Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. I was already a college graduate by the time it appeared in the mid-1980s, but so what? It was the movie that spoke to my inner narrator like no other. I didn’t necessarily want to be Ferris, I just wanted a day off like his. Who wouldn’t? KIRK HONEYCUTT podcast excerpt: "I wanted to find out why John Hughes was so damn successful. Because he was. I wanted to understand what he did and what it was about his comedy that connected with people then -- and still does today." Every time I see Ferris as I’m channel surfing, I’ll stop and watch it. Ferris talking to the audience, Ferris singing 'Twist and Shout' in a parade, Ferris fighting with his sister, and, of course, Ferris telling us all to go home, “The movie’s over!” KIRK HONEYCUTT podcast excerpt: "Hughes was talking to teen-agers like he understood them and that's what draws them in." There are other John Hughes films of which I’m a fan, of course, including National Lampoon’s Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and Weird Science. Home Alone deserves an honorable mention, too. Less so for me the more standard fare such as The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink – I think I was too old for teen angst when they came around.   KIRK HONEYCUTT podcast excerpt: "National Lampoon's Vacation was the first John Hughes film that said, 'Hey, this guy can write!'" Former Hollywood Reporter chief film critic Kirk Honeycutt has just published a book, John Hughes: A Life in Film, that is a rich, illustrated guide to these films and many more, including Uncle Buck, Sixteen Candles, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Honeycutt is also the man behind HoneycuttsHollywood.com, his own film review site. Kirk Honeycutt  • • • • •