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Ferris Bueller's Day Off is a 1986 American comedy film written and directed by John Hughes. It stars Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara, Jeffrey Jones and Jennifer Grey. The film follows high school senior Ferris Bueller, who decides to skip school and spend the spring day in downtown Chicago. Accompanied by his girlfriend Sloane Peterson and his best friend Cameron Frye, he creatively avoids his school's Dean of Students Edward Rooney, his resentful sister Jeanie, and his parents. During the film, Broderick occasionally speaks to the camera to explain to the audience his character's techniques and thoughts. Hughes wrote the screenplay in less than a week and shot the film – on a budget of $6 million – over several months in Fall 1985. Featuring many famous Chicago landmarks including the Sears Tower and The Art Institute of Chicago, the film was Hughes' love letter to the city: "I really wanted to capture as much of Chicago as I could. Not just in the architecture and landscape, but the spirit." Released by Paramount Pictures on June 11, 1986, Ferris Bueller's Day Off became one of the top grossing films of the year and was enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike.