Ferris Bueller's Day Off (DVD, 2006, Bueller...Bueller...Edition)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off was another one of Director John Hughes's creations and it debuted in 1986. It is pure comedy and it is impossible not to break up laughing while watching it.

Ferris Bueller is a crafty, sneaky and fast-talking teen who is also funny and is clearly a good guy who just likes to have a good time and finds creative ways to have fun that push the envelope. He's the ideal prankster. He makes the jerks look like fools and looks out for his friends.

Ferris Bueller is what every teenager dreams to be--funny, popular, able to break the rules and get away with it, and lots of fun to be with.

The movie starts when Ferris Bueller, a senior in high school, feigns illness and tricks his rather clueless parents into thinking he's seriously ill. But as soon as they head off to work, Ferris switches to being wild and crazy. He gets his buddy, Cameron, out of his house and gets his girlfriend, Sloane, out of school, pretending to be Sloan's father and pleading a dead grandparent. From there, Ferris, Sloan and Cameron have the time of their lives as Ferris commandeers Cameron's dad's restored 1961 Ferrari and they have a day out on the town as they visit the Sears tower, eat out at a five-star restaurant, visit an art museum and go to a parade, where Ferris gets on a float and gets all of downtown Chicago swinging and dancing to his renditions of Danke Schoen and Twist and Shout by the Beatles and then watch a ball game at Wrigley Field.

But Ferris has his enemies--most notably his snotty twin sister, Jeannie, who resents his popularity and ability to get away with things. She is sure that her brother is really ditching school and sets out to prove it. Ferris's other great nemesis is Ed Rooney, the Dean of Students at his school and who makes it his life mission to bust Ferris--and very nearly succeeds.

In additon, this movie does a superb job of making fun of high school, from Ben Stein's role as the Economics teacher lecturing on in a monotone "...Does anyone remember what Vice-President called this in 1980...something D-O-O economics. Voodoo economics" to Jeffrey Jones as Ed Rooney, playing the mean and nasty administrator, to a gym teacher yelling at his class to hurry up and run their laps, while riding a golf cart. Though a comedy, Ferris Bueller does a remarkably good job of capturing the atmosphere of a typical high school. The sight gags and comedy are not as far from reality as one might think.

Viewers will enjoy watching Ferris emerge out of any dicey situation on top and with a grin and watching his sister and Rooney make fools out of themselves. Teenagers can watch this movie and feel that Ferris is being rebellious for them.

This is a good family movie. Despite a few cuss words, it is suitable viewing for nearly any age. It is pure comedy.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off has aged well as a movie. This film does not capture a lot of faddy trends in the area of fashion. Even after twenty years, it does not look particularly dated.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a must-watch for anyone who likes movies or is a teenager.