zkonedog

A movie like Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a little too wacky to be an all-time classic (other than genre-wise). It breaks the fourth wall, and certain sections of the film make absolutely no sense at all. But it's also just so doggone entertaining--with just enough dash of heart--to easily deserve a solid 8/10 rating.

For a very basic overview, the film tells the story of the titular character (Matthew Broderick) faking ill to get out of a day of 1980s high school. In fact, pretty much every scheme Ferris cooks up while tooling around downtown Chicago seems to come up roses--to the delight of girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and the consternation of uptight best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck). All the while, principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones) seems on to Ferris' game, while sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey) is similarly nonplussed.

There are moments or aesthetics in this film that are absolutely iconic: Ben Stein's "Bueller-Bueller-Bueller" droning--Cameron's Red Wings jersey and fake accent--Sloane's fringe jacket--Ferris' sweater vest--the Twist & Shout parade scene--the city of Chicago itself. Iconic writer/director John Hughes certainly cultivates a grab-bag of imagery and scenarios that have now essentially became the language of cinema itself. In a way, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is the ultimate hijinx flick.

Yet, Hughes also imbues the script with enough relatable moments to transcend its 1980s setting (a pretty heady task seeing as how the film personifies that decade to many). Everyone wants to be Ferris--every guy wants a girl like Sloane--everyone knows a type-A Cameron--we all want to pull a fast one on our parents--everyone at some point views their principal as Ed. These are caricatures that hold up for the ages and serve to center a film that can get a little off-the-rails plot/thematically at times.

Speaking of that--I think the biggest thing holding me back from a higher rating for Ferris Bueller is that it is indeed so slapstick-y on numerous occasions. Yes, I know--Hughes does the same with, say, Home Alone. But that later effort has even more heart to balance out the wackiness. While I'm not necessarily saying this needed a Breakfast Club-serious tone, I think a tad more introspection and a tad less prat-falling-and-sound-effect humor might have served the overall picture even better.

As it stands, however, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a film that can easily be passed down through the generations for the way it captures the teenaged/high-school existence and is simply just so fun. It's broad caricatures of that time/period may hold it back a touch from utter greatness--but may also be exactly what keeps it so evergreen amongst viewers.

I'm generally a big fan of 1980s flicks, counting the likes of Back to the Future, Karate Kid, & Hughes' Brat Pack films (especially The Breakfast Club) among my all-time favorites. I never saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High as a youngster in the 1990s--only watching it for the first time as a pushing-40-elder-milennial--so perhaps that alone explains my middling reaction to it.

For a very basic overview, Fast Times is a slice-of-life film from the late 1970s (maybe early 1980s). It follows a group of high school students as they work menial jobs, navigate the classroom, and--most importantly--scheme to get laid.

If you feel that description a bit lacking, you are correct--but Fast Times is that kind of film. There is no real plot present other than vignettes centered on a few main characters. It is a couple short steps away from being an out-and-out sex comedy. This will be factor #1 in determining your enjoyment.

There are also two absolutely iconic pop culture pieces here:

-Phoebe Cates coming out of the pool. A 1980s sexual awakening moment if one ever existed.

-Sean Penn's Spicoli, the airhead surfer/stoner made even more hilarious by the fact that Penn would of course go on to a super-serious career.

There is an argument to be made that without those two elements, Fast Times is quickly forgotten. Why? Because it bops around so much and so quickly as to not have any sort of overriding theme or message. Yes, the rest of the cast--the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus, Brian Backer, Ray Walston, & Forest Whitaker--is solid and most would go on to great careers. But director Amy Heckling would perhaps have better been served by "picking a lane", so to speak, as the A-plot and having everything revolve around that. As-is, the movie is more a series of segments than a full story.

So, overall I settled on a right-down-the-middle 5/10 rating for Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I'm sure nostalgia for the era and original viewing experience (plus the couple iconic moments described above) vault this much high on other scorecards, but from someone who didn't "live it" this is a tough one to fully buy into.

Billy Joel is a pop/rock music legend! For 50+ years his impeccable songwriting, ivory-tickling, unique vocals, and everyman persona have created a catalog of epic proportions. And So It Goes is a documentary that captures all of that and gets Joel's perspective on it all.

For what is essentially a chronological biography, there's no way And So It Goes should be as good as it is. Not at a whopping 5-hour runtime (two 2.5 hour episodes). But directors Susan Lacy & Jessica Levin use every ounce of that extended runway to examine different angles of Joel's life and music.

This is of course a doc that somewhat trades in the tried and true "trade lengthy artist participation for steering clear of controversial topics" formula that HBO Docs seems to prefer. Yet, it is never a big problem here because Joel is generally so forthright about his own personal demons or foibles.

The two things about And So It Goes that stuck out to me the most:

-I hadn't realized how special of a songwriter Joel was. At every life stage, he crafted tunes from his own experiences that are generalizable enough to be enjoyed by mass audiences--and stand the test of time. A true gift.

-The way Joel's personal relationships (wives, children, father, managers, etc.) impacted his artistic journey. While a lot more straightforward and less uptight about his own life than many musicians seem to be, he also is able to talk about the ups and downs of his life and come to some kind of terms with them.

As someone who came of music-listening age after the majority of Billy Joel's catalog was already established, And So It Goes was exactly the doc I needed to help understand the method behind Joel's remarkable song-crafting madness.