Ep. 44 - It's Ferris Bueller's 40th Anniversary!

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[0:01] JJ: Have we ever talked about animals and kids growing up? Like, did you have a pet growing up?

[0:05] Olaf: Yeah, we generally had animals in the house as I grew up. My parents had a cat that they rescued that was living under their trailer at the time when my dad was in the military. And it had kittens and all that before I was even born. Then it lived until I graduated high school.

[0:22] JJ: Okay. That's impressive. That's good.

[0:26] Olaf: Yeah, I think it was like 23 years old or something like that.

[0:29] JJ: Wow. See, I'm not a cat person. I'm a dog person all the way. I had a dog from the time I was born until I was 22, but there were two different dogs. We had one dog who passed away when I was 10, and then we got another dog when I was 11 who lived until I was 22, 23.

[0:46] Olaf: Well, I've never really been an animal elitist. I like all animals. So we had cats. We had dogs. We had guinea pigs and hamsters. We had fish.

[0:59] JJ: You're painting this narrative that I'm this one animal species specific guy.

[1:03] Olaf: You just said.

[1:05] JJ: Well, I have pets, but I've worked with animals. I mean, I've worked with all kinds of penguins, reptiles, sea lions and otters, walruses.

[1:13] Olaf: Same here. Dolphins. Yeah.

[1:15] JJ: My brother was allergic to cats, so that was one of the reasons why we didn't have a cat.

[1:20] Olaf: Okay. Well, that makes sense. I mean, a lot of people just hate cats.

[1:24] JJ: I don't hate them. They say they're jerks, which I always laugh at because I know plenty of dogs that are also jerks.

[1:31] Olaf: Right. No, cats are very independent. I don't need the affection.

[1:36] JJ: But they can also be very affectionate.

[1:39] Olaf: Hey, it's all good.

[1:41] JJ: You don't believe that.

[1:43] Olaf: You're like, let's move on.

[1:45] JJ: Yeah, let's just move on.

[1:47] Olaf: Oh, wow. Okay.

[1:49] JJ: Sorry I brought it up.

[1:51] Olaf: For all the cat lovers out there, you've got a friend in me.

[1:54] JJ: Wow.

[1:56] Olaf: But the dogs love me too.

[1:58] JJ: Yeah, you love the dogs.

[2:00] Olaf: I love all the animals.

[2:03] JJ: JJ's like, are you a dog?

[2:06] Olaf: No, I don't want to talk to you. There's some dogs that can be not good, but I've had nothing but positive experiences as a dog owner. I've been very blessed in that respect. The dog we have now is awesome. But anyway, that's not why we're here today.

[2:23] JJ: We are here to talk about one of the classics.

[2:26] Olaf: And I know you love this.

[2:28] JJ: I do. It is an anniversary.

[2:30] Olaf: That is what I do love.

[2:32] JJ: The fact that you called it a classic, though, I kind of have mixed feelings about. Not because it's not a classic, but the fact that now we're old enough to call this movie a quote unquote classic.

[2:41] Olaf: Oh, okay. I was like.

[2:43] JJ: No, no, it's a classic.

[2:45] Olaf: Is this like a cat?

[2:47] JJ: No, no, no, no, no. This movie, I guess, is old enough, clearly old enough to now be called a classic. It just means that we are now old enough to have.

[2:56] Olaf: We are old.

[2:58] JJ: In that conversation. As I constantly have to remind myself, you are older than me.

[3:02] Olaf: I know, I know. This is true. I am older than you are.

[3:06] JJ: But before we wheel ourselves into this, how about we wheel ourselves back to the movie theater?

[3:12] Olaf: Yes, welcome back, everybody. JJ and Olaf here ready to dive into, yes, the 40th anniversary of this John Hughes classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

[3:22] JJ: I love this movie. I grew up with this movie.

[3:25] Olaf: Who doesn't?

[3:26] JJ: Right. It resonates with everyone because it's just about stepping back, getting away from the grind, whether that's school or work or whatever, and just taking a day for yourself.

[3:36] Olaf: Yes. And this movie came out when we were kids. I mean, I was eight. I think I was maybe 10 or 11 when I first watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off.

[3:44] JJ: I probably saw it around that age as well. At the time, it wasn't about taking a day.

[3:48] Olaf: Right. It was just about watching this kid figure out a way to not have to go to school and then having this amazing day off in the city.

[3:56] JJ: It looks so easy.

[3:58] Olaf: He made it look so easy. And what I love about it is apparently this was one of his worst performances. I want to see one of his best performances because he calls like Ferris wakes up and he's like, what am I? One of the worst performances of my career. And they never bought it for they never like they never doubted me for a second. I'm like, I want to watch Ferris's great performance. How does he get out of school? You know, any other day? It's performance. Being sick is pretty over the top cheeseball.

[4:29] JJ: Yeah. But when you're a kid watching it, you're going, this guy's my hero.

[4:33] Olaf: Yeah, exactly. As Cameron would say later on. It's just so smooth and well spoken and just totally in control of the situation, which as a kid, you just don't see.

[4:43] JJ: No, see that you don't feel that it's you're never in control of anything.

