Barnes & Noble

Before graduating to more adult-oriented films, writer-director John Hughes capped his high school quartet with this 1986 comedy that, like Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, has become an era-defining touchstone. But new generations can join the all-inclusive legions of sportos, motorheads, geeks, bloods, wasteoids, and dweebies who consider eight-time truant Ferris Bueller “a righterous dude.” Who cannot relate to such teenage logic as Ferris’s rationalization of day off No. 9: “How can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?” Substitute the word “job” for “school” and you can understand why this liberating comedy continues to strike a chord. As Bueller famously observes, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around, you could miss it.” Matthew Broderick’s immense likability goes a long way toward saving Ferris from coming off as an obnoxious spoiled brat, or, to quote Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), the dean of students determined to catch Bueller, “a snot-nosed punk.” The film’s many classic scenes still make the grade, including Ben Stein’s career-launching “Bueller?...Bueller?...Bueller?”; the “Sausage King”; and Ferris’s parade rendition of “Twist and Shout.” But what puts this edition in a class by itself are the new bonus features, including the nearly half-hour-long “Getting the Class Together,” featuring new and archival interviews with Hughes, Broderick, Stein, and the rest of the lightning-in-a-bottle ensemble, including Jennifer Gray (as Ferris’s resentful younger sister), Alan Ruck (as Ferris’s neurotic best friend, Cameron), Mia Sara (as Ferris’s girlfriend, Sloane), and Edie McClurg (as Rooney’s secretary). Subtract half a grade for the exclusion of Hughes’s audio commentary, which was included on the 1999 DVD. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Teenaged Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a legend in his own time thanks to his uncanny skill at cutting classes and getting away with it. Intending to make one last grand duck-out before graduation, Ferris calls in sick, "borrows" a Ferrari, and embarks on a one-day bacchanal through the streets of Chicago. Dogging Ferris' trail at every turn is high-school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), determined to catch Bueller in the act of class-cutting. Writer/director John Hughes once again tries to wed satire, slapstick, and social commentary, as Ferris Bueller's Day Off starts like a house afire and goes on to make "serious" points about status-seeking and casual parental cruelties. It brightens up considerably in the last few moments, when Ferris' tattletale sister (Jennifer Grey) decides to align herself with her merry prankster sibling. A huge moneymaker, Ferris Bueller's Day Off eventually spawned a TV sitcom. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 097361429243
• Source: PARAMOUNT
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound
• Editions: Subtitled, Dubbed
• Time: 1:42:00
• Sales Rank: 25,647

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