Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Summary

“They think he’s a righteous dude.”

The other day I had one of those magical parenting moments where everything came full circle in a satisfying way. Thanks to Paramount’s brand new 4K UHD steelbook release, I was able to show my thirteen year old son Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. As I watched the film (which has never looked better) it was a relief to see that the jokes still hold up well and that he was just as enamored with the film as I had been when I was his age. I believe that I first saw the movie in an edited version on Comedy Central, and then I rented it on VHS when I was about ten years old. I rewatched it countless times growing up, like most teenagers in my age group. Some of the comedies from the Eighties have at least some level of a cringe factor when faced with the woke period we are living in. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has essentially aged like a fine wine, because every teenager still dreams of taking the day off of school and having an adventure with a beautiful significant other and their best friend. The fourth-wall breaking film still speaks to teenagers and still speaks to the youthful memories of the audiences who first saw the film in 1986. 

The plot of the film revolves around big man on campus Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick.) Ferris has brilliantly maneuvered his way into taking eight days off from school in the current semester to simply enjoy life. The film starts with Ferris performing numerous tricks to con his parents into allowing him to stay home sick, which he explains into the camera for the audience. Once his parents have left for work, Ferris begins to seize the day. He leaves his room set up to continue the deception with a recording of himself sleeping playing on his sound system. He leaves a dummy in his bed tied to an elaborate pulley system in case anyone enters the room. Meanwhile, at school, Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) takes note of Ferris’s ninth absence. As he is looking at Ferris’s record, and discussing with Ferris’s mother over the phone, the absences disappear until only two remain. Ferris manipulates his school record from home, because he got a computer while his sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey) got a car. Ferris calls upon his hypochondriac and depressed best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) to come pick him up, because Cameron has a car. Cameron resists but eventually agrees to pick him up. Ferris spreads rumors at the school about the seriousness of his illness, which spread like wildfire. Their next task is to find a way to get Ferris’s girlfriend Sloane Peterson (Mia Sara) out of school. They phone into the school with a story about a dead grandmother, as Sloan’s father. (I don’t want to spoil this scene, because it is hilarious.) The ruse is successful, but in order to pick Sloane up from the school, Ferris convinces Cameron to take out his father’s beloved 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. The trio hits the town in Chicago, while Principal Rooney leaves the school to prove definitively that Ferris was simply skipping school. Ferris’s sister Jeannie resents him for being so beloved, so she formulates her own plans to bust Ferris herself.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a true comedy classic. I watched the film repeatedly as a teenager, and remember it well, but it had been at least a decade since I had rewatched the film. My wife and I both were taken aback at just how funny the film remains. The situations and dialogue are extremely well thought out, very funny, and the delivery by the cast is whip-smart. John Hughes spoke directly to the teenage heart. He knew that audience better than any filmmaker in the Eighties (as evidenced by The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, and Ferris Bueller,) and I would argue that he remains the best writer of teen comedies of all time. If you think about it, does anyone else hold a candle to his record? 

What is beautiful about Hughes’s films is how they still captivate young audiences all these years later. My teenage son laughed through the whole film. The rebellious yet ultimately harmless nature of Ferris Bueller still speaks to the teenage desires to upend the powers of authorities. As an adult, the film is still hilarious. Family films, that weren’t Disney vehicles, used to have a little more cursing and a little more bite to them. The times have changed and family entertainment feels neutered. Worse than that… it feels boring. There is the occasional family film that surprises me (I really enjoyed Ghostbusters: Afterlife, for example,) but most of the newer family films fail to register with me. Luckily, Paramount and Warner have consistently gone back to the better films for families of yesteryear, so my kids have been consistently entertained by the best movies from my childhood. I don’t stop my kids from watching the other garbage that is released currently, but for family movie night I want it to be something like this, or Top Gun, or The Goonies, or Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. I applaud Paramount for bringing back one of the finest teen comedies from the Eighties to UHD in a good looking new edition.

The acting in the film is wonderful. Matthew Broderick is perfectly cast as the titular character. It is a truly iconic part and performance. He was so good in the role that he experienced some difficulty landing  more serious roles for some years afterward. Luckily, in Election he proved himself as being very capable of leading an adult role exceptionally and went on to serious Broadway success in The Producers. Jennifer Grey is wonderful as his jealous karate-kicking little sister Jeanie. Mia Sara was beautiful and well suited to play the love interest Sloane. Like most young adults, she was an onscreen crush. Alan Ruck also found himself struggling to avoid typecasting after his excellent performance as Cameron. I have enjoyed his recent work on the television series Succession. Jeffrey Jones is hilariously funny as Principal Ed Rooney. Ferris’s parents were well played by Lyman Ward and Cindy Pickett. Edie McClurg steals some scenes as Rodney’s personal secretary. In a great cameo, Charlie Sheen plays a recently arrested drug indulging teenager that strikes up a conversation with Jeanie at a police station. Its a great part of the film.

Overall – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a truly funny teen comedy that has aged beautifully. The Paramount 4K UHD deserves a place in your collection. The new steelbook version is particularly sharp looking on a shelf.

Video

Presented in Native 4K in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the most part looks fantastic in Paramount’s new UHD presentation. A lot of effort has been put into the transfer. The transfer itself is very well done with color timing that reflects its original look, and well used HDR which brings out the colors and textures of the film. Fine grain is very well resolved. The only reason that I took any points at all, is that there are a few moments where I experienced some strange flickering of textures. The most notable moments was in a helicopter shot of Chicago. These moments are infrequent and I would like to know if others are experiencing any of the sort or if my UHD player was just having a bad night. Feel free to let me know in the comments!

Audio

Paramount has also taken steps to upgrade Ferris Bueller’s Day Off from a  Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track to a full blown Atmos track. As one might expect, it sounds great. Like with their recent The Truman Show release, the Dolby Atmos track is a big upgrade for a film that may not have just screamed out for an Atmos upgrade, but it is awesome that it received the upgrade. The soundtrack of the film which features songs from Big Audio Dynamite, Wayne Newton, The Beat, The Dream Academy, The Beatles, and more has never sounded better. It adds a lot more to the viewing experience than you might expect. In a perfect world, all UHD upgrades would feature Atmos remastering. I appreciate that Paramount stepped up to the plate to give this film so much care.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary: Director John Hughes
• Getting the Class Together – The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
• Who Is Ferris Bueller?
• The World According to Ben Stein
• Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.25/5 

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of the best teen comedies ever made. Paramount has done justice to the film with a good looking new 4K transfer that (despite a few small issues) easily outperforms its dated Blu-ray release. Fans of the film will love the way the movie looks and sounds, and should find that their teenage kids will love the movie just as much as they do. This is a family film that holds up to the test of time. Paramount’s new UHD release is very good overall with a nicely done 4K transfer (aside from a few strange aliasing issues that cropped up occasionally) and a solid new Dolby Atmos track. The supplements are legacy material from the prior release, but they are still good supplements. I highly recommend adding this release to your collection. In particular, I think that purchasing the sharp looking steelbook edition would be the preferred way to own the film.