Ferris Bueller Turns 40

Summary

Laugh With Me – "Ferris Bueller Turns 40"

Podcast: Laugh With Me
Host: Jeremy Ottoman
Guest: Hattie (Jeremy’s daughter)
Release Date: June 12, 2026
Theme: A Gen X dad and Gen Z teen compare Ferris Bueller’s Day Off to a modern YA retelling, discover what’s aged, what hasn’t, and debate whether Ferris is hero or villain.

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Episode Overview

In this special episode, host Jeremy Ottoman celebrates the 40th anniversary of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off by inviting his daughter, Hattie, onto the show. The discussion is sparked by Hattie’s recent reading of While We're Young by K.L. Walther, a YA novel that does a gender-swapped retelling of Ferris Bueller’s story. Together, they dive into the movie’s legacy, compare it to the modern book, and give candid generational perspectives on the classic film and its characters.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Set-Up: Teenage Discovery & Generational Viewing

• Hattie’s Book Find: Hattie discovered While We’re Young, was surprised to learn it was a Ferris Bueller retelling, and decided to watch the movie for the first time with her dad.
• Jeremy’s Excitement:

  "I was so excited that you want to watch this movie, because it's like one of my all time favorites, of course." (04:35)

• Importance of First Impressions:
  • The novelty of a teen encountering an ‘80s classic fresh, with both generations reflecting on their expectations and biases.
  • Jeremy highlights the “parent joy” of introducing a child to a formative film.

2. The Book vs. The Movie: Gender Swap & Empathy

• While We’re Young retells Ferris’ story with female leads who are academic stars. Hattie notes:

  "They're going off to college soon and...they're loved by their whole school because they're such good students…our Ferris of the book is like, you know what? I deserve a day off." (06:42)

• Differences in Characterization:
  • Book's Ferris is empathetic, cares for friends; Movie's Ferris is a manipulator.
  • Hattie:

    "I was like, he's such a narcissist and he's so manipulative. Poor Cameron. I was sympathizing for Cameron the entire time." (09:42)

3. Generational Clash: Is Ferris a Hero or Jerk?

• Jeremy: Always saw Ferris as fun and entertaining; watching for entertainment value.
• Hattie’s Fresh Take: She’s shocked by Ferris’ selfishness.

  "He was pushing Sloane aside…he was using Cameron…manipulating his teachers, his parents and his sister even so bad." (11:08)

• Jeremy’s Mind is Changed:

  "I'm gonna watch this from a different angle … and he's a bad dude." (11:07)

• Parenting Moment: Jeremy reflects on how new generations read media with more empathy and nuance.

4. Who’s Who: Relatability & Empathy

• Hattie identifies more with Cameron:

  "I'm much more of a Cameron, so." (16:43)

• She admires the book version’s care for friends, versus the movie’s focus on Ferris’ thrill-seeking.

5. Favorite (and Least Favorite) Moments

• Would Hattie take a “day off” like Ferris?

  "Getting to take a shower and sleep in. Nothing else I would do. I'd love to take like an hour long shower, then call up my friends." (19:27)

• Risk in Adventure:

  "Everything else is just too risky…with my friends, I would get kidnapped." (20:02)

6. Chicago as a Character

• Jeremy highlights John Hughes’ intent to make the film a “love letter” to Chicago.

  "He loves Chicago so much, he wanted to showcase as much of the city as possible…" (21:14)

• Hattie appreciates how the movie captures the city’s energy and diversity, praising the parade scene for its cultural realism.

  "…showing the aspects of Chicago that everyone else goes through and the culture of Chicago as a whole, especially the parade scene." (21:47)

7. Cultural Legacy, Quotes, and The Generational Divide

• Famous Lines: The “Bueller…Bueller…” roll call scene falls flat for Hattie:

  "I get it, I get it. And that is an iconic line." (24:19)
  "I could see how it's iconic, but that doesn't make it any less annoying." (24:30)

• Enduring Relevance: Hattie admits the film’s cultural footprint is real—knowing others still reference it, even if her friends haven’t seen it.
• Barbara Bush Quote:

  "Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." (23:13)

• Both agree the movie’s popularity has lasted because it resonates with both its original audience and new viewers, albeit in different ways.

