Ferris Bueller is probably the worst friend, brother, and certainly the most popular kid in the state of Chicago. From the very opening image of the film he exhibits the pretty boy, handed- everything-on-a-silver-platter attitude you'd see from the bustiest blond in your own high school. But as much as you can try to hate him, everyone else loves him. I probably wouldn't have been in Ferris's entourage if we went to high school together, but I'd likely revel at the chance to hang out and try to steal Mia Sara from him (probably to no avail). The choice of name (Ferris, as in Ferris wheel) is symbolic of this arcade-like world of Chicago, where everything plays under Ferris's rules (like carnival or casino odds). Ferris even takes over the conventions of the cinema world by breaking the fourth wall. He kinda breaks bro-code too in the film's most emotional driven side-story. The most entertaining side-story is the Tom & Jerry chase between Ferris and the principal. Mr. Rooney is everyone's imagination running wild, while sitting and being "justly" punished in the principal's office. We feel their punishments are cruel and sometimes unique to us, and we all dream that someday we can have our own German Shepherd give them hell. Contrary to traditional Hollywood film and storytelling, Ferris Bueller faces little to no drama on his day-off. He does every fun thing under the sun- till dinner time, so no booze and strippers, high school remember- with the apotheosis of high school sweetheart, Sloane Peterson, and a friend willing to lend his daddy's Ferrari because, why would Ferris need a car? Their youth is beautifully captured on this day through Prank calls, visits to Art Museums, Wrigley's Field, and promises to get married. The ambiguity of their "I love you" confessions brought me back to the innocence of my high school days. Jeanie Bueller, Bueller's sister, is the moral figure in the story. She's smarter than everyone else and can see through Bueller's b/s. Actually, Jeanie is "us", the viewer, looking in with the "normal-world" goggles. But the one person who can expose Ferris's 9th absence (because we know Tom usually never gets Jerry) being his sister makes for a clean resolution that even though we may think, here's a guy who got away with everything and learned nothing, we expect Ferris Bueller won't be skipping school anymore. 8/10
Review of Ferris Bueller's Day Off
