Veronica and Earl will probably back me up on this point.. but if you are planning on visiting Chicago in the near future.. I highly recommend watching "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" before you make your journey into this incredible city.
Ferris wants to take a day off from his suburban school to see the sights of downtown Chicago. He thinks it would be fun if his girlfriend Sloane and his best buddy Cameron came along, and even better if they could spin around town in Cameron's father's prized red Ferrari. btw.. count me in on this fun!
"The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands. It's a good non-specific symptom; I'm a big believer in it. A lot of people will tell you that a good phony fever is a dead lock, but, uh... you get a nervous mother, you could wind up in a doctor's office. That's worse than school. You fake a stomach cramp, and when you're bent over, moaning and wailing, you lick your palms. It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school."
The cast is just awesome.. the trio of Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara, and Alan Ruck each had personalities that played well off of each other.. though I've always seen the character of Cameron almost too depressing at times. And Jennifer Grey and Jeffrey Jones are a great combination as Ferris's nemesis. Though you have to love Jeanie's change of heart toward the end of the movie.
But the real cast treats from watching 'Ferris' are the smaller roles of folks we all enjoy from other movies:
Kristy Swanson "Deadly Friend" Max Perlich "Can't Buy Me Love" Scott Coffey "Some Kind of Wonderful" Dee Dee Rescher "Summer School"
and of course.. Charlie Sheen in a memorable role sitting in a Police station that he apparently knows quite well.
Above are a couple of pics that I took with my iphone on my recent Chicago visit.. there are many movies that symbolize the Chicago experience, but none better than "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" in my opinion!
And if you are planning on visiting Chicago anytime soon.. I will recommend this filming location guide:
The Skydeck at Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker Dr. - where Ferris, Cameron, and Sloane pressed their foreheads against the glass to get a good look down. Feeling brave?
The Art Institute of Chicago - 111 S. Michigan Ave. - where Cameron becomes captivated by the little girl at the center of Georges Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884.
Wrigley Field, 1060 W. Addison St. - where Ferris catches a foul ball at a Cubs game and Cameron heckles the opposing team. Sa-wing, batta!
Chicago Board of Trade, 141 W. Jackson Blvd.
Calder's Flamingo sculpture - 50 W. Adams St. at S. Dearborn St. - where Cameron and Sloan are seen standing in front of Alexander Calder's Flamingo sculpture. Other famous outdoor sculptures visible in this scene are Picasso's Untitled sculpture in Daley Plaza and Chagall's Four Seasons mosaic. Ferris joins the German-American Von Steuben Day Parade on Dearborn near Madison, where he lip syncs to The Beatles' "Twist and Shout".
Sad to say that the upscale French restaurant Chez Paul no longer exists, but Chicago has incredible restaurants throughout the city to enjoy.
And finally:
370 Beech Street Highland Park, IL 60035 - the must see stop on the "Save Ferris" filming location adventure is Cameron's house that recently went up for sale.
Sound like fun?
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
[ 06. June 2010, 07:01: Message edited by: Valley ]
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Anyone interested in a Chicago adventure?
Posted by Helen_S (Member # 5804) on :
You paying?
Not overly keen on this one, probably my least favourite Hughes film. I just wanna slap the sh*t out of him Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
funny you should bring this up Valley. 3 friends of mine are visiting Chicago and washington in February and i was going to go with them but they were only in Chicago for 2 days and i wanted longer so said no. I was going to ask people on here what to visit for them even though they are not 80s movies fans. I was really keen to see some locations from movies. Ill get there sometime i hope. I watched Ferris when i was 15 and laughed my head off. I had a bit of a thing for the ever sweet Mia Sara. I think i turned red when she was wearing just her underwear. I might watch this tonight now, this has put me in the mood. An excellent thread Valley . . . 2 thumbs up. But...the question isnt what are we gonna do, the question is what arnt we going to do? Please dont say were not gonna take the car home, please dont say were not gonna take the car home! For me...I just love this movie.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I'm always down for that! But Valley, are you sure you don't want to tour the "Candyman" locations instead? Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Not overly keen on this one, probably my least favourite Hughes film. I just wanna slap the sh*t out of him
Like most other people, I loved it as a kid. Now, I just see Ferris as a spoiled brat who has a shedload of safety nets in life (so does Cameron), and I think Rooney is actually trying to do something noble. I still love it, though Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
logan .. sad to hear that you grew up. Rooney as noble sounds so wrong.
