Chicago History Museum - Tuesday at dusk
Sometimes there is a moment
of pure serendipity in one's life and, if you don't stop and look
around once in a while, you might miss it. Case in point: the Chicago
History Museum is presenting the film that not only taught countless
youngsters how to properly play sick, but also showcased our city as
the playground for Matthew Broderick's understimulated Northshore
slacker. In a performance that made him a bonafide leading man at the
age of 23, Broderick creates a character so clever and charming that
you can’t help but root for him. Beginning with a little white lie
about a serious illness to get a final day off before going to college,
Ferris schemes to cheer up his best friend Cameron with a VIP tour of
the city. Wrigley Field, the Art Institute, Michigan Avenue, and the
Sears Tower (“I think I see my dad”) are the backdrop for the greatest
senior ditch day ever put on film. Its enduring appeal lies in the
subplot, however, in which the evil dean of students, Edward Rooney
(Jeffery Jones), vows to catch Ferris in the act and force him to repeat
his senior year. The screening is free, and will take place on the
lawn behind the museum starting at dusk. (1986, 103 min, DVD) JH - Cine-File.info
