"They think he's a righteous dude."
For the most part, people still do. Long held as one of those pivotal teen pieces of American culture, Ferris Bueller's Day Off has been quoted the world ‘round by everyone. How many teachers or professors can you think of that have repeated the Ben Stein "Bueller....Bueller" attendance shtick? Hell, a painted water tower in the movie went on to inspire the name for the band Save Ferris. That's an entire band quoting the movie by its very existence. Ferris Bueller's Day Off became a worldwide sensation and made Matthew Broderick loveable enough that by the time he starred in Godzilla we still paid money to see him - even though we'd been told the movie was awful.
Ferris Bueller (Broderick) is the popular kid everyone dreams of being in high school. Even if you were a popular kid in high school, you didn't have nearly the clout or ballsy sense of entitlement Ferris does. Ferris has sick days down to a science, a will that can empower even Cameron (Alan Ruck) his depressed friend to get out of bed and charm so powerful Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) falls head over heels for him in the Art Institute of Chicago. He does all of this, and yet so much more. We see only a fraction of the depths of his exploits in Ferris Bueller's Day Off - if you trust Principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones). Principal Rooney knows what Bueller is attempting to do today, and he won't let it go unpunished. Vigilantly tracking Bueller away from the school Rooney must pin Bueller for his truant crimes. On a similar note, Ferris's sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) has grown tired of Ferris getting everything he wants; if her parents won't put their foot down, she will - and so Jeanie sets out to prove that Ferris has once again skipped school.
When you consider that Ferris Bueller's Day Off is another Jon Hughes invention like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and The Breakfast Club, it becomes clear just how far from his pre-established teenager movie mold Hughes strayed for Ferris. Opting out of more intimate scenes of teenage awkwardness, Hughes aims instead for a take on teenagers as larger than life entities with less to lose than to gain. Can all of the experiences that Ferris and his two friends gain from that day playing hookie be adequately appraised? The idea that creating memories is more important than memorizing historical facts like "voodoo economics" strikes powerfully true amongst teenage viewers - but there is a point where the rationale of the whole experience falters as the day turns from reasonable exploit to over the top comedy. As much as I'd love for me or my friend to hijack a parade float and sing karaoke to a screaming crowd, we were typically satisfied with skipping school for a baseball game. Sigh. If only.
Matthew Broderick has the performance of his career in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. His soliloquies and insurmountable positive attitude endear him instantly to the viewer and make him one of the great teenage icons of the 1980s. Mia Sara played the girl that everyone wanted: she was cool, beautiful and best friends with the most popular kid in school. Sloane, as a character, is subdued yet flirtatious and tends to take a back seat for most of the movie. Conversely, Alan Ruck as an anxious wreck of a teenager, ruined by the bad relationship of his parents, makes the movie. He's the perfect counterpart of Broderick's Ferris and, to this day his phone voice for Mr. Peterson is what I try to imitate whenever I have to call someone to place an order.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
While none of the extras on the Blu-ray release are exclusive, it is a damned fine collection if I do say so myself. With a retrospective piece from the cast members, deleted scenes, a production featurette (especially fun to watch) and a few words from Ben Stein the extras make for a solid 45 minute viewing experience. Making the selection especially enticing is how enjoyable the film is to start with - this is one of those times when the extras are icing on the cake for almost every moviegoer.
"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is on sale May 5, 2009 and is rated PG13. Comedy. Written and directed by John Hughes. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jeffrey Jones, Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, Ben Stein.
