Ferris Bueller's Day Off

I don't know if I've ever come across a movie that has been so hyped and talked about in my life.

I'll admit, I've never seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

Maybe my parents didn't raise me right, maybe I just never found myself in the right circumstances to see this movie. It also didn't help that as I started watching more and more movies, I started to see a trend that just told me, I really don't like Matthew Broderick. Again it has nothing to do with him personally I don't know if its his acting, his face, or whatever but I just don't like him as an actor.

So why would I watch an entire movie about him skipping school. How could I handle that?

 Surprisingly enough (for me), I really liked the movie.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a pretty self explanatory title. The title character (played by Broderick) pretends to be sick in order to ditch school and have a great day with his friends. (played by Mia Sara and Alan Ruck)

While he's off in Chicago, enjoying his freedom from school, his Principal is set on busting him, figuring out where he is and holding him back for a year. His parents, while fooled of the fake sickness, work in Chicago and run into Ferris without knowing it from time to time in the movie. And finally his sister (played by Jennifer Grey) is sick of Ferris always getting away with skipping school that she skips school herself and becomes dead set on getting Ferris in trouble like he deserves.

Now I'm still not a huge Matthew Broderick fan, but you can just tell he's having fun with this role. He'll break the fourth wall, narrating the background to events happening. And he really is charming the film. Ferris isn't someone to skip school because he's lazy, he's actually really intelligent setting up ways to assure people he is sick while he's out enjoying life.

 Not only does Broderick look like he's having fun but so does the rest of the cast. I think when the actors are having fun, its depicted better to the audience and by assimilation, we have fun.

His friend Cameron is the exact opposite and worries about everything, if they're going to get caught, etc. Later in the movie, its revealed he doesn't have the greatest home life and some actually serious moments happen that are pulled off really well for a coming of age tale. Cameron doesn't reveal anything really ground breaking like he's been molested but he's sick of being pushed around by his dad. He wants to be Ferris but he's been held back worrying about the troubles of life. It gets really heartfelt. You know its a good comedy when a little bit of heart and seriousness if put into the mix.

That brings me to the comedy.

Its hard to describe the humor in this movie because its just so clean and precise. The timing is perfect and while the situations are incredibly absurd, the actors sell it 100%. Its just really fun and enjoyable to watch because, like I said before, everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and committing to whatever the movie needs them to be.

The Principal is probably the best part of the movie because he's so sure and committed to finding Ferris whatever the costs. So much that he cusses out someone claiming to be the father of Ferris's girlfriend who says her grandmother died and needs to leave school because he's so sure it Ferris on the phone.

The Principal is like a live action version of Tom from Tom and Jerry, or Wiley Coyote from the Roadrunner cartoons. He just can't win no matter what happens. Those cartoons are renown for a reason and if someone can emulate that in a live action movie, that's just brilliant.

This isn't a complaint, its just a funny observation of the film. You can definitely tell that this is a movie from the 80's because this could never happen the way its pulled off today. There's no cell phones, there's school computers that are easily hacked, phone calls can be easily faked just by having a low voice.

Again, its not a complaint, its just funny. I guess that kind of makes it funny because its becoming more and more of a period piece... doesn't that make me feel old?

The only kind of complaint I have with the movie is the girlfriend.

First, what the hell happened to Mia Sara. She's adorable in this movie. How did Matthew Broderick become famous and Mia Sara just kind of disappeared?

But more importantly, she didn't really need to be in the movie. Sure there's a romance and it is kind of cute in some scenes, but this could have been a story of two friends just going out and enjoying life before they have to go off to college and join the real world. Unfortunately, Mia Sara really doesn't play that vital of a part and she's kind of the stereotypical 80s girlfriend that is only obsessed with her boyfriend and whether or not she had plans for the future, nobody really cared... cause she's a woman. I hate to say it but its true. She's just kind of a pretty face attachment to Ferris.

Not saying I didn't like her character. Despite being relatively pointless in the movie, she did contribute to the dramatic parts of the movie well.

This movie is really a special case of its own. It stands out really as a classic because it has phenomenal humor but also a lot of heart and great theme of enjoying everyday to the fullest. It doesn't portray Ferris as lazy or unintelligent because its not saying you should be skipping school or work in order to have fun. Its only showing that while work and school are important, there are important things to be learned and experienced outside of the bounds and if you don't experience them, you're going to miss it.

But the movie is so simple and yet so absurd that the message is bogged down. Its just plain and simple and enjoyable as hell.

As enjoyable as this movie is, I just couldn't bare to see a sequel. Even if one existed back in the 80s or 90s or they made one today, I just think the movie is a great standalone movie that deserves to standalone. Some movies deserve that and this is one of them.

Overall, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is an 80s classic coming of age film that is enjoyable and memorable. You know you've found a popular movie when you realize where all the Family Guy and other TV shows references now come from.

So have you seen Ferris Bueller's Day Off or are you like me and totally missed on that? What do you think about it? Why do you like it?

I'll leave you with this. While I don't like the idea of a sequel, they did a really funny commercial for the Superbowl last year of Matthew Broderick skipping a day of acting in order to enjoy his day... in a Honda CRV... yes its a little stupid but its a fun commercial.