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| Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) |
One of the things that might be considered off-putting to people watching this for the first time is that it's not a very story-driven movie. Not a lot actually happens to our main characters, not very many obstacles pop up for them to overcome. The plot is essentially just them taking a day off from school and let's see what they do with it. And, like I said earlier, this isn't the first time I've seen this movie, but I do remember that being one of my big negatives before re-watching it today. Now, however... I don't know, maybe I've seen more movies and am a better judge, maybe I'm seeing the movie through new eyes on a re-watch, maybe I'm just smarter now, but I get it. It's not meant to be driven by the plot. It's the characters themselves that are the focus, and that's not to say the focus is 'let's see how the characters deal with the next thing the plot throws at them'. Watching the main characters on their big day off and seeing how they interact with each other along the way is the point. To that end, I'm really happy the movie presents itself like 'Ferris is skipping school just because he wants to' at the beginning only for him to reveal his true motivation later in the film through one of his classic 4th-wall breaks. It's a nice moment when it comes, and it goes a long way to explaining the why of Ferris.
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| Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller |
Ferris himself is a really great character in and of himself, and he'd better be in order for this story to work. I was thinking about it as the movie was going, I was thinking 'Why do I like this kid?' When you really think about it, he doesn't give you a lot of reasons to like him in the first act. He's a slacker, he pushes his friends around and he's a serial liar. In almost any other story, he'd be treated in not necessarily an antagonistic role, but certainly not the hero character. I think the main reason it works here is through the use of the 4th-wall breaks where we get to see the real Ferris and we learn he's not mean-spirited or juvenile or pessimistic. In many ways, the audience falls for the same spell he puts on everyone else around him: he's a genuinely good guy, and you really do fall for his charms quite quickly. It's amazing how the reverse is true for the movie's antagonist, Rooney. When you think about it, the villain of a movie really shouldn't be a school principal trying to make sure someone isn't skipping school. However, not only do they do a great job of showing how mean-spirited he is right away, but the fact that he very quickly takes things way too far just has you rooting against him almost immediately.
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| Jeffrey Jones as Rooney |
Overall, the movie is remarkably well written. It was surprising to learn the entire thing was written in just a week, John Hughes did an excellent job with this one. I love the dry sense of humour this movie has, and how unapologetic it is about just letting Ferris get away with so much while Rooney can never seem to catch a break. The simple visual joke of seeing the 'Save Ferris' mantra get so out of hand is amazing, though it does make me wonder why, if he's so popular and almost everyone wants to save him, does no one notice it's him singing in that parade. I can look past that moment for the joke, however, and the parade sequence is fun enough that it's easy to let it slide. There is one moment I can't accept, however, and it's when Ferris picks Sloane up from the school. If Ferris is such a smart kid, why does he kiss Sloane right in front of Rooney when he's pretending to be her father? It leads to a funny line from Rooney, but it still seems out of place for someone like Ferris who's thought through almost every contingency plan for getting caught. Anyway, the strength of this writing doesn't just come from the humour, but also from the character development throughout, specifically with Frye. I love his growth in this movie, it's such a compelling character to be hanging out with someone like Ferris, and I can forgive that Ferris himself doesn't get any character development or life lessons, since after the journey Frye goes through, it's just unnecessary.
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| Alan Ruck as Cameron |
Every actor was perfectly cast in this movie. Matthew Broderick was the only ever pick for Ferris, and it's an interesting performance he gives. It's naturalistic when he's interacting with other people, but strangely reserved when addressing the audience. I was trying to work out why this is, and I think it's because you never need to use many varied facial expressions or inflections when you're talking to yourself, since you're not talking for anyone else's benefit. It's a strange way to describe it, but it really works. Alan Ruck is also perfect as Frye, and he has the perfect nervous energy you'd want for a character like this, but what's great about the performance is how all of it completely disappears when he's having fun or focusing on something other than his 'woes'. He's probably my favourite character in this movie, and a lot of that is down to Ruck. Mia Sara is also great as Sloane, I just wish we learned more about her character throughout the movie. Really, the only thing we learn about her is 'she's in the year below Ferris'. Other than her being on board with Ferris' ways, there's not much we know about her personally, and although it's not a big deal overall, it is something that would have added just that little bit more overall. I don't want to beat a dead horse with the rest of the cast, so I'll just say they're all great. Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones, Charlie Sheen, Ben Stein, especially Ben Stein, they're all wonderful.
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| Mia Sara as Sloane |
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) is one of those unique movies that is what it is and knows what it is, which is half the reason why it works so well. Check it out if you haven't already. Love it or hate it, you'll get a unique experience out of it either way. 8.5/10.
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