Recently, I’ve been trying to make my way through stuff that I’ve vaguely heard the name of but have no idea what it’s about. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was free on YouTube with a bunch of other stuff I wanted to watch, so I decided why not.

At the core of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I think you have a really compelling theme. Ferris’ goal of helping Cameron relax and take in everything life has to offer instead of worrying all the time about things you can’t control is something I think a lot of people even today should try to appreciate. However, while the core message is solid, I also think Ferris Bueller’s Day Off perfectly encapsulates why certain stories need to be retold throughout time to match the culture they’re told in.

The first way the “age” of the film is revealed is through the style of the film. Besides Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, I’ve torn through some other 80s movies like Terminator, Robocop, and Blade Runner recently and noticed a vague similarity between the films. Watching 80s movies is like trying to order Chipotle burritos with different fillings and expecting them to taste different. It’s Chipotle, man, they’re all going to taste pretty much the same (fight me). I’m not sure if it’s the way the characters are written/directed, the style of the narrative in general, or something else entirely, but there is something about older media that makes the people being represented feel like they’re performing a theoretical person instead of trying to embody a real person.

The second thing that I noticed, and which was harder to push through, was what the kids chose to do in Chicago. Maybe this is just me, but I think if you were to tell this story in 2023, going to a parade, a ball game, and a fancy club lunch would not make it into the remake. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure all those things were dope back in the day, but times change, baby. I don’t think the activities don’t work or make sense for the time, but because most of the things they do are cool things to do in the 80s, it works more as a time capsule of culture than a guide for how to have a modern day off.

Although there were things that I felt aged the movie, other things the gang did I felt were perfect, timeless things people do. For example, their trip to Sears Tower and the beach are great because they work well today but they also have significance to the narrative. When the gang is at Sears Tower leaning against the glass, Sloane comments that “the city looks so peaceful from up here.” Ferris replies, “Anything is peaceful from 1,353 feet.” Standing on tall things and looking out at the world? Timeless human stuff.

Similarly, when they go to the beach and Sloane rubs the head of the catatonic Cameron, Ferris, for the first time in the film, gets serious on reflecting on his own life. Not only is Cameron going away, but Sloane is a year younger than him. She thinks he was joking when he said he would marry her, but he tells the audience earnestly that he was serious. And sometimes, to really reflect on your life and what’s important, you have to take in something bigger than yourself, like the ocean, to put yourself in perspective.

In honor of the spirit of Ferris and going outside, I’m not going to dwell too much on these thoughts and instead, I’ll wrap it up here. Overall, pretty good movie and message. Don’t take it too seriously!