8. Final Judgements and Generational Taste

• Which is Better?

  "Overall I think it was a bad movie, but it did its purpose to keep me entertained." (20:28)
  "When you compare it to the book, the book was better." (20:42)

• Who to Recommend Ferris To?

  "There's a certain kind of person I'd have to recommend it to…if you have that kind of humor, I think it's gonna be the light of your life, and you're gonna watch it 700 times just like you." (27:08)

• Age Groups: Hattie says high schoolers and Jeremy’s generation will appreciate it most.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ferris as a narcissist:

  "I was like, he's such a narcissist and he's so manipulative. Poor Cameron." – Hattie (09:42)

• On empathy for Cameron:

  "You gotta respect the Camerons, who need to be more thought out and more methodical about what they're doing." – Jeremy (16:20)

• On famous lines and generational distance:

  "I don't hear people just going, bueller. Bueller. Bueller. Teachers say one, two times, then they're done." – Hattie (24:43)

• On Chicago:

  "The parade scene...did a great job Incorporating the different cultures that lives inside of Chicago." – Hattie (21:47)

• On cultural legacy:

  "It honestly only grew over time…even now it's still talked about. Like…it hasn't…it might have died down, but that doesn't make it any less culturally important." – Hattie (22:48)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:54] Podcast kicks off: Jeremy introduces the premise and Hattie.
• [05:18] Hattie explains discovering the Ferris-inspired book.
• [06:42] Discussion of book’s gender-reverse adaptation.
• [09:42] Hattie critiques Ferris’ character—calling out narcissism.
• [11:08] Empathy versus entertainment—Jeremy begins to see Ferris differently.
• [16:43] Comparing Cameron (movie) to the book’s counterpart; Hattie relates to Cameron.
• [19:27] Hattie’s version of a “day off”—cautious, low-key.
• [21:14] Chicago’s role in the film and Hughes’ intent.
• [23:13] Barbara Bush’s famous commencement quote.
• [24:19] “Bueller…Bueller..." and generational response.
• [27:08] Final thoughts: Hattie’s ratings and who should watch the film.

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Summary & Takeaways

• Ferris Bueller's Day Off continues to spark intriguing cross-generational conversations—Gen X nostalgia meets Gen Z critique.
• Modern teens may find Ferris’ antics less heroic and more self-absorbed than their parents did.
• The film’s setting and music remain beloved, but pop culture references may not always translate across decades.
• A new generation is creating their own “day off” narratives—kinder, safer, and more empathetic.
• The “book was better” mantra lives on.
• As Jeremy summarizes:

  "40 years, it's been just incredible." (27:46)

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Episode Recommendation:
Perfect for nostalgic parents and curious teens alike, or anyone fascinated by how iconic pop culture ages, morphs, and sparks conversation across the decades.

Transcript

[Hattie]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

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[Laugh With Me Podcast Intro Voice]

Hit that intro, go laugh with me when the wrench pass due and the car won't start Laugh with me when the only sponsor is my broken heart we're hanging on this janky stream Two weird voices in the glow of a screen if the world won't sing then let it laugh Laugh with me.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Welcome back. It's a brand new episode. This is Laugh With Me, the podcast with Jeremy Ottoman. I'm your host.

[Laugh With Me Podcast Intro Voice]

Jeremy stares at the stats, hands shaking over takeout boxes. Johnny's already mapping hotels on a napkin with greasy crosses. They quit jobs. They kinda hate it. Tell their bosses Catch the show. Boss just shrugs. Hope it's funny. Johnny grins.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

You'll never know. J. Owen if you've got if you kid if you got kids. Okay, let's just hypothetical out there. If you've got kids and one of them, you know, stumbles upon a book and she reads it and she's like, man, this is so good. And she starts to explain what the book's about and you're like, that sounds exactly like one of my favorite movies. You have to watch this movie. And she shows interest in it. Oh, you show her that movie. Oh yes you do. And that's exactly what we have here today. Our guest, my daughter Hattie, she happened to find this book that just happens to be very similar to one Ferris Bueller's Day off, which coincides with the 40th anniversary of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. So we've got a special guest today. We're gonna talk about the similarities, we're gonna talk about the differences. We're gonna talk about the movie and what she thought. It's actually, it's kind of interesting because to have a teenager, high school, and watching this movie for the first time, a movie that I'm so fond of and something that I've grown up with, loving, and then hearing her thoughts and opinions and watching it with her was quite interesting. So if you've got kids, this one's for you. We've got very special guest. Hattie. Ol. Are you judging me right now?

