Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
One man's struggle to take it easy
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey, Cindy Pickett, Lyman Ward, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein, Del Close, Virginia Capers, Richard Edson, Larry Flash Jenkins, Kristy Swanson
Director: John Hughes
Running Time: 102 minutes
US MPAA rating: N/AUK BBFC rating: 15
Comedy, - definitive teen comedy
On DVD School is rubbish. I know it, you know it, and Ferris Bueller knows it. Which is why he's decided to fake out his folks with a pretend dose of sniffles, round-up his girlfriend and best bud, and get down to some serious truanting in the Chicago sun.
In the iconic role he'll never be able to entirely escape from (a bit like Henry Winkler with The Fonz), Matthew Broderick is the tricky teenager who's willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get out of spending the day cooped up in a stuffy classroom. 'How could I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?' he asks, in one of several chinwags directed straight at the camera. He's got a point: the summer sun's out in full force, there's a parade in town, and best pal Cameron (Alan Ruck) has grudging access to his dad's shiny red Ferrari. Nice one.
Back at school, Ferris has the unconditional support of classmates a-plenty, but the populat skiver has two natural enemies. One is sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), his highly-strung disapproving sister. The other is Edward Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), the scene-stealing Dean of Students on a one-man mission to track down the absconding toerag and teach him a lesson once and for all.
Director John Hughes put himself firmly on the map as the King of the Teen Comedy with this one, long before the genre turned into the increasingly-tedious string of gross-out gags we have to put up with today. In fact, the '15' certificate handed to this one seems a little harsh by today's standards, given that there's very little swearing, no nudity and only one extremely mild - and comical - moment of violence. And that's of Mr Rooney getting kicked in the head, so doesn't really count.
DVD Extras: Audio commentary with John Hughes.
It's Got: Alan Ruck at 30-years-old successfully pulling off his part as a school-skipping teenager.
It Needs: To be watched right through the end credits - you don't want to miss Ed Rooney's face as he gets on that school bus.
Alternatives: The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink
Summary: The definitive teen comedy, this is the one that sets the standard for all others in the pigeon-hole.
Review by Gary Panton
Review Date: 9th July 2003
External Links
Ferris Bueller's Day Off at the IMDB
Comments11 Comments |
| Obnoxious teenage dribble - Cameron was the only half-decent thing about it. |
| Comment by:- Natalie | | 13 July 2004 | ip: logged |
| WHAT IS THE NAME OF F. BUELLER'S HIGH SCHOOL?? |
| Comment by:- Anonymous | | 28 September 2004 | ip: logged |
| Ferris Bueller is an AESOME movie that anyone with any kind of sense of humor whatsoever will absolutely love!...and if you dont love it...then you need to salp yourself in the face! |
| Comment by:- random guy | | 08 October 2004 | ip: logged |
| The name of the High school was "Ocean" something... |
| Comment by:- gimi1040 | | 12 October 2004 | ip: logged |
| The high school's name is Ocean Park. |
| Comment by:- McArthor | | 12 October 2004 | ip: logged |
| ignore natalie this movie was awesome and everybody whose seen it loves it i own the vhs and the dvd because its just that good |
| Comment by:- bobby dole | www.movie-gazette.com/cinerevi... | 21 October 2004 | ip: logged |
| FERRIS IS MY HERO |
| Comment by:- CAROLINE | | 01 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| I think this film is sometimes funny but you don't laugh with them you just laugh at them. i think some of the acting is appauling and its just old and boring. |
| Comment by:- Francesca, Actress | | 03 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| I think I must have seen this film about 50 times and everytime it comes over fresh and I see something new. Heck... this is the best comedy after "The Big Lebowski". High Points: Jeffrey Jones should have got an oscar for his dont-f**k-with-me-you-teenage-dirtbag style of Headmastership. The Music is Brill. Matthew Broderick is just so good when he starts to sing on the float. The gorgious Mia Sara in her undies. The Ferrari. The phone call to the school. Low Point: Absolutely NONE |
| Comment by:- Boanerges | | 18 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| I relate to the movie so much because it reminds me to my last year of high school (well, actually only two years ago, I'm not that old): my friends and I took a day off from school to "escape" to Innsbruck, Austria (we're Italians, living near Milan). We got not a Ferrari but a Mercedes and a Toyota RAV, and we got there within lunch-time. This movie just make me feel nostalgic, I mean, I was BORN in the 80s! And I'm so proud of it! |
| Comment by:- stefano | | 29 November 2004 | ip: logged |
| SAVE FERRIS Get the T-shirt! I have seen this movie so many times and it never gets old - fav part? Dancing along to the beatles when Ferris is on the Float! I was not born in the 80's so i wasn't even alive when this came out, my dad showed me it when i was about 8 and i have never got tired of it! SAVE FERRIS |
| Comment by:- Fudge | | 24 December 2004 | ip: logged |
