Review of Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) by Samitha B — 30 Sep 2013

John Hughes makes it look easy. So this is about the classic ne'er-do-well Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick), who decides to play hooky from high school and spend a day in the city with his girlfriend and best friend.

This is another one of those spectacularly 80's movies that still holds up. Throughout the entire film, the sense of fun is never lost at any point, and that has everything to do with the young Broderick.

Everything about his performance is smirking and self-aware; the sheer number of times he breaks the fourth wall to address the audience is only made possible because of his natural charisma (also, this movie has one of the best stingers of all time).

You also have the principal, Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), who plays one of the more underrated movie villains; just because your movie is a comedy doesn't mean you can't have a quality villain, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off never forgets that.

The focus on the movie is always on the best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck), who is an interesting character to watch, because it is never completely clear how much responsibility lies on his shoulders; sometimes, he plays the victim, and sometimes he is the cause of his own demise.

It's always funny to see how pointless high school can sometimes be, and Ferris Bueller serves as a reminder that it is good for your personal mental health to call out for no reason every now and again.