Year: 1986
Accolades: One of 1001 Films You Must See Before You Die
Yes, I watched the classic comedy about a teenager in his last year of high school who decides to fake being sick to take the day off. His parents buy it, and soon he's out on the town with his girlfriend and his best friend (who was taking the day off because he actually was sick). Bueller's sister, however, hates how he can get away with everything and the school's dean of students is determined to prove Bueller is faking it by catching him in the act.
I have seen so many disappointing, so called comedies that I approached this one with some trepidation, thinking that it will probably come across as dated, cliched, and ruined from being over-referenced and overdone. However, I found the film genuinely funny. The dean's attempts at catching Bueller stay humorous throughout the film, and the escapades that Bueller and co get up to are not the jokes in themselves, but are rather the set-ups for the jokes.
Sure, it didn't have me rolling in the aisles, so to speak, but there's plenty of light jokes scattered throughout the film to keep the film going strong in the comedy department. So many comedies these days get hung up on trying to escalate things, and they could learn a thing or two by watching this film. When a joke is done in this film, it's done. It doesn't keep coming back again and again in a bigger, supposedly more funny incarnation.
On top of that, I was also caught up in just how well shot some of the cinematography is. The art gallery scene in particular is strikingly good, which makes the joke at the end of it all the more funnier. The now famous parade scene isn't over-the-top either. There's no huge unrealistic choreographed number when Bueller starts lip synching songs, but rather some choreographed dancing with about 20 or so people (apparently performing the moves to Thriller) intercut with people just having fun and dancing while watching the parade. Other sections of the film are brilliantly shot as well in order to highlight the emotion, or just to highlight the joke and make it that extra bit funnier.
Ultimately, what he says is the excuse for doing all of this (whether or not you believe him) is actually a pretty good philosophy. He just wants to give his friends a great day and get them to see a life outside of the misery of home or school, and at the same time he wants to enjoy life himself while he's still young and while his fiends are still around. It's a great philosophy, which I assume his sister eventually comes around to seeing since she goes from hating him to bailing him out at the last second in a pretty short timespan. It's the only part of the film I'm still not sure about, but I'm willing to forgive it.
Basically, the film is about three kids having fun on a sunny spring day. A successful gauge on whether it's done its job is to determine whether the film conveys that sense of fun, either directly or not. And do you know what? It does. I had fun watching this film, and for about two hours I actually forgot it was miserable and raining outside.
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