Cameron Frye Resurrects an Iconic Scene From Ferris Bueller in LiftMaster Ad

Two teenage dudes ogle a classic red sports car.

“My father spent three years restoring this car. It is his love. It is his passion,” says one.

“It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage,” adds the other.

Sound familiar?

Schafer Condon Carter remakes this iconic scene from the 1986 John Hughes comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in a fun spot touting LiftMaster’s Secure View Garage Opener.

This time, however, the client’s built-in camera technology ensures no wild road trip ensues, though you may recognize a familiar face from the movie:

Alan Ruck, who played Bueller’s buddy Cameron Frye, returns in the dad role after all these years. And he gets the last laugh. Haha, busted, punks! Go do some homework!

Here’s the real Bueller bit for comparison.

Ruck also shows up in a second LiftMaster commercial, though the film connection isn’t really a factor:

“We sent Alan the storyboard and he liked it right away. Otherwise we would be talking to you about a commercial with some other iconic garage in it,” SCC creative chief Denny Hebson tells Muse. “Alan Ruck is the key to making this spot work, so we were thrilled when he agreed to do it.”

The product, from Chamberlain Group, competes in a crowded field against Nest, Ring and Google. Hebson believes the nostalgic turn will charm 25- to 54-year-old tech adopters, because “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is one of those films that transcends generations,” and the creative approach “packages what is basically a product demonstration into a beloved piece of pop-culture.”

Indeed, the movie scene is so iconic, the spot works even if viewers don’t recognize Ruck. Moreover, the ad effectively communicates the LiftMaster brand proposition even if you’ve never seem the film.

SCC built the garage in a Los Angeles studio and filled in visual details using a green screen.

“While we tried to stay as faithful to the film as possible—the music, the shot angles, the lighting, the look of the garage itself—there are a few details that changed,” notes Hebson. “The boys’ clothes are updated for today. The garage door opens differently.”

And the object of their desire isn’t a Ferrari but a Jaguar. What’s with that?

“Remember, the car from the original movie fell into the ravine 34 years ago,” Hebson says. “With the LiftMaster Secure View, Alan’s able to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

Now, if only some enterprising brand could lure Matthew Broderick back for a Ferris-tribute spot. Bueller? Bueller!?

CREDITS

Client: Chamberlain Group
Chief Creative Officer: Denny Hebson, SCC
Creative Director: Cristen Young, SCC
Senior Copywriter: Hayes Cascia, SCC
Senior Art Director: Charlie Tan Lim, SCC
Executive Producer: Dennis Bannon, SCC
Chief Insights Officer: Suzanne Martineau, SCC
Senior Brand Strategist: Joe Raser, SCC
Account Director: Eric Nally, SCC
Account Director: Eric Brauneis, SCC
Account Supervisor: Sarah Tropp, SCC
Post-Production: Randy Palmer, Optimus
Director: Matt Dillmore, Gifted Youth