Ferris Bueller's Day Off Reviews

Matthew Broderick plays the title role, a popular high school student living in a well-to-do Chicago suburb. After convincing his parents that he is truly sick, Ferris calls on his friend Cameron (Ruck) to join him for a day off from school. Cameron agrees, reluctantly, because it means taking his father's prized classic 1961 red Ferrari 250 GT convertible. They pick up Ferris's girlfriend (Sara) and head for downtown Chicago, but our plucky hero's nemesis, the high school's dean of students (Jones), has caught on to the scheme and is determined to catch the boy in the act. Considering that the story and pacing of this offbeat comedy wear thin after the first 20 minutes, FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF has more funny moments than most bad teenage comedies, primarily because Broderick brings some real charm and chutzpah to the part. Unfortunately, the wonderfully clever promise of the film's opening is never fulfilled. Hughes, directing from his own screenplay, starts off well but pushes his premise too far and ultimately kills the joke. Where Hughes really succeeds is in his obviously affectionate lensing of Chicago locations.