[4:48] Olaf: No, I agree. And as an eight to 11 year old watching this movie, you're like, man, this kid's this kid's awesome. I'm wondering, like, if high school I didn't ask my brother because he was in high school when this movie came out. Like, is this is this real? Like, can this happen? Is this easy? This guy.

[5:06] JJ: Yeah. Ferris Bueller came out in 1986. The Rotten Tomatoes for this is 83 percent.

[5:12] Olaf: OK, not bad.

[5:14] JJ: No, not bad. Not bad. But the audience score, 92 percent.

[5:18] Olaf: So I don't know why the critics have a problem with it.

[5:21] JJ: Well, I'm sure as I guess because it's sort of anti-establishment, maybe maybe anti-establishment. I think 1980s film critics were really you talk about you blame me for being like this elitist film watcher. And the movies that I talk about are very high brow. I feel like movie critics of the 80s were not going to give this one their seal of approval, maybe because it is anti-establishment, maybe because of just the subject matter in and of itself was maybe too low.

[5:47] Olaf: Lowbrow, I think.

[5:49] JJ: But I don't know. That's so funny because I feel like it's not lowbrow at all. Because 82 is very smart.

[5:55] Olaf: Yeah. And again, maybe comparing other John Hughes films at the time, I would have to like do a comparison between what he had done prior to this because he had already John Hughes had already come out with Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and things like that. Vacations.

[6:08] JJ: I love John Hughes. His movies, they define that generation of cinema. It's like every other movie that was coming out. I felt like he had his hand on. Whether he was writing it or directing it or producing it. You're just like, oh, John Hughes is attached to that. OK, that makes sense.

[6:25] Olaf: Yeah. And you're right. It was really like the defined that decade for sure. And he was so good with casting his films, too. I mean, you look at Breakfast Club and Vacation and all of those previous films and the cast are fantastic.

[6:39] JJ: And that's the same with this movie. I mean, everybody in it is are the people they need to be. You've got Matthew Broderick. Alan Rook is Cameron. Just he's so perfect as that character. Mia Sarah as Sloane. I mean, I think that was one of my first crushes.

[6:55] Olaf: Oh, absolutely. She was beautiful.

[6:57] JJ: Which is amazing, which is the impact that this movie has, because it's not like she did a lot of things before and after that. People are like, yeah, because I because you love me as Sarah and Ferris. And then in this and this and this, you can't you can probably name all of her filmography on one hand. She did Legend before this.

[7:14] Olaf: Yeah. And then this movie and then Timecop, Timecop in the 90s.

[7:18] JJ: Right. So the impact that she had on boys in this movie, it was great. And then Jennifer Grey is in this. And I think this is the first time I register her in movies is Ferris Bueller, even though, you know, she's got Dirty Dancing and Red Dawn before this.

[7:34] Olaf: And I'm trying to remember if I I think you're right for me to probably this one, because then you actually did Dirty Dancing the following year. And then maybe I went back and watched Red Dawn. I went, oh, that's the girl from Ferris Bueller.

[7:47] JJ: Yeah. Yeah. And then Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward are the mom and dad. Mr. And Mrs. Ferris. Perfectly cast in this movie.

[8:01] Olaf: Yeah. And it's so funny because they end up getting married.

[8:04] JJ: In real life.

[8:05] Olaf: Yeah. In real life. They get cast in this movie and they decide to meet up just to, like, get to know each other. And they end up starting a relationship and dating. So they're already in a relationship when they start filming the movie.

[8:19] JJ: Right. Which makes that so much easier. They don't share a lot of scenes together, but the ones that they do have at the beginning and at the end. It just feels natural.

[8:30] Olaf: Natural. Yeah. And real.

[8:32] JJ: Yeah. Edie McClung is great.

[8:34] Olaf: Edie McClung is one of the most I think she was working so much in the 80s that you just forget.

[8:39] JJ: Oh, yeah. I feel like she was everywhere.

[8:41] Olaf: She was everywhere. Did a lot of TV. A lot of TV. She was a series regular on the Hogan family, like right after this.

[8:48] JJ: Oh, that's right. As like a neighbor.

[8:50] Olaf: Oh, gosh. Yeah. And then she did some voice work later on in her career. But totally underrated, I think, as an actress. But as a comedic actress, she's phenomenal and genius in this movie.

[9:02] JJ: Yeah. She brought a lot of her own ideas to this character. I think on paper there wasn't a lot to Grace. And she fleshed it out and honestly stole the show every time she was on screen.

[9:14] Olaf: Is she credited as Grace?

[9:16] JJ: I think she's credited as like the secretary.

[9:18] Olaf: I don't even think she's – which is weird to me because her name is yelled out several times in this movie.

[9:23] JJ: Yeah, you know who her character's name is.

[9:25] Olaf: Oh, I'd have to double check because that would make me sad if she's just secretary.

[9:30] JJ: I know. I think she's like Mr. Rooney's secretary or something like that.

[9:34] Olaf: I might be wrong, but I feel like she's not credited as Grace in the credits. And then you got two other big names that were just background sort of small characters that just stole the scene that they were in. You had Charlie Sheen as the doped out guy in the police station.

