The relationship between the entertainment industry and the public is a funny one. When a hit movie is universally praised, destined to become an icon of its generation, the people during that time—young and old—feel a sense of entitlement. It becomes a bragging right for some and a symbol for others. Any tampering with this spectacle is condemned, like defiling a grave. Hollywood, meanwhile, just enjoyed the revenue of the latest box office smash before moving onto the next one to cash in on.
That condemnation was everywhere on the web after the Ferris Bueller superbowl commercial aired. It showed Matthew Broderick as himself driving in a Honda after feigning sickness to skip out on an acting role, replete with blatant breaking of the fourth wall. Critics and nobodies alike were up in arms over it, expressing their disapproval online through Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and other social media sites. Some deemed Broderick a sellout or a hack, all over his willingness to exploit the classic of 1986 that he starred in.
The concept of exploiting icons to sell products is nothing new. From old Beatles and Led Zeppelin songs used in car commercials to superstars selling clothes, the cash cow is milked for all it’s worth. The nostalgia associated with big icons such as these is what helps drive the appeal—marketing 101. No matter how near and dear Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is to the hearts of fans, it is a product of Hollywood at its core. Is it a classic? Yes. Are there millions of people world-wide who will attest to its worthiness of being considered a classic? Absolutely. However, it was created for the purposes of entertaining and raking in money to fuel the multimillion-dollar industry.
Having such an idyllic view of Hollywood is unrealistic, as it is like any other business—to sell products. In this case, it’s entertainment. It is not a machine designed to churn out immortal symbols of generations to be placed on a pedestal, free of any meddling. Matthew Broderick is a human being who enjoys money and decent food, just like everyone else. To hold him to a noble standard of not “selling out” is absurd, partly because selling out often translates to a few people disapproving of the actions of a celebrity—actions they like to think they themselves wouldn’t take.
The impact the commercial has on peoples’ lives is trivial at most. They’ll scoff, yell, berate, mourn their self-proclaimed destroyed childhoods, and move on to the next bastardization of a classic film, song, or star to seethe over.
- Zander Buel, Director of Research
