Year of Release: 1986
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Cindy Pickett, Lyman Ward, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein, Del Close, Virginia Capers, Richard Edson, Larry Flash Jenkins
Genre: Comedy
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:
Writer/Producer/Director John Hughes's body of work, particularly his directorial endeavors are forever associated with the string of comedies he did in the 1980s. One of his most celebrated features is of course "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", which premiered in 1986 and went on to be a huge success. It was preceded by his equally celebrated and successful "Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club" and "Weird Science". "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" follows the story of Ferris Bueller, a high school senior, who is adored by everyone at school, and who has been able to navigate through classes with minimum effort, much to the irritation of the school's principal, who wants nothing more than catch him at fault, and place him in detention (or even fail him). Ferris decides to skip another day of school, and enlists the assistance of his best friend Cameron. He prepares this intricate plan where he reports an ailment, forcing him to stay home, convincing his parents, but not his sister who resents the fact that he gets away with every single one of his schemes. He also doesn't convince the principal, who heads to his house in order to catch him faking it. Ferris is however already in downtown Chicago, enjoying a day of festivities with Cameron and Sloan, his girlfriend.
One of the best things about "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is just how straightforward the premise is: a young kid, wants to skip school, and does so through a rather quick set up, taking along for the ride his best friend and his girlfriend. It's a film where all the comic timings are choreographed to perfection, with the lead character addressing the audience directly, and making us all accomplices in his dalliances and adventures throughout the city. It's a film that perfectly captures the joys of friendship, the uncertainty of what lies ahead, the fears of adulthood, all combined with a love for the city of Chicago, all of this sprinkled with a lot of physical comedy, embodied by Jeffrey Jones's Ed Rooney character. John Hughes was always able to infuse color and illustrate the challenges of adolescence, with his succinctly defined characters, how they invariably longed to be heard, all of this peppered with fantastic soundtracks. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" may be the best summarization of his work, where its fluid rhythm, the performances from all the cast and the general tone are just spot on. Matthew Broderick is perfectly cast, flashing warmth, humor and charisma all in equal doses, with good support from Alan Ruck, Jeffrey Jones, Mia Sara, Jennifer Grey and Edie McClurg. The cinematography from Tak Fujimoto is fantastic, as is the score assembled by Ira Newborn and John Hughes himself. A great film always worth revisiting.
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