Ferris Bueller's Day Off: Bueller...Bueller... Edition

Aptly named: like Ben Stein's deadpan homeroom roll call—“Bueller? Bueller?”—signifying the original slacker's absence from school, Matthew Broderick is strikingly missing from this new edition of his defining movie, John Hughes' 1986 comedy about a scheming Chicago high school student whose crafty quest to skip a day of school with pals is shadowed by his manic principal (Jeffrey Jones), who trails behind in the hopes of catching the truant teens. Oh, sure, there are a bunch of new extras that were not on the original DVD release—including behind-the-scenes footage from when the movie was shot in the mid 1980s, as well as more contemporary “making-of” and retrospective featurettes about the film in which Broderick does appear to offer a 20-years-on perspective—but why release a new edition of this disc if it's not going to offer commentary tracks by writer-director-producer Hughes, or its titular star, or some hint at the film's enduring legacy? Ferris Bueller's Day Off remains an “Xer” touchstone, an absolutely vital artifact for understanding a generation, and if you don't already own the movie, this is the version to buy. But for those who already have it, there's no reason to shell out again for this not-really-so-very-special edition. Optional. (M. Johanson)[Blu-ray Review—May 12, 2009—Paramount, 102 min., PG-13, $29.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off (Bueller…Bueller…Edition) features a fine transfer and a 5.1 Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to the previous DVD release, including “Getting the Class Together: The Cast of Ferris Bueller's Day Off” interviews with the cast (28 min.), a 16-minute “making-of” featurette, “The World According to Ben Stein” featuring the costar (11 min.), “Vintage Ferris Bueller: The Lost Tapes” original interviews from the set (10 min.), a “Who is Ferris Bueller?” segment (9 min.), a “Class Album” photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: an ‘80s teen classic makes it welcome debut in Blu.]