[9:50] JJ: Juvenile.

[9:51] Olaf: Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And then you've got Ben Stein as the teacher.

[9:55] JJ: Economics teacher, I think.

[9:57] Olaf: I'm not even sure.

[9:58] JJ: History teacher.

[9:59] Olaf: Yeah, we're not really sure. I think it was history, but it also – yeah, that's a tough one.

[10:05] JJ: And he just brought all that with him. I had no idea who that was, obviously, when you're watching it as a kid. But even – it wasn't until I was in high school and we started talking about Nixon when I found out that he was – he worked in his – during his presidency. I was like, what, the dude from Ferris?

[10:22] Olaf: Yeah. He just kind of lucked into it. I think he was at a party, and someone was like, oh, you should talk to so-and-so. And then they were like, oh, have you ever thought about acting? We want you to be in this movie. You don't have to act at all. All you have to do is be you.

[10:39] JJ: Yeah. Oh, my gosh. He was so good in it. It was perfect. And he captured that feeling of what it feels like to be in a classroom talking about something so dry.

[10:49] Olaf: Right.

[10:50] JJ: That's not that interesting for a high schooler.

[10:53] Olaf: Or for anyone, really.

[10:55] JJ: True.

[10:56] Olaf: True.

[10:57] JJ: Anyone?

[10:58] Olaf: Anyone?

[10:59] JJ: Anyone can do it.

[11:01] Olaf: Bueller.

[11:03] JJ: And then we have Jeffrey Jones as Ed Rooney.

[11:06] Olaf: Mr. Rooney, the quintessential – like, this is the guy, the principal, or even vice principal, you just don't like.

[11:12] JJ: He's almost like – he reminds me of Peck in Ghostbusters.

[11:15] Olaf: Yes. Where he's there to do his job, and he does it really well, but he's not anybody you want to ever hang out with.

[11:22] JJ: He has zero friends, and he doesn't care.

[11:25] Olaf: Yeah. So John Hughes told Ben Stein, who had a degree in economics, to present an actual economics lecture in his scenes. Hence, nothing Stein says aside from the roll call is scripted.

[11:37] JJ: And what I love is that they do the roll call first. So that's the first time you see him. We're not talking about any of the subject matter yet because it's two different scenes. So we just get the roll call first.

[11:48] Olaf: And it's genius how he – how John Hughes cuts away to every student. And like, you just – every student has their own sort of internal monologue. Or you go, I know that guy. They're just kind of spaced out. Or the jock who's like, here. He's just like super annoyed. Like the guy – Stein calls his name twice. Here. He raises his hand. Like, quit calling my name out.

[12:10] JJ: So the beginning scene here – and we're not going to traipse through the whole movie like this. But are the –

[13:53] J.J.: Dumb because we already talked about Ferris's over-the-top sort of performance to try and get out of going to school.

[13:57] Olaf: Yeah, he clearly states that it's his worst performance of his career and they never doubted it for a second.

[14:01] J.J.: I don't think they're dumb because we see them later in their own jobs and stuff being competent. We see the mom talking to other people and taking charge and the dad.

[14:11] Olaf: I think he's just like, I know what I'm doing. I think that's what it is.

[14:19] J.J.: It's a stereotypical dad who's like, I'm gonna go to work. I love my kids. I'm gonna go to work, but I don't... that's it. I've got these two things and if there's anything going on, someone will let me know.

[14:35] Olaf: Yeah, if somebody's gonna let me know if there's shenanigans going on because it's gonna be news to me.

[14:41] J.J.: Yeah, and what's interesting is that Rooney calls the mom and maybe he tried calling the dad, but he does talk to the mom. I think that was kind of a common thing back in the day.

[14:51] Olaf: Yes, back in the day, usually everyone you would default to the mom.

[14:59] J.J.: But I think ultimately, no, they're not dumb. I think they just love their kids so much.

[15:04] Olaf: Well, they love him.

[15:09] J.J.: Well, they love their second child because he's perfect in every way and the sister, jealous Jeanie, she's got a bit of an attitude.

[15:22] Olaf: Be thankful, Jeanie. You have your health.

[15:26] J.J.: Yeah, but I know, I think they love their kids and they love their home and their family and yes, they dote on Ferris. I think they kind of treat him as if he's a little younger and more innocent than he actually is.

[15:44] Olaf: But I don't... yeah, I don't think they're dumb.

[15:46] J.J.: Wait, isn't he? He's the older one. He's the senior, he's graduating.

[15:52] Olaf: Jeanie's the younger one, is she?

[15:54] J.J.: Yeah, because even Ferris says, I won't have a problem with holding you back. How would it feel like if you repeated your senior year under my vision?

[16:05] Olaf: Wow, that makes no sense then because I feel like the older kid is normally the one that has to go through all the rigors of the parents.

[16:14] J.J.: Which being parents just goes to show you how much charm he has.

[16:20] Olaf: Yeah, well, he exudes a lot of charm.

[16:25] J.J.: He does.

[16:25] Olaf: Well, she got a car.

