Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Director: John Hughes
Stars: Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones, Jennifer Grey, Edie McClurg, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein
Tagline: Leisure Rules.
I wanted to limit myself to just one John Hughes movie for this Top Five, but I couldn’t help myself. FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF is just too enjoyable to leave off the list. While I will say THE BREAKFAST CLUB is the high school movie that will stand the test of time, there’s just something about BUELLER that’s hard to resist. Maybe it’s the peculiarity of seeing a privileged teen take on the establishment as if high school were a prison without clemency. Ferris (Broderick) has scruples, even if he’s a slacker. (Slacker is putting it mildly – I’m sure educators have many other NSFW words to describe him.) But beyond Bueller’s spoiled upbringing we still want to root for him. Whether breaking the fourth wall when explaining how to fake out your parents when feigning sickness, or going through multiple wardrobe changes before second period, Ferris skips school so he can manipulate his best friend Cameron (Ruck) into having a good time. All because Cameron’s dad owns a classic Ferrari (So choice!) that he wants to drive. Ferris is foolish, spending the day watching the Chicago Cubs, going to a museum, and interrupting an Octoberfest parade so he can perform “Twist and Shout,” but he’s still a righteous dude.
Memorable Quote: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
