Ferris Bueller's Day Off by John Hughes

Ferris Bueller's Day Off by John Hughes
Teen Coming-Of-Age Comedy Film
Paramount Pictures, 1986
103 min
Suitable for 13+

Readers Annotation: Clever teen Ferris Bueller decides to skip school and explore the city of Chicago with his best friend and girlfriend despite the odds against him.

Plot Summary: Ferris Bueller is a clever high school senior who, one day, feels that life may be passing him by and decides to do something about it; skip school for the day. He drags his depressed best friend, Cameron, and comes up with an outrageous plan to get his girlfriend, Sloan, out of school as well. All three of them take on the city of Chicago in Cameron's cold-hearted father's Ferrari. They go to a baseball game, hit the Sear's Tower, get a free lunch at a fancy restaurant, among other outrageous activities. Meanwhile, Bueller's nemesis, Principal Rooney and his sister, Jeanie, are suspicious and try and take him down but eventually to no avail while Bueller's parents are oblivious to their little angel's plan. As the day goes on, the odds stack up for Bueller, Cameron, and Sloan to the point where they all contemplate their current and future situation but in the end, they're trying to enjoy themselves and they certainly do.

Critical Evaluation: With Ferris Bueller talking to the camera periodically, this movie is obviously about him. He talks about his family, his friend and girlfriend, and why he wants to skip school. With a PG-13 rating, this is an innocent comedy aimed towards teens but without the drugs, sex, and rock n roll. The pacing is consistent as it doesn't spend too much time in one place. All the major characters are well-developed except for Sloan, who seems like a third wheel except that she is not excluded. The Principal has a one-track mind that provides laughs in his failed exploits. Though Ferris steals the show many times and his character is well-developed, he has a disappointing character arch; he starts off worry free and ends up worry free except for a little contemplation on the present and future. But Sloan and Cameron do this too so it becomes nothing really special. What is most interesting about this film, however, are the character arch's of both Cameron and Jeanie. Both are miserable at the beginning but as the film goes on, both end up having fun. Cameron also finally stands up to his father and this makes his arch even more remarkable, perhaps to the point where it wouldn't be far-fetched to think that this film is about both Ferris and Cameron with the message that life is too short and if you don't stop and look around it just might pass you by.

Author: John Hughes is a screenwriter, director, and 1980s icon who wrote many successful teen-related films such as Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Home Alone, and others. He was born on February 18, 1950. Hughes liked to write jokes and had a few writing jobs after he dropped out of Arizona State University. But he got his big break through National Lampoon Magazine where he became noticed for his teen story lines and dialogue.

However, his first screenplay, Class Reunion, was a disaster but his next one, National Lampoon's Vaction, was a major hit. This led to a long, productive string of hit films that eventually led him to directing for a few years in the mid-to-late 1980s and early '90s. By the 1990s, Hughes still wrote but burnout seemed to be entering along with the fact that the movies became more children-oriented. Hughes was still writing films like Drillbit Tailor till his unfortunate death due to a heart attack on August 6, 2009; he was 59 years old.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) Life after high school
2) Ditching class

Challenge Issues: There are no major challenge issues in this film.

Why Included: This film is one of my favorites of all time and always puts me in a good mood. It's an angle I agree with in that you should try and make the most in life because if you don't, it might just pass you by. The fact that they accomplish all those activities in one day is amazing to the point where I've mapped their day out from beginning to end to see if it is possible (yes, it barely is!). I also love Cameron's character in that in the end, he finally decides to stand up to his father while experiencing some life. In reading the assignment, I saw another opportunity to watch the film so I jumped on it!