Ferris Bueller's Day Off

John Hughes, USA, 1986, 102 minutes

To the sophisticated, educated and mature cosmopolite of the early 21st century, Ferris Bueller is an insufferable, cocky, manipulative, irresponsible, selfish and exploitative brat. But most of all he is the source of envy for everybody who has forgotten what it’s like to have fun.

John Hughes’ story about “one man’s struggle to take it easy” is all about fun. It’s about escaping from mind-numbing boredom and soul-crushing monotony and enjoying life to the fullest, at least as far as that’s possible for a movie with an age 15 certificate. OK, it might also just be about a bloke skipping school with his girlfriend and his best friend. Whatever… philistines! Either way, what awaits you is an enjoyable romp through Chicago, with dozens of memorable scenes and quotable lines as Ferris and his entourage outwit their parents, teachers and just about everybody over the age of 19.

What makes Ferris Bueller’s Day Off so charming and enduring is the fact that John Hughes and Matthew Broderick created a character almost everybody secretly wishes to be like: insanely popular, lacking any sort of teenage angst or insecurity and always one step ahead of everyone else.

This is teenage escapism at its finest. Don’t miss it. Skip class if you have to.

Review by Joe Panaeotiks
Taken from EUFS Programme Spring 2004