Aging Millennial confession: Sometimes, I like to revisit the classic movies of my childhood because they help me feel just a little less old. If you’re a fellow ‘80s kid in need of that kind of nostalgia, one teen comedy is absolutely perfect. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has been added to Netflix, and watching it is the next best thing to taking a time machine back to your childhood.
The premise of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is baked right into the title: the titular teen fakes illness so he can take the day off school, and he takes two of his friends along for the ride. Together, these suburban kids get into all kinds of misadventures throughout Chicago. But thanks to a snooping principal, a snitching sister, and suspicious parents, Ferris is in danger of getting busted wherever he goes.
Ferris Bueller’s guide to taking a day off.
A big reason why Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is so magical to ‘80s kids is that it was written and directed by John Hughes, who also directed other classic teen comedies like Pretty In Pink and The Breakfast Club. And even when he wasn’t directing, Hughes was the writer of other legendary films such as Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. Hughes always had a talent for writing young people as both charismatic and flawed. He filled Ferris Bueller with characters who immediately felt both familiar and aspirational.
Those characters are brought to life by a vibrant cast that includes Jennifer Grey, best known for the beloved romantic comedy Dirty Dancing. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off also stars Jeffrey Jones, best known to genre fans for Beetlejuice and Howard the Duck. We get particularly awesome performances from Mia Sara (best known for Ferris and for Timecop) and Alan Ruck (best known for Twister and Star Trek: Generations), who play Bueller’s partners in crime as they all gallivant around the Windy City with the reckless abandon of youth.
Alan Ruck as Cameron, Matthew Broderick as Ferris, and Mia Sara as Sloan in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The best performance comes from Matthew Broderick, who plays Ferris Bueller with the kind of easygoing confidence many of us would have killed to have when we were teens. In another actor’s hands, Ferris’ antics (which range from constantly quippy, fourth-wall-breaking monologues to stealing the show at a city parade) would come across as boorish or attention-seeking. But Broderick gives the character an elevated everyman status, and Ferris comes across as the kind of friend you either wanted to have or be.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off resonated with young audiences in the ‘80s and ‘90s because the title character was living out our wildest dreams. If we got sick, most of us stayed home, watched TV, and (if we were really lucky) got to play some video games or watch some movies. Ferris, however, turned a fake sick day into the ultimate adventure. Fans are still living vicariously through his day off all these decades later.
Will you decide Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is worth skipping work to watch, or is this one iconic film that should have stayed in the Reagan era? The only way to find out is to stream it on Netflix today. It’s the ultimate ‘80s time capsule, and it’s worth opening for anyone nostalgic for the golden age of teen comedies.
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