Michael Kelly

This movie is in a level above the usual sand and sandals epics that covered the screen in the 1950's and 60's. Edmund Perdum is a superior actor to many in Hollywood at the time and he brings gravitas to the main character. It is a story about birth rights, inherited intelligence and the power of the pharaohs. It would have best done using actual Egyptians but this well before such racial concerns mattered in Hollywood. By the standards of the time it is an epic but it also a drama concentrated on personalities and the decisions they make. It is not a great movie, but it is very much worth watching.

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is about being smart, being slack and getting away with it. If Ferris had a different personality he would be a consummate con-man but he displays sympathy to his friends, his sister and genuinely loves his parents. No one is hurt by his activities except those who want to punish him for his unconventional behavior. The film is about getting around society's rules if you are smart enough to know how the system actually works. But it is also about a lot more. It's about how to enjoy yourself on a lovely day with your friends and let's admit it: taking off time from work or school is a guilty pleasure. Would you rather spend another day listening to boring teachers or your stupid boss instead of actually being outside in the sunshine, visiting the museum, the baseball park and having a nice meal at a restaurant while driving around in your best friend's dad's exquisite vintage car? We all know the answer to those questions and Ferris Bueller's Day Off shows you had to do it in style.