Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ferris Bueller	Matthew Broderick
Cameron Frye	Alan Ruck	½
Sloane Peterson	Mia Sara	½
Ed Rooney	Jeffrey Jones	½
Jeanie Bueller	Jennifer Grey	½
Tom Bueller	Lyman Ward	½
Boy in Police Station	Charlie Sheen
Economics Students	Kristy Swanson Max Perlich

Review

John Hughes, fresh off the success of The Breakfast Club, continued his high school depiction with this life-loving, carefree comedy. The thematic elements are the same as usual, including teen liberation, uncomprehending authorities, the teen/parent relation etc, but Hughes' stance here is more lightweight and the characterizations more banal than was the case with The Breakfast Club. Ferris Bueller is a more downright comedy, and even if it lacks the profound ingenuity and humour of its predecessor, it is an impetus of uplifting fun.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off opens on a high note, as Matthew Broderick is given freedom to roam both narratively and stylistically. The effect of letting him break the fourth wall is attention-grabbing, if not dramatically enhancing, but it allows the film to exploit its spirited nature. The Broderick/Sara/Ruck triangle is the film's best asset, and the trio have some fine, poignant moments. Still, one cannot help feel that the film remains a series of vignettes as it grows older. The tedious Jeffrey Jones character is an uncharming admonition to the Pesci/Stern Home Alone idiocy (consider the layered nature of Richard Vernon as opposed to Ed Rooney), and except for a fine performance from Jennifer Grey, the latter part of Ferris Bueller cannot uphold its promising start. Hughes knows his characters well, but he's clearly running out of things to say, leaving this a pleasant comedy, far from the relevant brilliance of The Breakfast Club.