[16:30] J.J.: She did, which also blows my mind that he did not and she got one first.

[16:37] Olaf: So are they maybe the same grade? I don't think they're twins. I don't think that's ever referenced that they might be, you know, fraternal twins or anything.

[16:42] J.J.: See, now we're going in a different direction. We got to break down what the age ranges are.

[16:47] Olaf: No, we don't need to do that.

[16:47] J.J.: Would you be able to do all of the things that he does in the amount of time he gets to do it in before he even goes to pick up Cameron?

[16:55] Olaf: Like he's doing an awful lot there in the beginning.

[17:04] J.J.: Well, you have to remember, I don't know if it's changed, but when I was a kid going to school, the day before I went to school, I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and I would go to school and...

[17:17] Olaf: Started before the sun came up.

[17:24] J.J.: So we're assuming here that the parents left at 7 a.m. because he opens up the windows and it's a bright, beautiful day.

[17:28] Olaf: How would I expect to go to school on a day like today?

[17:32] J.J.: Yeah, I would say he started early. He knew this is... he had it planned out. He knew when what he needed to do.

[17:35] Olaf: So, and what throws me off is, and just so it's clear, everything I'm saying here does not take away from any of the enjoyment I have from watching this film.

[17:45] J.J.: It's just we have seen this movie so many times now.

[17:47] Olaf: But like they leave and he ends up... he's got to set up his room to rig it.

[17:52] J.J.: Yeah, as he's talking, he's talking and he's doing all of that.

[17:56] Olaf: Well, maybe he had to wait because the parents were... I see all that.

[18:03] J.J.: But maybe he set some of this stuff up the night before. We program the keyboard and the voice thing and all that, and then he's taking a shower and he's...

[18:11] Olaf: Erica.

[18:13] J.J.: Which that scene when he's half singing that in the shower, yeah, that was just... hey, let's shoot that. It was not a planned shot, right?

[18:20] Olaf: He was just practicing. They were waiting, they were setting up a shot, right?

[18:28] J.J.: And he was just practicing singing it because he would be singing it later, right? He would have to lip-sync later.

[18:33] Olaf: Okay, and I remember what we're gonna record that, y'all, it's great.

[18:38] J.J.: Many, it's time to put his hair up in the Mohawk.

[18:42] Olaf: I mean, he's... time is a construct, I feel like for the first half of the world, for the whole day.

[18:46] J.J.: I feel like time is a... it's not really... I'm not sure.

[18:51] Olaf: Yeah, because they go to a baseball game, which there's no way they saw the whole game.

[18:57] J.J.: They did not.

[19:02] Olaf: Can they go to lunch at the restaurant before or after? I can't remember if it was before or after, and then they go to the Art Museum.

[19:05] J.J.: I mean, we are kind of jumping ahead.

[19:11] Olaf: Yeah, there's a lot of things that get done here in the morning.

[19:15] J.J.: He plays with his clarinet.

[19:20] Olaf: Which was also not... I completely improvise. I can play, never had one lesson.

[19:26] J.J.: And then he plays, and it's whatever it was that came out of his clarinet at that... hey, it made noise.

[19:31] Olaf: I don't even think it was great.

[19:36] J.J.: No, but I mean the fact that he didn't know how to play made it that much better.

[19:38] Olaf: Oh, yeah, if he had busted out something great, that would have been cool too, but it was funnier that he couldn't play.

[19:43] J.J.: Yeah, and then he finally recruits Cameron, who he just knew wouldn't be at school anyway.

[19:50] Olaf: Well, I wonder because Ferris probably went to school the day before, yeah, and Cameron probably wasn't there.

[19:51] J.J.: That's my thought.

[19:59] Olaf: My thought is we find out that Ed Rooney's gonna hold Ferris back a year because he's had so many absences. How many absences did Cameron have and why is he not in danger of being held back?

[20:05] J.J.: Who knows? Now we're doing a deep...

[20:12] Olaf: Maybe Cameron's a better student. Maybe Cameron, when he's at school...

[20:17] J.J.: You're talking about it.

[20:20] Olaf: Cameron does not strike me as someone who, when he can get past feeling sick, goes to school and does well.

[20:22] J.J.: But there are two drastically different personalities where for Rooney, Cameron isn't an existential threat to education like Ferris is in his mind because you're right, Cameron probably sitting there with eight to nine absences.

[20:39] Olaf: Also, I would say more. He seems like he's a chronic stay-home sick for sure.

[20:47] J.J.: I mean, you see when he calls Cameron, first of all, Cameron's in this mausoleum of a bedroom where it's totally dark and he's got the... I think he's got like the medicine bottles.

[21:00] Olaf: Oh, yeah, bottles and the Kleenex.

[21:12] J.J.: I mean, he's like cocooned and he's wrapped up like a burrito. It's... he's very clearly a hypochondriac.

[21:18] Olaf: I'm dying.

[21:20] J.J.: You're not dying. Just can't think of anything better to do.

[21:29] Olaf: I love that he knows Cameron so well that he can just keep... he can have a conversation with him through the answering machine.

[21:34] J.J.: I'm so disappointed in Cameron.

