film was re-released theatrically to commemorate it's 30th anniversary.
Trivia
- Michael J. Fox was John Hughes' first choice for the role of Ferris Bueller. Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Robert Downey Jr., and Eric Stoltz were also considered for the part.
- Anthony Michael Hall and Emilio Estevez were both approached for the role of Cameron Frye. Hall turned down the offer due to fears of being typecast as the geeky best friend. John Candy also audition for the role, but was turned down due to the fact that he was considered "too old" for the character.
- It (along with Peanuts) inspired the animated series, The Loud House. Alan Ruck even guest stared on that show as Lord Tetherby in Season 1's "Out on the Limo" using his Cameron Dad's voice.