[Hattie]

Yeah, pretty heavily.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Why? It's beer 30.

[Hattie]

Oh, my God, It's beer 30 minute.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

It's. But yeah, I'm gonna need a second here.

[Hattie]

Okay.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I have to process. All right, well, hold on, let me, let me center myself. Okay, now I'm ready.

[Hattie]

Got it?

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yeah. So you're. So you've been dying to get back on the pod. This is what, your fourth appearance on Laugh With Me? I know you've been dying to get back on the show.

[Hattie]

That's a word.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

That's the word.

[Hattie]

I didn't say it was the word. I said it was a word.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

And we are here to celebrate one of the greatest movies ever made. You just watch it for the first time.

[Hattie]

I did.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

And here's the thing, here's. I just want to preface it with you asked to watch this movie, which made me really excited. Yeah, I mean, you could.

[Hattie]

I could. You could.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I'm sure the listeners can feel the excitement. I was so excited that you want to watch this movie because it's like one of my all time favorites, of course, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. And we are in the midst of the 40th anniversary of this film being released. I've heard it was this week in 1986.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Wow.

[Hattie]

A long time ago.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Can you imagine? I was three years old when that movie came out.

[Hattie]

Of course, you were alive then.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Oh, no. I can't believe the zingers. They're. They're coming in hot and heavy so far, but like. So tell me why you wanted to watch that movie. I mean, I could be like, oh, yeah, you want to watch that movie because it's incredible. But why did you have specifically interest in this movie?

[Hattie]

Well, it had started because I read a book by one of my favorite authors. It's called why While We're Young by Kayla Walther. And I hadn't realized that it was based off of a movie until I read the author's Note in the very back. And she was saying how it's basically just a retelling but a gender swapped version. And I was like, oh, I've heard that movie because of my father. And then we were in Chicago a few months ago and they were watching and I hadn't watched it because I was in a separate room sleeping on the couch

[Jeremy Ottoman]

first of all. But before you just made that seem

[Hattie]

like I was shoved out.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I was shoved to the couch. But in reality you claim the couch and, and actually enjoyed the fact that you basically had your own little apartment.

[Hattie]

It was great being away from you guys.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

See, so yeah, the hate, the hate that you gave there in that little like, like you were shunned. And instead this was a. I was hated on personal call that you family doesn't love me that you rose your hand for and you were like, I'm

[Hattie]

in, I don't know, suspicious.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So the, the book, it's basically gender reversed. So the female lead is the one having her day off.

[Hattie]

Yes.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Right. While you're young. So the theme, I'm going to just assume and you tell me if I'm wrong.

[Hattie]

Okay.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Okay. And because I know you will while you're young. So it's basically, hey, we're gonna take a day. While we're, we're gonna take a day and just be. We're gonna just be me.

[Hattie]

Yeah, pretty much. They're going off to college soon and the girl who's supposed to be playing Ferris and then the other girl that would be playing Cameron, they're both very academic and so they're loved by their whole school because they're like. And all their teachers because they're just such good students. And so our Ferris of the book is like, you know what? I deserve a day off. Let's do this. Let me grab my friends. And then. But our Cameron of the book, she's like, no, I've never missed a day. This is not happening.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Right. So. And as you know, if you've seen the movie, Cameron is the very academic one. He is very ill. So he's home sick. And then Ferris, our main character, you know, he's, he's going to graduate academically. I don't think he's doing bad. We don't get that vibe. We get the vibe that he likes to skip school often, which is what the issue would be academically.