[21:42] Olaf: 20 bucks says he's in his car right now figuring out whether or not he should come and get me. He'll keep calling me. He'll keep calling me.

[21:48] J.J.: All right, I'll go, I'll go, I'll go, I'll go, I'll go.

[21:53] Olaf: And then he gets out, jumping around in the back, jumping up and down, turns the revs up his engine.

[21:58] J.J.: But Cameron then has the wherewithal to record a voice message on his answering machine as the mortuary.

[22:01] Olaf: Well, I'm pretty sure that that all got worked out later.

[22:09] J.J.: He probably got to Ferris's and Ferris is like, all right, I need you to record a message because I'm pretty sure at that time you could still like call.

[22:15] Olaf: Oh, and they hadn't gone to get the car.

[22:20] J.J.: Yeah, so you probably didn't want to go get the car.

[22:23] Olaf: Yeah, you're right.

[22:23] J.J.: Okay, so it was all planned out and then they get back to Ferris's house and then they're gonna call.

[22:31] Olaf: This scene is one because you don't... at this point, you don't know even if Cameron is gonna show up because Cameron has his little tantrum outside of his own car and he throws the keys and then it cuts away to Ferris doing something else or whatever.

[22:44] J.J.: And then the next thing you know, Rooney's getting a call from Sloan's dad because they've also pulled Sloan into this too.

[22:50] Olaf: They got to get Sloan out of school.

[22:58] J.J.: Yeah, and so there's a death in the family and grandmother or grandmother, dead grandmother.

[23:03] Olaf: Yeah, that's what Florence isn't the name of the nurse, Florence, like Florence Nightingale or something.

[23:06] J.J.: It's not Florence Nightingale, but it's like something along those lines.

[23:11] Olaf: Oh, I don't even remember. She cracked me up though, just this large mountain of a woman and the swishing of the pants when she's walking.

[23:17] J.J.: Yes.

[23:23] Olaf: And she sells it too because she's just so sincere and feels so bad that she... Sloan has lost her grandmother.

[23:30] J.J.: I know, but you don't know that Cameron, whether he's even gone to Ferris's.

[23:39] Olaf: But then they hid this phone call from Sloan's dad and you're into this conversation with Mr. Rooney and then you find out that it's Cameron.

[23:45] J.J.: Yeah, when you find out it's Cameron, when you finally see Cameron deliver the lines as in the Mr. Peterson voice gets me every time.

[23:51] Olaf: Pardon my French.

[23:54] J.J.: Well, I should say you do a family member dies and you insult me.

[24:03] Olaf: Yeah.

[24:06] J.J.: And then we have Rooney and Grace just panicking on the other line.

[24:09] Olaf: So was it you that told me that like when Rooney's got to look for something, so he goes into Grace's office and he hands the phone to Grace?

[24:13] J.J.: Yeah, where she's just like impersonating Rooney.

[24:19] Olaf: Yeah, she improvs all of that. I don't think that's scripted. The whole scene is improvised and the actor playing Rooney was not an improviser.

[24:26] J.J.: Right, so he was very nervous.

[24:32] Olaf: But Grace is an improviser and she was like, this is what we're gonna do and kind of like walked him through it and then she just went with whatever he was doing and it just was...

[24:44] J.J.: Man, he doesn't do much.

[24:50] Olaf: I mean, he gives her the phone and then you run... do so much with little.

[24:56] J.J.: Yes, it is. He runs out and he's sort of like frantically looking for stuff in his office, in her office while she's... whatever it is she's doing.

[25:07] Olaf: Rooney, calm down.

[25:13] J.J.: Yeah, no, that scene's great because it's just so frantic and oh my goodness, they're just bouncing off of each other.

[25:20] Olaf: It's really good.

[25:20] J.J.: Yeah, then they get Sloan. They're in this amazing car.

[25:28] Olaf: Oh, this car is a... what is it? A 1961 Ferrari 240 GT in name only.

[25:36] J.J.: In name only because that is not what it was.

[25:41] Olaf: Yeah, and Ferris is like, if you had this car, would you take it back?

[25:44] J.J.: Neither would I.

[25:46] Olaf: Off they go to Chicago.

[25:46] J.J.: Downtown Chicago and they pull up to a garage and they hand it off to a very reputable-looking car attendant.

[25:55] Olaf: So in, I guess in their defense, we're talking about city parking even now.

[26:00] J.J.: But I mean, even in the mid-80s, city parking is probably... they all look like that.

[26:08] Olaf: I mean, in terms of like it's a multi-level garage as most city parkings are.

[26:14] J.J.: Would I have left it there?

[26:21] Olaf: No, I'm definitely on the side of Cameron on this. Cameron's like, no, no, this is wrong.

[26:25] J.J.: I don't like... no, guy.

[26:30] Olaf: Yeah, because they're 17. That's the other thing too. We have to remember they're 17, even though I think Alan Ruck was like 30 when they made this movie as Cameron.

[26:36] J.J.: Well, they pay off the parking attendant to take extra care of the car and they start walking.

[26:41] Olaf: And they are at the corner of the street of the parking garage in a very loud city.

