“Yep, I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller.
It’s been a long 40 years since Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) by John Hughes came out. Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, and Mia Sara have children older or the same age as their respective Ferris Bueller, Cameron Frye, and Sloane Peterson. The New York Knicks are in the NBA finals, gas prices are through the roof, the cost of living is insane, and yet, the emotional beats of Ferris are evergreen — especially his final declaration. It’s shameful to admit, but this was my first time watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and I can’t believe I’ve gone so long without it.
Once Ferris starts, it doesn’t take the foot off the gas (literally and metaphorically) — and you’re enthralled by the whimsy of adolescence and reminded that there was a time when things didn’t matter so much. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off gleams with charm, silliness, joie de vivre, and the iconicity of the 80s. Hughes beautifully captures the essence of teendom and the distinct feeling of having your whole life ahead of you; the world is literally your oyster at this age. Of course, a teenager wants to cut class, hit the open road in a sweet ride, and explore Chicago for a day full of freedom with his best friend and girlfriend. Who wouldn’t relate to that?
This film comes to me at a very Cameron time in my life, which is to say that Hughes’s characterization of the stars of his film was excellent – you get a sense of their desires, their peccadillos, and who they’ve transformed into at the end of this day off. Ferris might end up as “President of the United States or in prison,” (per John Hughes). Cameron has a catharsis in reckoning with hating his father and overcoming his anxiety, and Sloane’s growth was directly connected to her relationship with Ferris and her friendship with Cameron. Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), Ferris’s sister, who, similar to Candace from Phineas and Ferb, tries to catch her clever brother all day, instead participates in a lively act of defiance herself, by cutting class and getting arrested – and she’s all the better for it.
Ferris is not only a staple of the teen movie genre, but it also acts as a love letter to Chicago from Hughes. Many of Chicago’s famous landmarks are featured as part of the trio’s trip to the city – Wrigley Field, the Sears Tower, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Every one of these moments is so juvenile and affecting. My favorite scene from Ferris is one of its most iconic sequences, which is shot in the Art Institute.
In the DVD commentary about Ferris (which is not available online anymore due to copyright), Hughes admits that this sequence is “self-indulgent,” as the institute was one of his places of refuge – he knew every part of the building and its art. He was committed to displaying as much art as he could, which is clear as we are met face to face with many evocative paintings and statues. It’s a little tongue-in-cheek as Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane pose like a statue, and as they each stand in front of their representative paintings. The sequence is paired with an instrumental cover from Dream Academy of The Smiths’ “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want.” It is extremely melancholic and dream-like (no pun intended), and as Cameron stares into Georges Seurat’s “A Sunday on La Grande Jatte,” and it stares back, you feel his sense of longing for the discovery of himself.
I would be remiss to not mention the parade scene as well — Ferris finds himself on the top of a parade float. He sings (or rather lip syncs) “Danke Schoen” and “Twist and Shout” to Cameron, Sloane, and the rest of the parade, which is electrified by his presence. The crowd dances joyfully and gleefully; they become symbolic of Ferris’s final words to the audience, which is really what the film is about at its core – living life to its fullest, or you might miss it.
Through the impeccable design of Ferris’s room, his boyish charm, the music, Ferris’s fourth wall breaks, the complete idiocy of the adult characters, and all the outfits, the film effortlessly culminates into a coming-of-age classic. It still feels just as entertaining and blissful as I’m sure it did upon its release in 1986. Its impact on pop culture cannot be overstated either — whether it’s in TV episodes creating their own character’s “day off,” a Domino’s marketing campaign starring Joe Keery and Alan Ruck, or the fact that “Oh Yeah” by Yello is forever associated with something sexy on screen.
At its denouement, Ferris succeeds with his day off and leaves us with this final motto — and you feel this overwhelming urge to do something spontaneous that reminds you what it is to be human and of the things that make it so. Even after four decades, John Hughes’s work makes you feel alive, as that’s how it likely resonated for viewers in 1986 as well. In fact, Ferris serves as a triumphant reaction against the widespread, staunch conservatism of the Ronald Reagan era of the 80s — something we are still dealing with today. It almost feels like nothing, and everything has changed at once. We are still grappling with the same issues, but this time with a worse opponent. As we approach 250 years of this country, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off emulates what it is like to be truly patriotic in the parade scene. Ferris joyfully singing, dancing, and the rest of the crowd of strangers partying together – it is resonant of the idea that joy can be an act of resistance – and that someday, we could reach this level of togetherness once more.
Article Courtesy of Mariana Fabian
Feature Image Credit to Paramount Pictures