Save Ferris!
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
So true. There's really nothing noble about a guy willing to actually break into someone's house to prove a point, even if he's right. Who knows what else the man might have done had the film lasted longer and he believed Ferris had driven him far enough through repeated humiliation to warrant even more extreme measures? (regardless, he clearly wouldn't have won even if Jeannie hadn't shown up at the right time; it may have taken a while, but Ferris almost certainly would have come up with an absolutely brilliant plan to extricate himself from whatever Rooney was planning to dish out and humiliate his foe thoroughly at the same time).
Too often, people only see Ferris's confident and brash side; like pretty much everyone else in Shermer, though, there's more to him than just what's on the surface. After all, let's not forget he essentially does everything he does through the film because he cares for Cameron as a friend and wants him to enjoy life for once. He may stretch the rules to his benefit, but for everyone willing to look close enough, it's clear he's essentially a good person deep down, and that certainly has to count for something.
And actually, if the city of Chicago actually would start up a tour of his stop points all through the day, I think it would be a terrific idea; certainly the base is there, and it would certainly be a good economic boost for the Chicago metro area.
Posted by aTomiK (Member # 6575) on :
All time classic! I still remember the first time i saw this masterpiece: My grandparents house during one of our movie weekends. Those were the days, 3-5 movie junkies watching flicks nonstop and enjoying every minute. (No, my grandparents were not watching the movies with us )
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:logan .. sad to hear that you grew up.
I didn't! I just think that this is one of the only movies in which Hughes forgot that a character with everything has no real worries. The fact that Ferris is likable at all defies logic. Hughesian magic and Broderick's performance are what sell Ferris. It's a great movie and I'll always love it, but once upon a time Cameron's "Who do you love - you love a car" scene was the height of passionate expression, now... it's self indulgent.
quote:Rooney as noble sounds so wrong.
Hold up! I didn't say Rooney was noble, I said what he was trying to do was noble; he leaves his ivory tower - the one place he has any power (which the movie reminds us constantly), to try and stop an over-privileged kid who lives in a big white house from ditching school.
quote:So true. There's really nothing noble about a guy willing to actually break into someone's house to prove a point, even if he's right. Who knows what else the man might have done had the film lasted longer and he believed Ferris had driven him far enough through repeated humiliation to warrant even more extreme measures? (regardless, he clearly wouldn't have won even if Jeannie hadn't shown up at the right time; it may have taken a while, but Ferris almost certainly would have come up with an absolutely brilliant plan to extricate himself from whatever Rooney was planning to dish out and humiliate his foe thoroughly at the same time).
We would forgive everything Rooney did if it had been Ferris doing it. The film is essentially Ed Rooney's day off vs Ferris Bueller's day off: Ferris has a blast; Ed has a terrible day; Ferris wins; Ed loses; we like Ferris; we laugh at Ed. We want to be Ferris; nobody wants to be Ed.
quote:Too often, people only see Ferris's confident and brash side; like pretty much everyone else in Shermer, though, there's more to him than just what's on the surface. After all, let's not forget he essentially does everything he does through the film because he cares for Cameron as a friend and wants him to enjoy life for once. He may stretch the rules to his benefit, but for everyone willing to look close enough, it's clear he's essentially a good person deep down, and that certainly has to count for something.
It does count for something. But Broderick's charm, Hughes dialogue, and Hughes love-letter to Chicago are all designed to carry us away and make us feel good (which they do). In reality, Ferris Bueller five years later is a junior exec in a big multi-national on the phone to his buddies from 'the club' arranging a golf game. But it's a fantasy... so it's ok.
For me, the number one most decent and grounded person in the whole film is Sloane Peterson. But then again, she's also the member of the main cast with the least to do. I'll even give Jeannie props for controlling her Rooney-ish side when it mattered most.