[Hattie]

People were praising him in the actual movie because he's very social, not necessarily good with academics. Right.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So you wanted to watch the movie. You love the book.

[Hattie]

Yes.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

You said she's one of your favorite authors. What else have you read?

[Hattie]

I've read all of our other books except for her newest one. I've read the Summer of Broken Rules, which was her. I think it might have been her debut novel. If not, it was a different one, but. And it's very widely known, like, that's the book that she's most known for.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Okay.

[Hattie]

I also really like it.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

All right, so big fan of, of. Of this author, then you asked to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. As we know, John Hughes, legend, just absolute legend of the game. And you're. You're, you're looking at me like, okay, what else has he made? And I knew you were gonna say that. Here's. Let me. Let me tell you a little something. Here's a. Here's a little movie that he's behind that might catch your eye. Home Alone.

[Hattie]

No wonder I was comparing parts of it.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Ria. Okay. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation also makes sense. Yep, that's probably gonna be it. As far as, like, his films, he's also done, you know, in that era. I mean, he's a legend from that era of the 80s. Sixteen candles, which.

[Hattie]

My mother loves that movie.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Right. And Breakfast Club, Weird Science, like, just absolute classics. Yeah, but we watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Tell me what you thought, like, start. I mean, from the get. I mean, here's the thing. We watched it together, and you were dialed in like you were locked in. It wasn't one of those movies where you're scrolling on your phone, like, the whole time, like, you seemed pretty locked in. You were throwing shade from the get.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Tell me, like, why? Like what. What was your first impressions of Ferris? And then why, as you're comparing it? Because you were calling out spots in the book, in the movie that were almost identical. They were identical. What? What? I mean, what were your thoughts? What was running through your head there when it started?

[Hattie]

I had very mixed hopes because you obviously praised this movie very highly. You mentioned it before. But then my mom, who I'd say I have similar taste with in movies, she was completely dissing it. As soon as I said that I wanted to watch it. She was like, why? She was disgusted with my choice of the night. And then as soon as it started, I was like, oh, yeah, this happened in the book. Oh, I hadn't realized that they took this from the. That they took this from the movie. That's great. Yada, yada, yada. But I like the way they did the book better Just because. And you said that you didn't see this when you were watching the movie. And when you were watching the movie, this was the first time you had seen him as, like, an antagonist of the movie. Because I was like, he's such a narcissist and he's so manipulative. And. Poor Cameron. I was sympathizing for Cameron the entire time.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So every time I've ever watched this movie, I watch to be entertained, and I am entertained. Ferris is on his day off, and he's just having a ball. You know, he's. He's going to museums, and he went to the Cubs game and he got a foul ball and he's singing in the parade. I thought it was incredible. Cameron, he drags on. You got to have a shotgun, right? You got to have somebody with you along for the ride.

[Hattie]

But he was also using him for the ride.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Right? And that's the thing. When you were bringing up how. How terrible this guy is, I'm like, I'm gonna, you know what? I'm gonna watch this from a different angle and I'm gonna look more into those character traits.

[Hattie]

And we were right.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

And he's a bad dude.

[Hattie]

Exactly. Like, yes, Very entertaining movie. I can say that. And I can see how you were watching it from the entertainment point, but I'm a very empathetic person. And he was just so mean to. To everyone in the movie. He was pushing Sloane aside for half the time. And if so, that was the only person he cared about other than himself. And then he was using Cameron. He was manipulating his teachers and his parents and his sister even so bad.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Even what you said, like, Sloane is the only one he cared about. Even, even that, you know, towards the end of the movie, he's going through this kind of, like, processing of, what am I going to do with her next year? She's going to be a senior. I'm going to college. How's that going to be handled? I. I'm serious about getting married to her. But how. Yeah, what am I supposed to do with this? Right? So it's. Even though she's the one that maybe he still. He's the one that cares about it. But it also, he kind of like in the same breath was like, well, what am I. What am I supposed to do with this?

[Hattie]

Yeah, he just, he's very go with the flow. And while that's not necessarily a bad thing, some things have to be played land out to show that you care. And I just don't think he cares about more than 10 things.