[26:45] J.J.: So even they're probably 20 feet away from the entrance to the parking garage on the corner of the street, their backs to the garage.

[26:54] Olaf: You've got buildings everywhere, so sound echoes.

[26:59] J.J.: And a very distinct engine comes tearing out of the garage.

[27:03] Olaf: They don't blink. They don't look.

[27:09] J.J.: All I had to do is look behind them to see their car.

[27:13] Olaf: The only person... the only person I'm gonna say should have turned around is Cameron, as you would agree.

[27:19] J.J.: Yes, Cameron of anybody should have turned around, but I think Ferris... I would have been like, no, Ferris is... that's not fair.

[27:27] Olaf: No, Ferris is too... he's with his girl. He's with Sloan. They're looking at all the things in front of them. The car in their mind is on the fifth floor of this garage.

[27:36] J.J.: Cameron, he's so paranoid. It's a little out of character for him to not be walking backwards.

[27:41] Olaf: I tell you what, I'm in a big city. I hear a loud rev of a...

[27:46] J.J.: Welcome back to the show! Today, we’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

[28:16] Olaf: That's right! It’s hard to believe it’s been 40 years since that classic came out.

[28:46] J.J.: I mean, it’s such an iconic film. Ferris Bueller really set the standard for the ultimate day off.

[28:48] Olaf: Absolutely! Who doesn’t want to skip school and have an adventure in the city?

[28:50] J.J.: And the way it captures that feeling of youth and freedom is just timeless.

[28:52] Olaf: Plus, the humor is still spot on. I mean, who can forget the principal chasing after Ferris?

[28:54] J.J.: Right? And the way Ferris breaks the fourth wall, talking directly to the audience, is genius.

[28:56] Olaf: It really pulls you in and makes you feel like you’re part of the adventure.

[28:58] J.J.: And let’s not forget the unforgettable soundtrack.

[29:00] Olaf: Oh, for sure! The music choices in that film are just perfect.

[29:02] J.J.: They really set the mood for every scene.

[29:04] Olaf: I think it’s one of those movies that just gets better with age.

[29:06] J.J.: Definitely! It’s a film you can watch over and over again.

[29:08] Olaf: And every time, you find something new to appreciate.

[29:10] J.J.: Exactly! So, what’s your favorite scene from the movie?

[29:12] Olaf: I’d have to say the parade scene. It’s just so much fun!

[29:14] J.J.: That’s a classic! Ferris singing "Twist and Shout" is iconic.

[29:16] Olaf: And the crowd just goes wild! It’s such a feel-good moment.

[29:18] J.J.: It really captures the spirit of the film.

[29:20] Olaf: Plus, it’s such a great reminder to enjoy life and take a break sometimes.

[29:22] J.J.: Absolutely! It’s all about living in the moment.

[29:24] Olaf: And Ferris really embodies that carefree attitude.

[29:26] J.J.: He’s the ultimate slacker hero!

[29:28] Olaf: For sure! And the way he manipulates everyone around him is just hilarious.

[29:30] J.J.: It’s impressive how he manages to pull off such an elaborate scheme.

[29:32] Olaf: Right? It’s like he has everything planned out perfectly.

[29:34] J.J.: And the friendships in the movie are so relatable.

[29:36] Olaf: Definitely! Cameron and Sloane are great characters.

[29:38] J.J.: They really add depth to the story.

[29:40] Olaf: Plus, Cameron’s character development is really interesting.

[29:42] J.J.: He starts off so timid and ends up finding his voice.

[29:44] Olaf: It’s a great arc!

[29:46] J.J.: And the relationship dynamics are so well done.

[29:48] Olaf: For sure! It’s a perfect blend of comedy and heart.

[29:50] J.J.: I think that’s what makes it such a beloved film.

[29:52] Olaf: Agreed! It resonates with so many people.

[29:54] J.J.: So, what do you think the legacy of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" is?

[29:56] Olaf: I think it’s a film that encourages people to embrace their youth and have fun.

[29:58] J.J.: Absolutely! It’s a reminder that life is short, so make the most of it.

[30:00] Olaf: And it’s also a celebration of friendship and adventure.

[30:02] J.J.: Definitely! It’s a timeless classic that will continue to inspire generations.

[30:04] Olaf: Here’s to 40 more years of Ferris Bueller!

[30:06] J.J.: Cheers to that!

[42:09] J.J. Gonzalez: Talked about it at length, Cameron has this complete arc and this complete growth and change, and it's just really cool to watch the movie in that lens. If you watch the movie in that lens, yeah, it's easy to be like, "Oh, this is Ferris. It's all about Ferris." It really isn't. It really is about getting Cameron to a place where he's gonna be okay once he's on his own, and it starts with everything that happens today that leads to that scene. But we're not there yet because we still have to go to the parade, which was a real parade in Chicago. Yeah, they shot this over two days, I think, or two different weekends or something, and they have all their extras, but then regular everyday people in Chicago happen to be around, like the window washers or like washing the windows.

So there's real footage of real people getting down and dancing to the music from the parade. So they were like, "We got to get this. We got to capture." Oh, it's, yeah, it just gives it so much more realism.

