In honor of officially being past the “one month left” marker for the spring semester of 2025, I decided to revisit what is probably one of my all-time favorite coming-of-age movies. Even though it’s not a coming-of-age story, it has all the trappings of one despite only taking place over one day. It encapsulates the emotional states of all three main characters– where they’ve been, where they are and where they’ll go after the day is over.
The 1986 dramedy largely centers around downtown Chicago. Director John Hughes showcases the city as a character in and of itself, housing and providing a much-needed escape from the repetitive droll that is high school for our leading trio. This is certainly aided by the fact that Hughes grew up in Michigan, not far from the bustling city he grew to admire. Many of the city’s hallmarks are on full display throughout the film, from the notoriously chaotic stock exchange to the visually iconic Wrigley Field. It is arguably the best Chicago-centric movie, despite being released just shy of 40 years ago.
At the trio’s center, Ferris Bueller is a debonair charmer–a skill he uses to lie at nearly every opportunity, about everything from his physical well-being to his very name. The film’s titular character is at its heart and soul, with every emotional beat and twist in the plot primarily driven by Ferris–if indirectly. The role would be challenging for anyone to uphold; Matthew Broderick perfectly encapsulates a character that easily could have come off as a deadbeat and a loser if left in the wrong hands. But Broderick’s charisma and charm bleed through the screen, and despite the somewhat questionable choices Ferris might make, the audience still can’t help but root for him.
While Broderick is the central figure of the film’s focus, it is impossible to deny that it would not have been nearly as successful if it hadn’t been for Ferris’s two partners in crime– his girlfriend, Sloane (Mia Sara), and his childhood best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck). Sara and Ruck balance Broderick’s performance beautifully, and the dynamics they craft between the three characters come to life onscreen. They make the audience feel as though they are a part of their small troop, if only for a day.
But the performances would mean nothing if applied to a bland, humorless script. Luckily, Hughes’ screenplay is wrought with a quick wit and electric humor, which the cast, in turn, elevates to an entirely new level. The script is incredibly quotable, and in my opinion, continues to be one of the best comedic scripts Hughes ever wrote.
The first time I saw this film at fifteen years old, I immediately knew it would become one of the timeless comedies I would always turn to whenever I needed a cinematic pick-me-up. Even now, half a decade later, it still hasn’t disappointed me.
Rating: 4.5/5