[Alec Baldwin]

Hi, it's Alec Baldwin. This season on my podcast, here's the thing. I'm speaking with more artists, policymakers and performers like composer Mark Shaiman.

[Rob]

Once you've established that you have the talent, it's about the hang. It's the pleasure of hanging out with the people that you're with. You know, Rob and I was always a great hang. We would sit in kibbets for hours and then eventually get around to the music. That's what I mostly think of when I think of him, the time together.

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Director Morgan Neville.

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[Alec Baldwin]

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[Dr. Laurie Santos]

Here at the Happiness Lab, we're serving up some hot takes for the summer. Big ideas that just might reshape how you think about your well being. Like we've been thinking about the loneliness epidemic all wrong.

[Hattie]

You can be lonely in a marriage. You can be lonely at a party. I don't think loneliness is actually about solitude. Loneliness is about something much or that.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

We should get rid of small talk altogether.

[Rob]

We talk about current events. We talk about what you do for a living, but not do you love

[Jeremy Ottoman]

what you do for a living?

[Rob]

Is this your dream job?

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

Or that the mental health crisis isn't what we think it is and that kids today are doing better than we assume.

[Hattie]

It was really disorienting for us as researchers to be so wrong about our hypothesis.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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[Hattie]

going to underreact to a severe challenge that we tend to overreact.

[Dr. Laurie Santos]

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[Chris Fairbanks]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

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[Jeremy Ottoman]

Then there's a freaking deer right there

[Rob]

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[Amanda Knox]

Holy shit.

[Rob]

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[Jeremy Ottoman]

Road glass. I wish you said glass.

[Karen Kilgariff]

New episodes drop every Monday on the exactly right network.

[Chris Fairbanks]

Listen to do youo Need a ride? On the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Thank you.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

You're welcome.

[Amanda Knox]

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[Jeremy Ottoman]

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[Jeremy Ottoman]

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[Jeremy Ottoman]

It did feel like whatever was in front of him in that moment was the most important thing that's ever happened in his life, which I can respect. I, I. There are people like, I've met many people like that. There's respect to be had with that, but there's also, you have to respect the Camerons, who need to be more thought out and more methodical about what they're doing and why they're doing it.

[Hattie]

And I'm much more of a Cameron, so.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yeah, yeah, you're not a in the moment person sometimes, but that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. So as the movie is going on, you're thinking, holy cow, what a bad dude. How did that compare to the main character in the book?

[Hattie]

In the book, she was all about the other people. She was actually a good person and I could relate to her in times because she was still thinking about Issa's the Cameron of the book. Her Feelings and why. She was very empathetic in the case that she was like, I understand why you don't want to do this, but you need one day off before college. We're graduating in like three weeks or whatever it is. And she was like, you gotta have fun. She was concerned for the care of her friend. She wasn't about, I need this day off. She was like, you need this.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Okay, that was the selling point. Or do you think that was the true heart of it?

[Hattie]

Pretty much, yeah. It's been a minute since I read it, but that's like what I took from it. She was very caring about others and she just wanted to bring this trio of friends back that she had because it was mainly about connecting with her friends again and making them all happy.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Because remember, Ferris made it all about. Cameron really needs this. Cameron really needs this day off. Cameron needs to just go with the flow. Cameron needs to get his mind off of finals and tests and college and all that stuff.

[Hattie]

And in the end it worked out. But at the start, he was very much using him when Cameron was very sad. No, I'm sick, I'm not doing this. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. But Ferris was like, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, let's do do this. His selling point was that Cameron needed this, but only to Cameron. His other motives were all about him.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

It was funny when we were watching the movie and the, you know, Cameron is concerned about the miles being put on the car and Ferris is like, well, we'll just run it in reverse when we get back and roll the miles back. And I'm like, is that how that works? I said that.

[Hattie]

I legitimately asked, is that how it works?

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I said, is how that works? And you, you're like, no. And then we get to that part at the end and I'm just like, oh, it didn't work. And you're like, yeah, that's not how that works.

[Hattie]

Stupid. Think that through. It could be going backwards for 15 miles, but it's still moving.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yeah, anything. It should still move miles forward.