[43:08] Olaf: Yeah, I believe when he sings "Twist and Shout," obviously when I, I think I may have known it was the Beatles. I always assumed that they were the original artists when I was a kid, but I was like, "This is amazing." Like, I love that this whole scene where he sings "Twist and Shout" and then dunk, then Wayne Newton, and then Paul McCartney loved the song, their song in the movie. He just didn't like the added instruments. It's okay, Paul. Yeah, the brass have a marching band. Yeah, that's, man. And of course, you see, we've been talking about Cameron's arc. Yeah, he has one. The other character that has a smaller changing arc is Jeanie.

[43:48] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, is the sister? We mentioned her at the beginning. Jennifer Grey is fantastic in this movie, but through the course of events, she feels that Ferris is skipping and faking, so she goes home. She confronts Rooney, who we mentioned earlier is the house, and this scene where she kicks him in the face. Every time, man, she only kicks him in the face once. In the editing room, they added multiple kicks. Yeah, and Rooney's face when he takes the hit is priceless, and then he falls. The wallet falls out of his pocket, and then of course, Jeanie calls the cops and she gets taken in. She gets taken in for making a phone call, you know, whatever. Yeah, she grows up just resenting her brother. He always gets his way.

He always gets what he wants, even though he's like, "Well, she gets a car. I got a computer," right? You know, and yeah, she's just so focused on what Ferris is doing and being miserable that she's not really living her life. So she decides to make this choice while she's sitting in the police station getting a lot of sage advice.

[45:09] Olaf: So he's shooting this movie, and he's only there for the day. At the same time, he's shooting "Young Lucas." He played, he was in this movie called "Lucas" with Corey Haim, which I feel is like a somewhat of a forgotten gem. Do you, have you ever seen "Lucas"?

[45:24] J.J. Gonzalez: I have not, no.

[45:24] Olaf: Yeah, Corey Haim plays this kid who wants to be on the football team, and all these things happen, highfalutin. No, no, it really isn't. It's your quintessential '80s movie, but he's, and Charlie Sheen plays the jock in this. He plays a good, good, good jock in this other movie, but it's a total night and day from what he ends up being asked to do in Ferris.

[45:47] J.J. Gonzalez: So he like stays up all night.

[45:49] Olaf: He stays up for 48 hours too.

[45:52] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, I was gonna say two days straight to give himself the look of being drugged out, right? Perfect. Yeah, I think he's not happy with his performance.

[46:05] Olaf: Yeah, he went over saying he really didn't like what he was doing in the scene. He didn't like anything about it. I'm like, "Dude, what he's doing is like less is more," in terms of the comedy. There was supposed to be some sort of backstory where his character—

[46:19] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh, yeah.

[46:20] Olaf: Yeah, it's like named Garth Volbeck, and like the towing company that tows Rooney's car from Ferris's house is Volbeck Towing. Apparently that's like his dad's company, but he and like Ferris and Charlie Sheen's character were like friends when they were kids.

[46:36] J.J. Gonzalez: But yeah, but then Charlie Sheen's character goes, you know, in one direction of making bad choices, and Ferris was like, "Sorry." And maybe there was this, when I think when John Hughes was writing it, that's why he's so dedicated to trying to help Cameron because he wasn't able to because he gave up on the Charlie Sheen character in like an original draft, right? Something like that.

[46:57] Olaf: Yeah, yeah. Thankfully that didn't happen.

[47:02] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, well, it's not necessary, right? I mean, everything that we sort of are able to deduce from Ferris and Cameron's friendship is already there on the screen. That it allows the Charlie Sheen character to just stay super mysterious, which makes it that much more impactful.

[47:16] Olaf: Yeah, he's able to, but like the rest of the town, he knows Ferris. Oh, you know, you know who you should talk to?

[47:23] J.J. Gonzalez: If you say, if you—oh, you know, she clenches her fist. They're raising money in the high school for a kidney transplant, and the guy's walking around with like an empty can of Pepsi. There's a water tower that says—

[47:41] Olaf: I love that.

[47:42] J.J. Gonzalez: But like the kid, the kid's like walking around the halls of the high school with a can of like with chain loose change, trying to raise money for a kidney for Ferris.

[47:52] Olaf: But yeah, we get to see her kind of have a coming-to-terms moment with how she's been and how she's lost time, and you know, she's wasting all this energy on hating her brother.

[48:06] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, and not really seeing everything else around it.

[48:09] Olaf: Yeah, it was that the problems you—

[48:12] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah.

[48:13] Olaf: That's like he just says it, "Problems you."

[48:17] J.J. Gonzalez: And then we get, the mom shows up too. I don't think she bails her out. She just takes her home, I guess.

[48:23] Olaf: Yeah, 'cause I don't think she wasn't booked. I think they called the mom and, "Hey, tell your son all the guys at the station are pulling for him." She's like, "Okay, sure," strange. And then they're driving home, and the two of them are just like kind of bickering and fighting in the car, which just feels so natural and real. But we get the classic race home. This scene though is suspension of disbelief really when you think about everybody he runs into, especially his dad again.

