My So-Called Teen Movies: Five Fave John Hughes Moments

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, 1986

5. The parade, during which Ferris lip-synchs “Danke Schoen” and grooves to the Beatles’ rendition of “Twist and Shout.”

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off re-introduced former Nixon speechwriter Ben Stein as an actor. Moreover, it introduced us to Jennifer Grey, pre-Dirty Dancing, and made Matthew Broderick a bonafide star. In this movie, Ferris, his girlfriend, Sloan, and his best friend, Cameron, skip school for the day, eating at a fancy restaurant, taking in a Cubs game, and participating in a parade.

And there you have it—the finest of John Hughes’ teen-angst era. To quote his own line from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

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