20 awesome ’80s movies you should totally see before you die

5. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off follows its title character, a charismatic slacker (Matthew Broderick), as he plans and executes a nearly consequence-free senior ditch day.

The movie, written and directed by John Hughes, pays homage to the city of Chicago. Ferris, his best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck) and girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) leave the suburbs behind in order to take advantage of all the diversions the city has to offer.

As AMC shares on its blog, Hughes said of the movie:

"Chicago is what I am. A lot of Ferris is sort of my love letter to the city. And the more people who get upset with the fact that I film there, the more I’ll make sure that’s exactly where I film. It’s funny–nobody ever says anything to Woody Allen about always filming in New York. America has this great reverence for New York. I look at it as this decaying horror pit. So let the people in Chicago enjoy Ferris Bueller."

Determined to hold Ferris accountable at least once during his charmed life are his sister Jeanie (Jennifer Grey), and the dean of students, Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones).

Ferris possesses a self-assuredness that everything will work out, even if he doesn’t exactly know how. Some reviewers criticized the character of Ferris for being a personification of the greed, self-interest and instant gratification marked by the presidency of Ronald Reagan.

Others view Ferris as a savior of sorts, freeing Cameron from his own angst, anxiety and depression. It’s up to Ferris to encourage Cameron to savor all the sweet elixir life has to offer because their time together is limited. Ferris’ goal is to send his best friend off into the world with a renewed sense of purpose.

Ferris’ behavior has a ripple effect on those around him, but in the end, everyone — Jeanie, Rooney, Ferris, Sloane and Cameron — are all responsible for their own actions.

There’s no need to question Ferris Bueller’s motives because he puts them out there from the jump, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”