Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Is it sacrilege to say this is John Hughes’ best film? Look, OK, I love The Breakfast Club too and, on balance, I’d probably take Don’t You (Forget About Me) over Twist and Shout if I had to choose (another edgy opinion?), but there’s just something kinda special about this one.

It sounds like an entertaining enough way to pass 90 minutes on paper: the oh-so-All-American wise-guy (in that very 80s way) Ferris Bueller wants a day off school, feigns illness, and hatches a plan to make the most of it that involves, naturally, casually nicking his best mate’s dad’s obscenely nice car and avoiding a manic Principal Rooney who’s frantically in pursuit like his life depends on it. What manifests itself on screen is something a lot more magical and, ultimately, life-affirming that it perhaps has a right to be.

A stone-cold classic of 80s teen cinema that’s stood the test of time, and on an original 1986 35mm print, too. Although, it should probably come with a health warning, because that Yello earworm will leave you absent-mindedly bellowing “ohhhh yeahhhhhh” to yourself in that broken-tape-recorder voice at some potentially-inappropriate moments in the days after you leave the cinema. Stick around for the post-credit scene as well, it’s fun!

Kieran Hall

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is a high school wise-guy who wants a day off from school, and he has developed an incredibly sophisticated plan in order to do so. However, he must avoid school principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones), who is convinced he is playing hooky and is hell-bent on catching him.

With a fun story that everyone can relate to, this classic comedy is a pleasure from beginning to end. The cast work very well together, with Jones on his quest providing a great number of funny members, and the script is very amusing and highly quotable. We get the experience of the joy of the con, and the message to live life to its fullest, all wrapped up in a bundle of entertainment. Never has a teen movie been presented so charmingly, and it has deservedly stood the test of time.

Reece Goodall