Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

John Hughes's ode to skipping school reads differently to adults, who notice that Ferris's charm is mostly a con and that the real story belongs to his anxious best friend Cameron, played by Alan Ruck. Matthew Broderick talks straight to camera, the day tours the landmarks of Chicago, and Jeffrey Jones's dean of students is a cartoon villain chasing a truant. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2014, and the parade and the art museum visit are still the high points. Ferris's resentful sister Jeanie, the only person who sees through him, gets funnier with every rewatch.