Bueller? Bueller? Fall Film Series ends with 1986 classic

Bueller? Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?

Ben Stein droned on when taking roll in his high-school class from the memorable 1986 film, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

The Churchill Arts Council Fall Film series concludes on Friday. The box office, Art Bar and galleries open at 6 p.m. with the movie beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $7, members; $10 nonmembers. Tickets are available at the box office on the night of screening or call CAC at 775-423-1440.

Another classic teen movie written, co-produced, and directed by John Hughes, and co-produced by Tom Jacobson, this film stars Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller, a high-school slacker who spends a day off from school, with Mia Sara and Alan Ruck. Ferris regularly “breaks the fourth wall” to explain techniques and inner thoughts.

Released by Paramount Pictures in June more than 32 years ago, the film became one of the top-grossing films of the year, receiving $70.1 million over a $5.8 million budget, and was enthusiastically acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. In 2014, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, being deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Briefly, “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” occurs in suburban Chicago near the end of the school year when high-school senior Ferris Bueller fakes being sick to stay home. Throughout the film, he talks about his friends and give the audience advice on how to skip school. His parents believe him, though his sister Jeanie is not convinced. Dean of Students Edward R. Rooney suspects Ferris is being truant again and commits to catching him.

Ferris convinces his friend Cameron Frye, who really is absent due to illness, to help get Ferris’ girlfriend Sloane Peterson out of school by reporting that her grandmother has died. To trick Rooney, Ferris sways Cameron to let them use his father’s prized 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder to collect Sloane. Cameron is dismayed when Ferris continues to use the car to drive them into downtown Chicago to spend the day, but Ferris promises they will return it as it was.

The movie is also noted for its may Bueller quotes, especially when he says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

The late Chicago movie critic Roger Ebert gave the movie three stars:

“Here is one of the most innocent movies in a long time, a sweet, warm-hearted comedy about a teenager who skips school so he can help his best friend win some self-respect. The therapy he has in mind includes a day’s visit to Chicago, and after we’ve seen the Sears Tower, the Art Institute, the Board of Trade, a parade down Dearborn Street, architectural landmarks, a Gold Coast lunch and a game at Wrigley Field, we have to concede that the city and state film offices have done their jobs: If ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ fails on every other level, at least it works as a travelogue.”