Man... I must be sounding like anti-Ferris right now. I'm not, I'm really not! How can anyone not like Ferris Bueller's day off? I just view it a little differently now than I did when I was younger, that's all. Hughes was too good a writer to make a movie you couldn't enjoy on different levels.
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I always thought this movie was really more about Cameron than anyone else.
Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
quote:Originally posted by Veronica Sawyer: I always thought this movie was really more about Cameron than anyone else.
Well... Cameron is the only character who has any kind of meaningful transformation (possibly Jeannie too). Ferris did say he was doing it all for Cameron... but then he also said that he was sick, so...
Posted by oneyedwilly (Member # 8730) on :
i wonder if mia sara was ever considered for the breakfast club as the princess. hmmm??
Favourite all time scene from FBDO has got to be...
hell keep calling, hell keep callin me and make me come over, hell make me feel guilty! Ok this is ridiculous ok...ill go ill go ill go ill go with it..ill go...S%$T! Vroooooooooommmm. god damn it thump thump thump thump thump....just hilarous!
Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
Oh yes, that is a good one; the yell he lets out as the engine roars then sputters is priceless.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Found this article today regarding Ferris Bueller and the Cubs game they attended in the movie.. thought it was quite interesting.
Wezen-Ball Ferris Bueller's Day Off at Wrigley Field by Larry Granillo
On his day off, Ferris Bueller had quite the adventure. From "borrowing" the 1961 Ferrari 250GT of his best friend's unforgiving father to visiting both the Sears Tower and the Art Institute and finally to singing "Danke Schön" and "Twist and Shout" in front of thousands of Chicagoans, it's fair to say that no one ever had a day off quite like it.
On Ferris's agenda that afternoon was, naturally, a trip to Wrigley Field. After grabbing a bite to eat (as "Abe Froman, Sausage King of Chicago") at a snooty Magnificent Mile restaurant, Ferris and pals headed to the stadium to catch a ballgame.
As movie-viewers, we don't learn anything about the Wrigley Field trip until we see Principal Rooney in the greasy pizza joint. As he wipes off the soda that was just thrown into his face, Rooney walks up to the restaurant's counter where the game is being shown on television. There, we get a good glimpse at what is going on in the game (including some play-by-play from, I believe, Harry Caray):
On the screen we see Chicago first-baseman #10 holding on an Atlanta Braves player wearing #18. The announcer pipes in: "Runner on first base, nobody out. That's the first hit they've had since the fifth inning, and only the fourth hit in the game. … 0-2 the count."
Chicago pitcher #46 throws the pitch to a left-handed Atlanta hitter with a two-digit number ending in "5" and what appears to be a long last name. The batter swings at the pitch and hits a long fly ball to left. "That's a drive! Left field... twisting... and into foul territory."
The Chicago leftfielder races for the ball but it screams foul, into Ferris' hand. The announcer continues with a train of thought we must have missed: "Boy, I'm really surprised they didn't go for it in that inning. Lee Smith..."
This is the point where Principal Rooney has his brief conversation with the pizza maker. In the background, we hear one of the announcers say something about playing "a very shallow third". We then hear "There's the ball bunted foul back to the screen. Boy I don't know..."
The scene finally shifts to Wrigley Field, where Ferris and company are sitting near the leftfield foul pole. Off in the distance, we can see the Cubs on the field and one or two baby blue uniforms around the diamond.
It appears obvious now that this is a real ballgame that Ferris is at, not just something recreated for a film crew. The Harry Caray play-by-play and the Braves players on the field are pretty solid evidence of that. So what game, then, are they watching? Did the Cubs win, or did Ferris sing "Danke Schön" as a way to wash away the stink of a Cubs loss?
The movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" was released on June 11, 1986. The ballgame then must have been filmed either real early in the 1986 season or sometime during 1985. Looking at game logs from those seasons, we see that there was no game in 1986 in which Lee Smith (#46) faced the Braves at Wrigley Field. There were four such games in '85, though Smith left the Braves hitless in one of those. Of the remaining three games, it isn't hard to find the game we're looking for.
