Ferris: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

"OHHHHHH YEAHHHHHH!"

The basic story involves a Chicago teen's fairly elaborate plans to play hookey from school. Ferris Bueller thinks he has everything under control. Step One: Get his parent's OK. He makes himself feverish, while telling his parents that he must really go to school today, playing them both like a fiddle, which isn't hard, because they both see him as an angel who does no wrong, much to the annoyance of his sister. After all have left, he sets his elaborate scam in motion - complete with a system that makes a snoring noise, making his covers go up and down with the snoring. He has an elaborate phone message system in place as well, and a recorder that even handles the front door intercom.

Step 2: Having done so, he heads off for his friend's house, to enlist him as well on this ditching holiday. His friend, Cameron Frye (Alan Ruck). They figure out a plan to spring Ferris's girlfriend, Sloane Peterson (Mia Slater) from school. They call the school and say that Sloane's grandmother had died and they were going to pick her up.

Step 3: Taking Mr. Frye's prized possession, a classic Ferrari, much to his son, Cameron's distress. Ferris: "Cameron's house is like a museum. It's very cold, and very beautiful, and you're not allowed to touch anything". Ferris and Cameron go to pick up Sloane, who is waiting for them in front of the school with Dean of Students, Ed Sloane (Jeffrey Jones). The whole incident makes Sloane suspicious, knowing all about Ferris's antics, but can never catch him at it.

There are two loose cannons that can ruin Ferris's day off. Ed Sloane is determined to catch Ferris this time, and throw the book at him, and Ferris's sister, Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) has had enough of her brother's ability to get away with everything, while she never gets away with anything,and wants him to get caught by their parents.

This humorous, sparkling screenplay was the brainchild of John Hughes who also directed it as well, before his "Home Alone" fame. He was considered the king of 1980's teen movies, including: "The Breakfast Club", "Sixteen Candles", and "Pretty in Pink".

Matthew Broderick is quite engaging as the teen ditch king. His periodic commentary to the camera plays as unselfconscious and quite funny.

Jeffrey Jones brings a great comic energy to his role of the obsessed Dean of Students, who is determined to catch him in the act, so he can make the errant teen repeat his senior year. His repeated attempts to bust Broderick for skipping school bring to mind the Willie Coyote never-ending attempts to catch the Roadrunner. He always gets the bad end of things, every time he nearly catches Ferris.

My favorite scene with Jeffrey Jones is his run in with the Bueller's dog, when he pokes around, trying to prove that Ferris isn't home.


Mia Sara is Broderick's exotic, and thoroughly huggable girlfriend. If I had a girlfriend like Sara in high school, I might have become the King of Ditching School.


The film has an energetic musical score. Ira Newborn is the main responsible party. Composers Arthur Baker, Steven Patrick Morrissey, John Robie and Yello also contributed to the musical score.

Composer Steven Patrick Morrissey wrote the song, "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want."

My favorite scene involves Broderick's encounter with a parade in downtown Chicago, where he pops on board a float and sings for the crowd. The scene shows us fun loving, spontaneous youth at it's most exuberant. Also, be sure to wait to the end of the credits, to see a funny bit.