[49:05] J.J. Gonzalez: Well, though when he faces off with his sister with the mom in the car, that one I is fine. That's totally believable because she's dropped all of her papers, right? And she's more focused on what Jeanie is doing. So I get that, but yes, the dad, he's driving along. He drives up. You see your son in the distance jog, right? All right, would recognize your own kid.

[49:29] Olaf: That's your kid jogging, and not only that, but at one point he's driving up and keeping right on top of him.

[49:36] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, he's right on top of him. Ferris is literally just jogging outside the driver's side door.

[49:42] Olaf: I know, yeah, happens to look over, see his dad, and then peels off, right? His dad just totally, totally misses that. But I love like the random things that are thrown in as well, like the old lady in her own car swerving around, swerving, barely can see, like she has no business being behind the wheel of a car.

[50:04] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, and I wonder what she's trying to get past if she ever had any business being behind the wheel of a car because even if she was 20 years younger, she'd probably still have like eyes just like right above the steering wheel.

[50:18] Olaf: I don't know.

[50:20] J.J. Gonzalez: Yeah, and then Ferris is running through all the different backyards. What a fun scene to do. What a fun scene to write, like everything about this scene at the end of this movie. Of course, it's in this movie. Like you could see, I got like, would this scene have been in a lesser movie? Maybe, but the fact that it's in this movie and everything up to this point has been so great makes this last scene, or one of the last scenes of this movie that much cooler.

[51:00] Olaf: Yeah, think about the cars, which I think was a really cool sort of if you blink you miss it because a lot of these cars are driving so fast throughout the movie. You almost have to pause each time, but every license plate in this movie means something. I guess the Ferrari's license plate is "Nervous," clearly because Cameron's dad is super, you know, about his car. He's like very—

[51:05] J.J. Gonzalez: The station wagon that Ferris's mom drives, the license plate is "Vacation." Rooney's car, the license plate is "FB Do," for the title of the movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." The dad's car is "Mr. Mom," the license plate, and then Jeanie's car's license plate is "TBC" for "The Breakfast Club." So like John Hughes basically throws in all of his own movie references and all of the license plates of the cars that are being driven, which I think is kind of cool.

[51:25] Olaf: Yeah, that's fun. This movie came out in 1986. We've already established that. I'm trying to think of other movies that came out in that year. The only reason why I'm thinking that is because I can't think of anything else that is being celebrated like this movie. This movie resonates with everyone, and all the different generations that watch it feel what this message in this movie is, you know? Everybody needs a day off. Everybody needs to take a break for themselves because life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. And I think another reason why this movie works so well is because the character of Ferris breaks that fourth wall and talks directly to us, and we are a part of his day off. We're a part of the adventure. We're his friends too, and I think that if we didn't have that, I don't think this movie would have worked as well.

[52:30] J.J. Gonzalez: Fortunately, we don't have to wonder if it would or not because it's already there. And you know, the irony here is I took an extended lunch to record this episode, you know? So even I'm like, I don't want to be doing what I my job at the moment. I want to be talking here with you, you know, about this. So, you know, I think you're right. It's timeless because they're just telling a really good story that you're not relying on other things except the characters themselves, and John Hughes just had a way of doing that over and over and over again. I think this might be my favorite John Hughes movie.

[53:03] Olaf: Really? I think so.

[53:10] J.J. Gonzalez: Because like, because of what you said, because you could watch it as a 12-year-old, an 18-year-old, a 25, you know, and you're still gonna find things that you can hook into. Yeah, I just, I don't know.

[53:23] Olaf: I think "Uncle Buck" would probably be my top John Hughes movie.

[53:29] J.J. Gonzalez: Wow. Okay. Wow. And that's a beautiful thing about Hughes. You could talk to, you could pull a number of people, and they'll give you "Breakfast Club." They'll give you "Vacation." They'll give you "Uncle Buck." They'll give you "Ferris," and that's just, and they're all just so good.

[53:41] Olaf: They are. They're all so good, and this one is 40 years, and if it's on, I'm pretty much gonna watch it.

[53:48] J.J. Gonzalez: Oh, absolutely, as we hope you will too, and you'll sit here and listen to us talk about it. And like we always say, if you haven't seen it, see yourselves a favor. It's never too late because like we said, this movie will resonate probably with anybody at any given point in their life.

[54:05] Olaf: Well, guys, that is the end of this episode. We hope that you've enjoyed listening to us reminisce about the amazing "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." It's a great movie. Go see it. J.J.'s living his own Ferris Bueller right now, taking time to work for this episode.

[54:24] J.J. Gonzalez: So yeah, guys, check us out on socials, check us out on YouTube, and until then, to be continued.

[54:35] Johnny Clay: "Back to the Movie Theater" is hosted by J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit, produced by me, Johnny Clay. J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit theme song and incidental music by The Dimes. Visit us at bttmtpodcast.com for trivia, play-alongs, merch, and more. That's bttmtpodcast.com. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok and find us on YouTube at "Back to the Movie Theater" with J.J. and Olaf.

[55:03] J.J. Gonzalez: You're still listening? It's over! Over! Go home!