Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) informed teens everywhere in the 1986 hit movie Ferris Buellers’s Day Off. Considered one of the 80’s funniest films, the movie follows the adventures of fictional high school senior Ferris Bueller when he decides to play hooky.

Ferris talks Cameron into borrowing his dad's Ferrari.

In an award-worthy performance, Bueller convinces his parents that he so sick he must stay home from school and so begins the laughs. Although it takes considerable persuasion, Ferris convinces his eccentric best friend Cameron Frye to join him. After borrowing Cameron’s dad’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT, the teens devise a cleaver plan to extricate Ferris’ girlfriend, Sloane Peterson from school. Posing as Sloane’s father, Ferris picks up his girlfriend right under the nose of Principal Ed Rooney, who just happens to have it out for Bueller, and so starts an unforgettable day spent in downtown Chicago.

Cameron, Sloanne & Ferris critique paintings at the Art Institute of Chicago.



Together the three live it up in the big city. They take in a baseball game at Wrigley Field, visit the Art Institute of Chicago, take in the view from the top of the Sears Tower, and dine at an elite restaurant where Bueller pretends to be Abe Forman, the sausage king of Chicago. But perhaps the most memorable scene of the movie is when Ferris jumps on a moving float in the Von Steuben Day Parade and belts out “Danke Schoen” and the Beatles classic “Twist and Shout.

Ferris jumps on a float and sings “Danke Schoen” and “Twist and Shout" in the Von Steuben Day Parade.

While there are several close calls, the trio manages to avoid being caught by not only Bueller’s parents, but also his jealous younger sister, and Ed Rooney who is so determined to catch Bueller that he even breaks into the student’s home.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Perhaps because the movie allows teens to live vicarious through Ferris and his friends, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off has become a classic movie which remains popular even today. Written and directed by John Hughes this movie was one of the first in the United States to get a PG-13 rating. Bueller . . . bueller . . . bueller Save Ferris and sport one of these bitchin’ Ferris Bueller t-shirts or find the perfect 80s costume idea with our Cameron Frye costume.

Spring 2010 Update:

The Ferrari used in this movie went up for auction this Spring. The sales price? $121,700. See story here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/01/entertainment/main6354272.shtml

Author: Pia Sooney

Just a little obsessed with all things 80s, Pia still has her Swatch, her cassette tape collection, and her Converse Chucks. When not making friendship pins or listening to Depeche Mode, she runs a web design business.

Share This Post On

1 Comment

  1. Another favorite of mine. Hilarious!!

    Post a Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Here in My Car, I Feel Safest of All – 80s Cars | Like Totally 80s - […] joy rides and ultimate death of Cameron’s father’s precious Ferrari in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off allowed Cameron to claim his…
  2. 80s Slang: It’s, like, totally bitchin’ | Like Totally 80s - […] the most famous use of this 80s slang term is from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off when Grace, the school…
  3. Q&A with with Susannah Gora, Author of “You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation” | Like Totally 80s - […] considered an essential part of the American adolescent experience to watch The Breakfast Club. And Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.…
  4. 80s Holiday Gift Guide | Like Totally 80s - […] totally know the perfect person who NEEDS THIS SHIRT! Quoting Ferris’ classic line from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, this…

Leave a Reply to Jan Griffiths Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *