01/29/10 - Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986, 103 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091042/

Ferris Bueller's Day Off. This is my favorite movie ever made. I absolutely love so much of what goes on here and could probably write an essay on themes and stuff in the movie. I haven't actually planned out what I'm going to say here so I'll just type up thoughts until I feel satisfied.

The film follows Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) as he skips out on school one day. Along for the ride are his friend Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck) and Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara). Trying to hunt down Ferris is the principle Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones). Playing smaller roles are: Ferris's parents Katie Bueller (Cindy Pickett) and Tom Bueller (Lyman Ward); Ferris's sister Jeanie Bueller (Jennifer Grey); Grace, the Secretary (Edie McClurg); Boy in Police Station (Charlie Sheen) who Jeanie meets; and Ben Stein as an Economics Teacher.

I actually think the acting here is pretty good on the whole. Ferris is an extremely memorable and likable character and Broderick does a great job at creating this. He plays Ferris in such a way that even though the entire setting of the 1980s makes the movie seem dated, I can still relate to the Ferris persona. I think this is important but it allows Ferris Bueller (as a character) to stand the test of time and still be relevant many years later. Ruck is great as well as friend Cameron. I'm going to say quite a bit later on Cameron as a character but I think Ruck does a fine job. Sara doesn't actually have many lines and doesn't have much to do compared to the other two but still does okay. Sara also has a timeless look about her which only adds to how well this movie ages. As I can with Ferris, I can project this persona into modern times with little changing. The next main character is that of Jones's Rooney. I honestly think this is the weakest character in the movie and that's only because he doesn't age well. Rooney seems like a product of the 1980s school movie phase: he's over-the-top just a little too much and too gung-ho about catching Ferris. I mean, maybe this worked back for 1986 so it's hard for me to say Jones does a bad job. I guess I just don't like the character that much. The stand outs for the remainder of the cast are: Grey as Ferris's sister and Ward as Ferris's father. Both of these actors do the best with their smaller roles to really flesh out the characters, especially Ward. Ward hardly has any lines but Tom Bueller seems developed and real. Similarly, Jeanie shows progress and change throughout the movie, creating a full character even with little screen time.

One of the real reasons that I wanted to rewatch Ferris Bueller's Day Off is because I read an article about a fan theory for the movie. The theory is basically that the entire film occurs in Cameron's head as he stays home from school sick. Ferris is either the popular kid at school that Cameron isn't friends with or he is the projection of what Cameron thinks his life would be like if he were friends with someone like this. Similarly, Sloane is either real or a projection. I think this is an interesting concept but I think it's a little too far-fetched. The ending, though at first didn't make sense here, can be twisted to work out. I guess what you could say happens is that Cameron stays home all day envisioning this perfect day with these two amazing people and then he snaps and crashes his dad's car. During Cameron's monologue right before he wrecks the car it's important to see that neither Ferris nor Sloane say anything. Perhaps this could be interpreted as Cameron facing his inner demons and eventually siding with this new self. These people aren't real so he's just holding them up and reflecting on how his life would be if he lived like this. So now you can say at this point reality comes back and the two friends have to leave or that he conquers his troubles and sends these personae back to their homes so that he can hang out with them some other day. I don't think the theory works out great for the end of the movie but I guess if you want to believe it really hard, then you can make it work. I enjoyed watching the movie through this lens though as it was a new and fresh look on a classic.

In a vein somewhat related to the above, I'm going to throw out my own random and perhaps oddball thought: Cameron Frye is the main character of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Okay, so compared to the above it's not so weird, but it's still different. Here's why I think this: Cameron is the most developed and rich character. Cameron actually changes throughout the film, showing progress as an individual. He starts off sick and clinging to his bed but ends up triumphantly standing over his dad's wrecked car, determined to handle the truth for once. To add to this, Cameron gives a long monologue before he pushes the car out the window. It's probably the most serious moment in the whole movie and probably the most emotional as well. Ruck goes all out here making Cameron's inner rage believable and it's amazing. He's practically on the verge of tears as he delivers this speech and it really brings in this element of seriousness to the movie (more on this later). Overall on this point, I didn't come into this viewing thinking this new thought, but rather just the "fantasy" thing from the previous paragraph. I developed this idea relatively late in the film, probably just around the time of the parade scene and I think I'd need a whole new watch through this viewpoint to really be able to argue a good case for it.

As I mentioned above, Cameron gives a serious speech near the end. There's stirring music here and it's supposed to invoke this sense of accomplishment. But this isn't the only time the movie turns serious. There's a few other instances where everything gets serious and the director John Hughes makes sure we see this. He takes us occasionally out of this happy-go-lucky world and makes sure we realize there are ground rules that have to be followed. But these are immediately followed by a joke of some sort. For example, when Cameron snaps and throws himself in the pool the movie paints this as an important point in the development of his character. But right after Ferris saves him, Cameron jokingly retorts to Ferris and we get a playful fight. It's all so perfectly timed though that it makes us stop and think just enough about the world that's flying by. I mean, even at the beginning Ferris tell us to stop and watch it. That's a huge portion of what this movie is about and when we get these serious moments it's almost like a reverse ordering of what usually happens. In this movie world we're stopping to enjoy life and occasionally we have to stop this to actually follow life. It's a really cool way of getting the point across.

Next, I'm going to talk about the music for the movie. While from 1986, many of the song choices are dated now. However, the instrumental version of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" is simply amazing. It's also somewhat telling when Hughes refuses to release a soundtrack because the music doesn't work well by itself. He, like I do, believes that the music is meant to be enjoyed with those specific images on the screen. Sure, I have the above mentioned "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" on my iTunes and when I hear it I think of the movie, but I don't think listening to the soundtrack just straight through would be a good idea.

And finally, I am going to mention what I believe is the best ten minutes of film history. Ferris Bueller's Day Off contains a certain ten(-ish) minute sequence that is simply flawless. I could include an Ed Rooney scene in this time frame to really make it closer to ten minutes, but what I want to focus on is almost exactly nine. This sequence starts with the trio entering the Art Institute of Chicago and ends with the final parade shot. This is just chilling every time I watch it. I recline a little extra when they go through the museum to the perfect tune (also mentioned in the above paragraph) and a huge smile spreads across my face. No matter how many times I see Cameron stare at A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - 1884 I will find the closer and closer cuts funny. After the museum we get the parade scene with two songs in "Danke Schoen" and "Twist and Shout" which are both done expertly. Each unique and each exciting in their own way, I've seen this movie tons of times and each and every time I will lip sync along to these. It's perhaps my favorite moment in cinema - specifically the "Twist and Shout" part - and I know it sounds corny and cheesy but I smile with every part of my being during this time. I'm in cinema heaven every viewing.

Overall, I gave this film a 10/10. Was there any question? Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a timeless American classic that I will love forever. It's a story about a trio of friends skipping school and living out the most perfect day imaginable. How can that not be enjoyable forever? While it's not the most technically impressive movie, or the movie with the best characters, or even the best directed movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off rests forever in a special place in my heart. Will it always be #1? That's hard to say. But it will always be a 10/10 from me.