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The Trouble with Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Last night I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR. They were interviewing the writers of the new movie The Big Sick (it looks interesting. I'll probably watch it). Anyway, they were talking about the differences of growing up in America vs. Pakistan and Kumail Nanjiani said that he didn't really understand movies with rebellious teenagers. He especially gave the example of Ferris Bueller's Day Off. His wife and co-writer, Emily, sort of scoffed at him for not enjoying a classic piece of American teenage cinema.

 I hear you Kumail. I've never understood the appeal of that movie. It is still on the list of movies that I dislike the most. Ferris's behavior throughout the movie is atrocious. He lies to his parents. He lies to the school. He mistreats Sloane. He bullies Cameron to the point where it seems (to me anyway) that he almost commits suicide. This is not a movie about teen rebelliousness. This is a movie about a jerk.

 Disclaimers: Maybe I am just too critical because of my upbringing. Here are a few things that you should know about my teenage years.
  • I was (even more than now) a huge nerd.
  • It never really crossed my mind to go against my parents wishes ever.
  • I didn't have a car and wasn't allowed to ride in a car driven by a teenager.
  • I didn't see Ferris Bueller's Day Off until I was in college (maybe later than that?)

That being said, I still think the movie is terrible. My biggest problem isn't that Ferris is a jerk. It's that there is no lesson in this story.* It ends with Mr. Rooney (who admittedly went overboard) going insane. It ends with everyone still thinking that Ferris is the best guy ever. It ends with Jeannie deciding to just give in and accept that she has not power to change anything in her life.

That's just wrong. Those of you who know me know that I my main lesson that I want students to learn before they graduate is that you can do whatever you want in life as long as you are willing to accept the consequences (positive or negative) of your choices. Ferris does not experience justice for his actions. He ends with thinking that he is correct to be a jerk.

 My preferred ending:While rushing back from the city, Ferris get into a wreck in the Ferrari (he doesn't actually know how to drive it. While he comes out with only minor bruises, Sloane and Cameron are hospitalized. They don't die (that would be dark and I don't like dark movies). The wreck is on the news and everyone at school sees that Ferris was lying to them. He finds himself with very few friends (Sloane remains his friend, but breaks up with him. Cameron's dad relocates his family across the country). Ferris has to work hard to rebuild his reputation. He maintains a B average. He tries to be a better person. He doesn't always succeed because you don't become a new person overnight. As time passes, it gets easier and easier for him to leave his old habits behind as her replaces them with better things. He graduates and goes on to study musical theater at Northwestern

* Apparently Ferris would like us to think that the message is "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." But that isn't really related to much of what we see in the movie.


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