The name John Hughes is synonymous for Gen-Xers with classic comedy and the 1980s. The man wrote and/or directed hit after hit during that time that, although usually focused on the youth of the time, transcended age to universal appeal. We’re getting into the fourth decade of his work being accessible to the masses in home media and the true genius of the man, all these years later, has lost none of its magic. Just as he transcended age, the late and great John Hughes has transcended time.

1986 saw Hughes, an infamously fast and prolific writer, churn out the script for Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in one week. It tells the tale of a rebellious young teen (Matthew Broderick), on the cusp of graduation, wanting to stop and smell the roses for a day and bask in the experience of being a carefree teenager before adulthood comes a knocking. He drags his manic-depressive best friend, Cameron (Alan Ruck) and enlists his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) onto his carefully plotted adventures in downtown Chicago. Sounds idyllic, right? Hapless principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) has other ideas and is determined to catch Bueller in the act. As Bueller and his friends stumble through one misadventure after another, including stealing a Ferrari and fronting a ticker-tape parade, Rooney gets closer to his goal.

What really sells this film is the pitch-perfect casting. Broderick seems effortlessly smooth as Ferris in what could have easily been an obnoxious character. Instead, his likability shines through entirely, even in Ferris’s selfish moments. Any missteps the character makes come from a place of good intention. This was not an easy balance to convey, and he does it perfectly. Alan Ruck sad sack Cameron also appeals and is a balance of heart and pathos. There is a scene toward the end of the film where Cameron has a strange, self-affirming meltdown, in regard to how his domineering father treats him. I found it melodramatic and jarring because its unearned (we never see his dad). The ever-gorgeous Mia Sara is physically the ideal girlfriend but adds a warmth and charisma that elevates what could have been a thankless role. Jeffrey Jones has become persona non grata in the decades since this film was released, due to dubious life-choices. But one is doing themselves and the rest of the cast and crew a disservice by ignoring this film. As Ed Rooney, his work is a masterclass in comedy. His antagonistic Rooney is arrogant, gormless and completely unaware of how stupid he is. He plays this with a timeless cluelessness. Rooney sees himself as the hero of the story and it’s a gas. Dirty Dancing’s Jennifer Grey also kills it as Bueller’s long-suffering sister, Jeannie. Last but not least, there is the always hilarious Edie McClurg as Rooney’s secretary: every line she delivers, every moment she is on screen is hilarious.

If ever there was the definition of a pick me up film, it’s this one. It is a spontaneous, mischievous and hilarious series of things that just happen. Very light on plot, very rich on character, it grabs you from the opening scenes and holds you to the end. John Hughes comedies should all be devoured but this one goes in my pile of unmissable.

4K Ultra HD + Digital 4K

Home Video Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - August 1, 2023
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos; English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1; German: Dolby Digital 2.0; French: Dolby Digital 2.0; Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0; Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; single disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free

VIDEO

VIDEO: YUMMY! Paramount deliver a pristine 2160p native scan that’s worthy of the subject. Production design and palette were intentionally idyllic and the Dolby Vision/HDR10 HDR takes these elements and runs with them. From the red Ferrari to the suburban greens and the picture-perfect skies you are getting an eye full of the colour spectrum in every frame. Details in faces, clothes, the plains of every shot are rendered beautifully. Grain is intact but unobtrusive, there’s no signs of DNR or artefact clean-ups. It’s a gorgeous and faithful presentation for a classic Hughes flick.

AUDIO

Paramount sprang for a Dolby ATMOS 7.1 mix. The previous 5.1 lossless track was excellent to begin with and at first thought this comedy doesn’t really need the use of seven channels. There are nuances, subtle atmospherics that coat many scenes. If they’re in a kitchen, it sounds like a kitchen and if they’re outside it sounds like—you get the idea. But where it really becomes noticeable is in restaurants, art galleries, crowds and especially the parade scene. Revelatory stuff and a welcome addition. This is not an action movie mix, but you are getting the finest, nuanced mix this film has ever received.

Supplements:

Commentary:

• Audio Commentary with Director John Hughes

Special Features:

Sigh... You get the all the special features from the Scream Factory release (among others) from long ago, but, as with all new media, if they don’t offer anything new, I see no point in reviewing the same stuff over again. It just seems the days of studios or physical media producers no longer wish to put the finance into making decent supplementary content anymore. Generous but long outdated commentaries and featurettes aplenty. That just makes me sad.

• Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• The Making of Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Who is Ferris Bueller?
• The World According to Ben Stein
• Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes

	Movie
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Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: PG-13.
Runtime: 103 mins
Director: John Hughes
Writer: John Hughes
Cast: Matthew Broderick; Alan Ruck; Mia Sara
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: One Man's Struggle to Take it Easy.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Pardon my French, but Cameron is so tight that if you stuck a lump of coal up his ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond."
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date: June 11, 1986
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 1, 2023.
Synopsis: Matthew Broderick stars as the delightfully charming Ferris who, with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best bud Cameron (Alan Ruck), ditches school to enjoy one perfect day as a kid with no responsibilities.