Ferris Bueller's Day Off: 35th Anniversary Steelbook - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off: 35th Anniversary Steelbook



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
Following in recent patterns, Paramount continues to release it's litany of classic titles in 4K steelbook special editions. Usually with nothing more than a packaging upgrade, but sometimes timed with the release of a 4K remaster and a re-release in the Paramount Presents lineup. Sadly this is one of the former releases, giving us the same disc we've had for over a decade, and repackaged up for the steelbook collectors. This means the same mediocre video quality, as the movie DESPERATELY needs to be remastered.

Widely considered John Hughes biggest cult hit, surpassing even Pretty in Pink for the most popular and wide appealing film he ever did. It was the movie that made skipping school fun, abusing the principal funny, and Matthew Broderick a god among men for a while. Plus, it just so happens to have a million quotable lines that still make themselves prevalent in today’s pop culture. It was THE teenage adventure movie of the 1980s and probably one of my top 3 comedies of all times. I’ve very rarely said that a movie is “perfect” (even with a 5/5 rating), but Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is about as close to perfect as you can get.

Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is the class clown at his school, and probably the most beloved person at said school. Well, except for Principal Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) and Ferris’s own sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey). He’s been absent WAAAAAAY too many days to count, and while Principal Rooney thinks he’s got Ferris right where he wants him, young Master Bueller has access to a computer and a desire to have a day off with the company of his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck). What ensues next is a day of fun, hijinks, moral quanderies, and a off Principal Rooney trying to catch Ferris at his own game.

It’s almost an effort in futility to describe Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The movie is completely whimsical, full of a million different vignettes and plot twists, along with some discussion about what the future holds for these 3 seniors in high school. The movie reeks of John Hughes bubblegum pop humor, but foregoes much of the romance that defines Hughes for many of his fans. I would say that Ferris Bueller’s Day Off reaches a wider variety of audiences than his previous films, as it focuses on whimsical adventures rather than teen love. It still shows the tale of young people coming up into adulthood in their own way, but it’s much more fun and lovable over the soap opera style that Hughes can sometimes fall into.

The humor is nothing short of magical, and both Alan Ruck and Matthew Broderick destroy their respective roles. But what always makes a John Hughes movie so memorable is not JUST the main characters. It’s the side kicks and background characters that fully flesh out his films, and Ferris Bueller does so in spades. Jennifer Grey as Ferris’s jealous sister, a cameo by a VERY young Charlie Sheen, and Jeffrey Jones is priceless as the fall guy Mr. Rooney. When I heard that they were trying to do a remake of this film I felt sickened and horrified. Not because I felt like it was sacrilegious and the first movie above reproach, but simple that Ferris Bueller’s Day off was the very definition of lightning in a bottle. It was the type of movie that could only have been made during it’s respective time period, and was such a fantastic and wonderful mixture of EVERYTHING blending perfectly, that even trying to replicate that by having lightning strike twice in the same place is an effort in futility.




Rating:

Rated PG-13 by the MPAA




Video:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off uses the same old transfer (and it’s actually the same disc since 2009) that we’ve all known, which means no remaster. It’s a bit dated but still solid, even though the disc shows signs of filtering and speckles and spots on the print. There’s nothing MAJORLY off putting about the disc, it just badly needs a remaster and a 4K treatment on the Paramount Presents line. Faces are well detailed, but there is a softness to the image at times. Colors are well defined and decently saturated, but never really “pop” like they should. As I said, the disc is an alright disc, but it’s a decades old master that really could use a facelift.









Audio:

The same 5.1 Dolby TrueHD track that was found on all the other releases of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is found here as well, and that’s a good thing as the mix is, and was, a great sounding mix. It pops off the sound stage with a rousing array of musical numbers, as well as the hubbub of city traffic as Ferris, Cameron and Sloane make their way on their various adventures. It’s rather nuanced and intricate, with a great mix of music, dialog and background noise, allowing the track to be something more than just a dialog heavy dramedy. Not exactly Dolby Atmos level, but still solid after all these years.






Extras:

• 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
• Class Album

Final Score: ​

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is probably one of the most iconic “playing hookey” comedies of the 1980s, and a MASSIVE favorite of mine growing up. This marks the 6th release of the film I’ve owned on home video, and the 3rd release on Blu-ray (as it was included as a single release AND in the John Hughes 5 Film Collection a few months ago), but this is one of the few times that Paramount has actually disappointed me in their steelbook re-releases. It’s not that the case isn’t nice, but it feels like a throwaway event, as this is the EXACT same steelbook as the F.Y.E. release up in Canada that was released a year ago (but not for the states). We get the SAME Blu-ray release that we’ve had since 2009, and this movie really desperately needs a remaster. The audio is pretty solid, but the video has always been middling, and it’s a crying shame that it hasn’t gotten a 4K remaster and put on the Paramount Presents line considering how beloved it is. The steelbook IS nice, but after having owned the previous two releases that are identical disc wise, I’d say that this release caters ONLY to those who really want the collectible packaging. GREAT movie, just not the release we were all hoping for.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Mathew Broderick, Mia Sara, Alan Ruck, Jennifer Grey, Jeffrey Jones
Directed by: John Hughes
Written by: John Hughes
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, Spanish, French DD 2.0
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Studio: Paramount
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 103 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 8th 2021

Recommendation: Great Watch, middling release

 

[Sonnie Parker]

When I tell people I've never watched this movie... they can't believe it.

Never have gotten up enough interest to want to see it either. Just not my kind of movie.

 

[Travis Ballstadt]

When I tell people I've never watched this movie... they can't believe it.

Never have gotten up enough interest to want to see it either. Just not my kind of movie.

That's crazy!

 

[Michael Scott]

When I tell people I've never watched this movie... they can't believe it.

Never have gotten up enough interest to want to see it either. Just not my kind of movie.

Next you're going to be telling us you haven't seen Star Wars

 

[Asere]

Love this movie. I remember getting on a bus in Fort Lauderdale Florida to go see it at the mall movie theater. My cousin and I were 13 at the time.

 

[Michael Scott]

Love this movie. I remember getting on a bus in Fort Lauderdale Florida to go see it at the mall movie theater. My cousin and I were 13 at the time.

you're dating yourself man lol

 

[Todd Anderson]

One of my favorites...

I saw this movie in theaters with my granddad during a vacation... I was probably 13 or 14 years old. I remember him laughing throughout the film, then, during the credits, he turned to me and expressed shock and disapproval that Ferris and his friends were so disrespectful to adults. Hilarious. I know he secretly LOVED it ;-)

Ed Rooney and his secretary are pure - solid - gold when it comes to interplay and comedy. A perfect 10.

 

[Michael Scott]

lol I love Rooney


"GRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!".

my wife still uses the line "huh, so THAT's how it is in their family" every time she sees family members hugging.

 

[Todd Anderson]

I love that line.

Also... "with your bad back, Ed, you shouldn't be throwing anybody."

 

[Michael Scott]

lol, Edie Mclurg was gold in that movie

"Oh, he's very popular, Ed. The sportos, the motorheads, geeks, s***s, bloods, wasteoids, dweebies, ****heads — they all adore him. They all think he's a righteous dude.

but the part that makes me literally lose it every time is singing nurse telegram

 

[Todd Anderson]

Want a gummy bear?