FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF - DVD review

Who would have ever thought I would find a movie that centers around an (admittedly ingenious) slacker that breaks the fourth wall and converses directly with the audience entertaining. The problem is that Matthew Broderick as the titular Ferris Bueller is just so damned affable that you can't help but fall in love with him. He's the kind of kid that everyone wanted to have as a friend in high school, despite being an utter deviant. As John said in his review of the original DVD, when Ferris cuts school he does it right.

He's missed eight days of school during the course of his senior year and Ferris is determined to make his ninth one to remember. After faking out his parents, Ferris has to concoct a plan to spring his best girl, Sloane (Mia Sara), and live it up in the Windy City. To do so, Ferris needs his best friend, who also happens to be (legitimately) missing school due to illness, Cameron (Alan Ruck). You see, Ferris is without transport and he relies on his pal to get about. And they do it in style, in Cameron's father's pretty red car. I don't know what particular kind it is, but again, it sure is pretty.

Ferris and his crew do, indeed, make the most of their time together. They scam their way into a snooty restaurant, scale the Sears Tower, catch a Cubs game, and interlope on a parade. But it's not all roses as there are forces conspiring to bring Ferris to justice, including the school principal Rooney (Jeffery Jones) and Ferris's jealous sister Jeannie (Jennifer Grey). Their misadventures in attempting to catch him in the act of skipping school account for about a third of the movie. Similarly Ferris has some near-misses with his mother and father out in the city.

Most of the film is a series of climactic vignettes that feature Ferris plying his trade, namely conning people, and having a good time. They are linked by an overarching narrative that tells the story of the day. In the end, this is the story of a day, one which Ferris is determined to make the best.

The movie's three leads have a wonderful dynamic that makes this film an absolute pleasure to watch. The subtext about this being the group's last chance to really cut loose before they spread out for college becomes heartbreaking when you realize how much they mean to one another. These characters grow nicely through the course of the movie. Cameron starts to understand that his existence isn't nearly as horrible as he thinks and learns to adapt to the pressures of life. Sloane learns what it means to love and Ferris what it means to be a true friend. They may not be life-altering adjustments but they are wonderful beats.

I honestly wonder what happened to these characters after this film concluded; it is a sign of just how compelling they are. We spend a nice amount of time with them; just enough to fall in love with Ferris and his motley crew. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is a wonderful, and somewhat timeless movie that addresses issues of teen anxiety (about growing up and growing old) and dealing with life. And to cap it all off, in case I haven't focused on it, it's insanely funny and infinitely quotable.

"Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is a seminal 80's film and one of the funniest, most heartfelt movies to come out of the period. Watch, and enjoy.

Video:
The 2.35:1 Anamorphic video looks a little washed out but isn't bad at all; likely the best the film has ever looked. Grain and compression dots the transfer, as do a few scratches, but none of them are distracting.

Audio:
The 5.1 Dolby Digital track sounds good, though not particularly dynamic. The various 80s tunes come roaring through in perfect clarity. I didn't notice much use of the surround speakers for anything but crowd noise and even that wasn't particularly prevalent.

Extras:
This new Bueller…Bueller… edition DVD is fairly packed, though does eschew the (rather pointless) commentary from director John Hughes that was present on the original release.

The cast and crew sit down to reflect on how they became involved in the process. Contemporary footage is intercut with period interviews from different people. This is a by-and-large complimentary documentary. It's nice to hear from people like Alan Ruck and Mia Sara along with Matthew Broderick. The fact that Ruck and Broderick worked together on Broadway goes a long way to explaining the great chemistry they had on film. A lot of the origins of the story are expanded upon in this half-hour documentary.

"The Making of Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is a more technical featurette that fixates on John Hughes' mullet as much as his genius. By looking at John Hughes' dual roles as writer and director, and how that assisted in the creation of a sense of spontaneity. People who enjoy the creation of film and the ways that editing plays into the telling of the story.

"Who is Ferris Bueller" takes an in-depth look at the titular character, his origins, and what he means to the greater cinematic world. Matthew Broderick gets his due praise for his portrayal of Ferris and bringing the movie together.

"The World According to Ben Stein" is a talk with the world's smartest man, politico, game show host, and sometime actor. Stein talks, in his familiar droll manner, about fame and his interactions with it. I've had the pleasure to sit in a room and listen to Stein reminisce; his stories are great and that wonderful charm comes through in this interview.

There are a set of "Vintage Ferris Bueller Tapes" that are just the two leads sitting in front of a camera chatting about the filmmaking process and goofing off. Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick (later joined by Mia Sara, Jeffery Jones, and others) play interview and giggle for a dozen minutes. Behind the scenes footage of the characters riffing (including some outtakes and deleted scenes) are included in unprocessed form.

The "Class Album" is a set of still promotion photographs. There are also automatic previews for classics like "Tommy Boy" and "Airplane" which should be added, along with "Ferris Bueller," to your collection.

Overall:
I love Ferris Bueller. As a character, as a film, as a piece of history; this movie is great in every way. This new DVD has a great-looking transfer and a decent audio track that doesn't take anything away from the film. The new extras are a great bonus, though I don't know if it is worth upgrading if you already own the previous edition.