[Hattie]

The directions of the wheels have no difference in the amount of mileage that's being added.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yeah, I was probably a little naive in that, but I was again falling in the story and just trying to be entertained.

[Hattie]

You've already watched the movie, you knew what happened. That's what's more concerning to me.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

What was your favorite part of the movie? Like, of the. All of the shenanigans they went through. What was something that you were like, oh, that would be cool.

[Hattie]

Like, I would do like if you

[Jeremy Ottoman]

had a day off. Like if you had this, you had his day off. What, what's one of those things that you'd be like, yeah, let's put that on the list.

[Hattie]

Getting to take a shower and sleep in. Nothing else I would do. I'd love to take like an hour long shower, then call up my friends. That's all I'd want to do from that day. Everything else is just too risky.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I thought you would say the museum. You do enjoy museums.

[Hattie]

I enjoy museums.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

But walking around downtown Chicago, you do enjoy that.

[Hattie]

Yeah, but with my family, that made me feel safe. That sounds terrifying. Which is my friends, I would get kidnapped.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Oh, no. Yeah, you do have this fear of human trafficking. Human trafficking. Let's talk about that.

[Hattie]

Oh, just kidding.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So you got through the whole movie, you were throwing shade the whole time?

[Hattie]

Yep.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

In the end you were entertained?

[Hattie]

Yeah, it was an entertaining movie. It was really stupid. And overall I think it was a bad movie, but it did its purpose to keep me entertained. So there's that.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Well, there you go. So when you cut, when you compare it to the book, the book was better.

[Hattie]

Yeah, yeah. Yes.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

That's what people say.

[Hattie]

Yeah,

[Alec Baldwin]

man.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

What character did you relate to the most? Cameron, probably. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could see that.

[Hattie]

Okay.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Had any of your friends seen the movie? Did you talk to them about it at all?

[Hattie]

I don't think so. The only person I talked to is my best friend and I don't think she's seen it, so. And I doubt anyone else has. If they have, they probably just don't think about it too much. Yeah, because it's not a prominent movie in a lot of other people's lives.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Well, sure. Well, you know, you're saying, or you've said before to me on the show or anything, but you love Chicago. Like you enjoyed Chicago. Chicago. And that movie just happened to be on, you know, while we were there. And to me it was like, holy cow, this is cool. Like, we are looking out into the city and boom, here's this movie. And even John Hughes, the guy who, you know, directed this film, he said this movie is like his love letter to the city of Chicago. Like he, he loves Chicago so much, he wanted to showcase as much of the city as possible, which I would say they did a heck of a job.

[Hattie]

It wasn't just about Ferris. Going to these different spots was really showing the aspects of Chicago that everyone else goes through and the culture of Chicago as a whole, especially the parade scene. I thought that did a great job. Have Incorporating the different cultures that lives inside of Chicago.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

He was saying it was like it was the archetype, the architecture, the landscape, but, like, the spirit of the city is what he wanted to showcase. Yeah, I thought he did a heck of a job. Some of the landmarks included Sears Tower, which one of the taller buildings there, Wrigley Field and the Art Institute of Chicago. Yeah, just. It was really cool, but I thought it was interesting. That was one of the things that he wanted to really put a shine on was the city of Chicago. It was the 10th highest grossing film of 1986. Oh, so it was a big, big movie. Do you, I mean, do you believe it? Like, do you. As you look at the landscape of, like, movies right now, what's, like, big. Ferris Bueller's Day off was one of the top 10 movies.

[Hattie]

I could see that. And then I feel like it honestly only grew over time. Like, what first came out, it probably was, you know, going viral throughout the media, but even now it's still talked about. Like, it hasn't. It might have died down, but that doesn't make it any less culturally important.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So the first lady, Barbara Bush, the. The first lady to the first president, George Bush.

