In hindsight the summer of 1986 seemed like a great season for movies. Now I was a teenager in high school back then so it is really quite subjective for me, but regardless, I had a great time working as an usher at the local movie theater because I could take a break every once in a while and actually sit and watch a film here and there or on my day off I could go and see something for free and was allowed to bring two or three guests with me and they would not have to pay either. One of the cinematic highlights of my high school years were the six film John Hughes produced that dealt with teenage issues. The former National Lampoon writer had his finger on the pulse of my generation and to this day no one has ever directed or produced a high school drama or comedy quite like John Hughes. The six films were “Sixteen Candles”, “The Breakfast Club”, “Weird Science”, “Pretty In Pink”, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, and “Some Kind Of Wonderful.” Hughes wrote or co-wrote all six and produced all six, but he did not direct “Pretty In Pink” or “Some kind Of Wonderful.” Those two films were more or less the same story inverted. The last of the high school films Hughes directed was “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is arguably the best of the teenage comedies Hughes directed and in some ways it is the most wholesome of the six films. The legend in Hollywood tells that Hughes wrote the screenplay in six days in order to have the film green lit before the Writer’s Guild strike. If that is true then in some ways the somewhat shallow points in the film, which feature Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller horsing around the house and breaking the fourth wall to talk to the audience now seem like more obvious points to lengthen the film to a feature length since aside from the jokes, they do little to forward the story. However, Broderick is so charismatic in the film, it’s hard to take your eyes off of him because you want to see what the character will do next because he’s fun to watch. The famous “Twist And Shout” segment from the film actually made the Beatles take on the song a hit single once again and the song was also featured in the hilarious comedy “Back To School” that same summer with the lyrics sung by none other than the late Rodney Dangerfield.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” still holds up very well today despite the obvious changes in fashion, music, and technology because Hughes had a gift for reaching into the heart of his characters and making them all likeable and relatable. Even Ferris’ Dean Rooney, played beautifully by Jefrey Jones is fun to watch because we know he can’t possibly outwit Bueller, but like the Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner in the Warner Brothers cartoons, you’ve got to give him credit for trying. Alan Ruck, who plays Ferris’ childhood friend “Cameron”, is perhaps the most human character in the film because he is the only one with any emotional and psychological issues that teenagers sometimes face. You could argue that Ferris’ sister (Jennifer Grey) also has issues with sibling rivalry and jealousy over her brother’s uncanny abilities, but ultimately her problem is resolved through the realization that she needs to stop focusing on what her brother does and start paying more attention to her own life. We never see Cameron’s confrontation with his father, but I can’t imagine it not being ugly and I think Cameron probably remained estranged from his father for many years after. If he gains anything it is hopefully a boost in his self confidence and assertiveness in standing up to his father, but I can imagine that after the summer when he graduated from high school, the character probably went away to college and gradually disconnected more and more from his father thereafter until many years passed and being an adult might open up to forgiving his father.
There are people who are sort of like Ferris Bueller in the real world. Somehow they always seem to land on their feet regardless. One of my best friends in high school was sort of like Ferris in his ability to take chances and in the process inspire others to follow him by example and also like Ferris, my friend at that time was generous with his friends. He was never a social miser. He eventually found a way to include all of his friends in the fun and in the process show that while not all of us are cool, handsome, gifted, funny, or just plain lucky, we all have something unique to contribute and it doesn’t matter if you are a super nerd or ultra cool. We are all people and we can all learn from each other and be better people as a result.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” features a lot of guest spots from people who would become a bit more recognizable as time went by. Among the cameos in the film are Charlie Sheen (Platoon), Comedian Louis Anderson, Krysty Swanson (Buffy The Vampire Slayer), Richard Edson (Strange Days), and economist, author, and former speech writer for the Nixon and Ford administrations, Ben Stein, whose quote from the film “Bueller... Bueller…” lives on to this day long before there was such a thing as a computer meme.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is wider than I expected with a widescreen aspect ratio of approximately (2.35:1). A well-mixed English Dolby ATMOS Soundtrack that for whatever reason my TV read as being Dolby TrueHD as opposed to ATMOS. English Audio Description, German 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 2.0 Dolby Digital, Italian 2.0 Dolby Digital
Bonus features include a series of featurettes that collectively make up a documentary of sorts though there is no “Play All” feature. “Getting The Class Together” (27:45) feature new interview clips with Mathew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Jefrey Jones, Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett, who played Ferris’ parents in the movie and actually became involved during the film’s production and are now married in real life. “The Making Of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” (15:28) features more newly taped interviews with Jonathan Schock, Kristy Swanson, Edie McClurg, who does not look all that different from what she looked like back in the mid 1980s, Richard Edson, and Executive Producer Michael Chinich. “The World According The Ben Stein” (10:51) in many ways sums up beautifully in Stein’s own words what makes “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” such a great comedy. In fact I liked this better than the companion featurette “Who Is Ferris Bueller?” (9:12). Some surprisingly well preserved improvisational tapes featuring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, and Mia Sara from the production set entitled “Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes” (10:16), which also features a behind-the-scenes look at a deleted scene from the film is also included along with a feature length audio commentary by Writer and Director John Hughes that has not been included with any home video release since the original DVD. An insert containing a limited time only redeemable code for a free digital copy of the film is included within the well crafted SteelBook packaging. The menu is rather ordinary. I kind of miss the days when everything had full motion art and so forth.
“Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” is available now on 4K UltraHD Blu-ray Disc at retailers on and offline courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.
(C) Copyright 2023 By Mark A. Rivera
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