FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (Dir. John Hughes)
I just couldn't resist reviewing this film, but I'm going to have to force some criticism out of my Bueller-loving mind just for the sake of this blog being a fair one. John Hughes, if you don't know him, was one of the greatest screenwriters of the 80s and 90s, defining popular film with movies like Home Alone, Beethoven (and assorted sequels) and Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Many of you will love those movies, but I'm not such a fan. What I am a fan of is one of Hughes' 80s films, and one he directed too - Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

It's a high school film, of course. It's got shitty 80s music, of course. The main character sings an impromptu Beatles song during a German culture parade in Chicago, of course. But Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a piece of filmmaking perfection - in the script, the acting (starring Matthew Broderick as Matthew Broderick and the gorgeous Mia Sara), the staging, the editing... in short, the direction. Everything about it was sufficiently Hughes-ist for the film to work as a whole. Bueller, the main character, narrates the film, often glancing at or talking to the camera during scenes, breaking the fourth wall and creating a fantastic relationship with the viewer.

The film isn't your usual high school comedy, mind, it's got a higher story to tell, but it doesn't shout it. On the surface, it's a fun comedy with all the verve and style of the 80s, but it's also about young love, coming of age, and taking responsibility for your own life. Sure, it has its flaws - notably the 'baddie', a ginger teacher trying to catch Bueller who gets bitten by dogs, beaten up, etc. "It's a little childish and juvenile, but then, so is high school.*" He makes for fun scenes, but it does undermine the more serious parts of the film.

In any case, give Ferris Bueller a go, and - if it's to your tastes - you're in for a treat.

★★★★★