[Hattie]

I think I got that.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yep. He or she used a quote from the movie in a speech. She did, she did in a 1990 commencement address at Wesley College. She said, find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off, lives, life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

[Hattie]

I could see how that can make its way into a speech. I think it was a way to lighten it up, because I don't necessarily see that as. I just don't really see any of that from the movie. Making something really deep and impactful, but I could see that making its way into a speech.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Well, the, the, the crowd went absolutely bonkers when she gave that line. And she told them that she wasn't going to tell her husband, the president, that they clapped more for Ferris than they did for him when she mentioned him. So it was pretty funny. One of the most famous lines from the movie was something that you were like a neighborhood annoyed by. Like, annoyed, really. The, the teacher. Ben Stein's the actor who played the teacher early in the movie. And they're doing attendance and he's going, bueller.

[Hattie]

Bueller kept saying it. Oh, my God.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

And you, after, like, the second one, you're like, I get it, I get it. And that is an iconic line.

[Hattie]

I could see how it's iconic, but that doesn't make it any less annoying.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So have you never heard that being used like at school, like you're going to height, you're going to high school. You never heard that line?

[Hattie]

No.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Oh my.

[Hattie]

I don't hear people just going, bueller. Bueller. Bueller. Teachers say one, two times, then they're done. They say, are you guys sure he's not here? And then they go, no. And then they move on with their lives.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

It, it's, it's interesting. I like, what was the thought process in the actor Ben Sign's brain as he's uttering this line over and over and over again? Is he a teacher? Like as the character. Is the teacher slowly going through attendance just to eat up time?

[Hattie]

I could see that. But then also the way he was teaching in the other scenes, I honestly would believe if that's just the character that he just teaches and talks in that way. He's like, he didn't seem excited when the day was over. He just. Or getting past sentence through sentence, he was just like, okay. It's just whatever. Okay.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

He's not necessarily overly energetic guy.

[Hattie]

No.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Anyways. Yeah, but I always thought that was, was fun and something that I think about. I don't know, I'm weird. I think of these characters and like, like small bit characters like that. Like he has what, three lines in this whole freaking movie? But I think about him often and I'm like, what's his process? Like what's, like, what's, what's the teacher's like dayto day? Like what's he, what's he like? What's his angle to get across to these kids? Cuz they looked bored as hell and they just were ready to run, you know.

[Hattie]

I don't know. I don't know.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

One of the songs from the movie Twist and Shout ended up tracking like charting on the, on the charts after that again because of, because of the movies, so. And the Beatles.

[Hattie]

I love that.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So yeah. You, you're.

[Hattie]

You like the Beatles.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I, I love the Beatles. I mean like is offensive.

[Hattie]

You love the Beatles.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

I love the Beatles. Yeah. I appreciate you. So. Yeah. I don't know.

[AT&T Business Ad Voice]

So.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Yeah. While we are Young is the book by K.L. walther. Wh. How long ago did you read that?

[Hattie]

Um, two months ago, possibly three.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So it's kind of fresh.

[Hattie]

Yeah, it was somewhat near the end of the school year and that wasn't too long ago either, so.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Okay. Ferris Bueller's Day off. Any final thoughts?

[Hattie]

I'd say If I were like, to recommend it to someone, I feel like there's a certain kind of person I'd have to recommend it to. Because if not, there's gonna be like, why did you recommend me this? It wasn't good or it wasn't funny. Cause some of my friends don't have that kind of humor. Or, like, they didn't grow up from families like that. But if you have that kind of humor, I think that it's gonna be the light of your life. And you're gonna watch it 700 times just like you.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Just like me.

[Hattie]

Yeah.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

So, age group that you think this movie's a home run for high school? Probably.

[Hattie]

I could say that. But I'd also say your age group, because it actually had the impact on your age.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

True. Yeah.

[AT&T Business Ad Voice]

Okay.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

All right. Failures Be a day off 40 years it's been just incredible. Shockingly younger than you oh, J.C. another shot.

[Laugh With Me Podcast Intro Voice]

I don't, just don't understand Hit that intro.

[Jeremy Ottoman]

Go.

[Laugh With Me Podcast Intro Voice]

Laugh with me when the rent pass you and the car won't start Laugh with me when the only sponsor is my broken heart we're hanging on this janky stream Two weird voices in the glow of a screen it's the world won't sing Delighted Laugh with me.