Ferris Bueller and his pals were at the June 5, 1985, tilt between the Cubs and the Braves. The foul ball that Ferris caught was hit by Atlanta rightfielder Claudell Washington (#15) in the top of the 11th inning. The game was tied at two (not scoreless, like the pizza guy claimed) and backup second-baseman Paul Zuvella (#18) was being held on first by Leon Durham (#10) after a leadoff single (the fourth hit of the game, and Atlanta's first hit since the fifth). Washington would end his at-bat with a flyball to leftfielder Davey Lopes. The next batter, Rafael Ramirez, would wind up hitting a two-run home run and the Braves would go on to win 4-2. The movie, however, cut away before that happened.
Sadly, we don't have pitch-by-pitch data for the game, so we can't verify all the details presented in the movie (an 0-2 foul ball from Washington and then a bunt foul? Was that a bunt by Ramirez before his home run swing?). I have no reason to doubt that they are correct, though.
More interesting than that is the timeline that this presents for Ferris. It's said in the movie that the reservation he stole was for noon, but we can't say with certainty if that's what time they ate. Seeing as how they finished the lunch with no hassles, it's safe to assume either Abe never showed up or he showed up well after their lunch was finished. Either way, with a start time of 1:25pm that afternoon, there is plenty of time for Ferris and company to make it to Wrigley in time for the game.
The eleven-inning game took 3:09 to complete, which means that the foul ball Ferris catches had to have been sometime after 4:00pm. That leaves, at the most, one hour and forty-five minutes for their trips to the museum, Sears Tower, the lake, and Sloane's house, while squeezing in two musical numbers during the parade before racing home at 5:55pm. Seems a bit tough to squeeze all of that in for most normal people. But, seeing as Ferris has the magical ability to sound exactly like both a young Wayne Newton and a young John Lennon, I'm willing to believe he could make the schedule work.
Now that we know exactly what was happening at the Cubs game they went to, "Ferris Bueller" fans will be clamoring all over themselves to add the signatures of Claudell Washington, Paul Zuvella, and Lee Smith to their posters "signed by the complete cast". Anything less just won't cut it. I'm just disappointed that the Cubs let the 25th anniversary go by last summer without a celebration. What a shame.
Posted by Bernie_Lomax (Member # 8571) on :
I never done anything this cool on any of my days off from school, however I took more than 9 days off each semester.
I would sometimes watch this on my frequent absences from school.
I still rate this movie really highly and the only thing that spoils it for me now along with many othe films, is that I can't go in fresh and experience the movie for the first time because I have watched it way too many times.
By way too many times - I mean an unhealthy number of times.
Great movie.
I got this on DVD a while ago, which I have since lost, but it had a great extra, which was a Jonh Hughes commentary through the film. One of the best commentaries I have heard - Highly recommended to watch this with the commentary.
"This is one of my personal favourites."
Posted by Saint_in_London (Member # 2575) on :
I have always had this as one of the best of the 80s, watched it and then watched it again straight after the first time we rented it.
It does not seem quiet as good now and think he should have done even more on his day off, i know some scenes were cut and i got a preview for this film on another old VHS tape somehwhere where the the dialogue is changed in some of the scences.
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
Wrigley Field will be open for business in October, but it won't be for postseason baseball..
Instead, it is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" at the movies!
The Chicago Cubs will hold a movie night in Wrigley on Oct. 1 featuring "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." It's a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the movie that was based in Chicago that featured memorable scenes at Wrigley.
There will be three giant movie screens in the ballpark, and fans are invited to set up picnic blankets on the field or sit in bleacher seats. There will be an attempt to break a world record singing "Danke Schoen" which was featured in the movie.
Tickets are $10 for a bleacher seat, $25 for an outfield lawn seat or $75 for a VIP outfield lawn seat that includes access to a pre-event party at the Captain Morgan Club.
This sounds like a blast!
Posted by Valley (Member # 1322) on :
"Ladies and Gentlemen... You're such a wonderful crowd, we'd like to play a little tune for you. It's one of my personal favorites and I'd like to dedicate it to a young man who doesn't think he's seen anything good today. Cameron Frye, this one's for you." Posted by Chris the CandyFanMan (Member # 3197) on :
Do you think they'll try a world record Twist and Shout attempt as well?
Posted by Veronica Sawyer (Member # 2221) on :
I am going to try and make it to this, depending on how the weather is that night.
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