Ferris Bueller

Anyone else notice there's a character on this show named Arthur Petrelli? Don't you think it's more than a coincidence that Cristine Rose (who played Barbara Bueller) now plays a character on Heroes whose husband just so happens to be named... Arthur Petrelli?

Can't say I'm a fan of this TV adaptation of the awesome and culturally significant film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". This show just seemed too forced and awkward compared to the whip-smart dialog and perfect casting of the movie. The acting trio at the heart of the original film -- Matthew Broderick, Mia Sara and Alan Ruck -- are perfectly balanced and have great chemistry (like William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley were for the original Star Trek). The Ferris TV cast were sadly lacking in this regard.

Perhaps they would have "hit their stride" in a second or possibly third season, but we'll never know. At any rate, I prefer to remember Ferris Bueller as portrayed by the one and only Matthew Broderick. It would be a blast to see him reprise his role as an older (but not wiser) Ferris, married to Sloan with a few kids running around. But then again, maybe some things are better left alone.

With the success of the 1986 film Ferris Bueller's Day Off starring Matthew Broderick, NBC decided to bring the troublesome teenager to the small screen, thus begins Ferris Bueller: The Series.

As said before, Broderick starred as the titular role in the movie, while on the TV series, Charlie Schlatter played him, and does a decent job playing the role, although it's very tough to top Broderick's interpretation.

We also get the schools principal Ed Rooney (Jeffrey Jones in the movie, Richard Riehle in the series), who usually is the butt of Ferris's many pranks, the schools secretary Grace (Edie McClurg in the movie, Judith Kahan in the series), Ferris's best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck in the movie, Brandon Douglas in the series), his girlfriend Sloan (Mia Sara in the movie, Ami Dolenz in the series), his father (Lyman Ward as Tom in the movie, Sam Freed as Bill in the series), his mother (Cindy Pinkett as Katie in the movie, Cristine Rose as Barbara in the series) and his sister Jeannie (the beautiful Jennifer Grey in the movie, a lovely pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston in the series).

The series adaptation of the movie is mostly forgettable and somewhat bland, but its not the worst thing that's been created, as we've gotten much worse before and after this, and most people will probably only remember this series by it having a pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston, who actually is pretty good in the role.

So, unless you don't mind some heavy 90s cheesiness, stick with the movie, and if you really want to watch the series adaptation, watch at your own risk.

I had to add my two cents in here. I'm fairly sure that no one was expecting this show to live up to the movie. So don't be surprised if it just doesn't seem like Ferris Bueller. After all, Matthew Broderick is Ferris Bueller, in the same way that Stallone is Rocky, Pat Morita is Mr. Miyagi, and Jaleel White is Urkel. It just isn't Ferris without him and the supporting cast from the movie. While Ami Dolenz and Jennifer Aniston are good looking actresses, they aren't enough to keep my interest for more than one episode.

OK--this was not up to the original movie (which was great)...but how could it be? For what it was (a TV series) it was pretty good. I thought Schlatter was dead on as Ferris--his talking to the audience was well-done and I laughed out loud when he took a chainsaw to a cardboard cutout of Matthew Broderick from the film. And I though Jennifer Aniston was perfect as his obnoxious sister. I seem to be alone in liking this, but I think people are comparing it way too much to the movie. There's no way any TV series could measure up to that. Taken on it own I thought it was a fun TV series.

The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions.

And I'm sure there are a lot of producers, directors and so forth who are headed that way after seeing the prime-time terror they have wrought here.

"Ferris Bueller" is a TV version of the everyday high-school life of the lead character from John Hughes' brilliant movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". And while the basic idea is good, everything else is completely done wrong.

Schlatter is a lot of the problem. Though he looks appropriately young, he just seems too cocky, too arrogant and too smug as Ferris to appeal the same way as Matthew Broderick did. He manages to begin the ship sinking early.

Not much better are Aniston as his sister, Riehle as Ed Rooney and not even the actors that play his parents, girlfriend or best pal Cameron Frye make as much of an impression as their counterparts did on film.

And then there were the scripts; not half as inventive as the movie; not even cameos by whomever happened to be on the NBC studio back lot that day make much difference. No, even good direction (by Bixby, Lynn, etc) helps.

In the end, the "Ferris Bueller" series didn't even last 13 episodes. What do you know, looks like Ed Rooney got his revenge after all.

No stars. Hardly worth thinking about; unless you just want to get a headache.