Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

We’ve all had a day where we faked being sick to get out of school or work, but no one has had a more epic experience doing it than Ferris in the 1986 classic, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. What starts out as a “senior skip” experience turns quickly into an unforgettable adventure…with a few bumps along the way. Ferris Bueller is one of kind!

Plot Summary

The film starts out with high school senior, Ferris Bueller, faking an illness to convince his parents to let him skip school, then convincing his friends to join in. His girlfriend Sloane and his best friend Cameron begrudgingly agree to the mischievous outing, but making it happen is no easy feat.

Ferris sets up a dummy and stereo in his room in case anyone checks in on him throughout the day. Then, he convinces Cameron to take his father’s 1961 Ferrari 250 GT and go with Ferris to pick up Sloane and head into Chicago. Although Ferris doesn’t have a specific plan for the day, he could never have imagined how crazy it would turn out.

As Ferris Bueller and his friends head into the city and drop the car off in a parking garage, Ferris has no idea that both his sister, Jeanie, and his school principal, Mr. Rooney, are onto his scheme. After dropping the car off, the trio does everything there is to do in Chicago, including seeing a Cubs game at Wrigley Field, exploring the Sears Tower, visiting the Art Institute of Chicago, and even joining in with the Von Steuben Day Parade. Iconically, Ferris also convinces an upscale restaurant that he is Abe Froeman, the “Sausage King of Chicago,” to score a table.

Hullabaloo

During the hullabaloo, Mr. Rooney goes to Ferris’s house to look for him but falls into an adventure of his own. While trying to get into the house, the principal gets stuck in the mud, loses his wallet, and gets chased by a dog. Jeanie, Ferris’s sister, catches Mr. Rooney and thinks he is an intruder, calling the police on him. Mr. Rooney flees the scene before police arrive and Jeanie gets brought to the station for prank calling.

While they were away in Chicago, the parking attendants took the Ferrari for a joyride, racking its mileage up even more than the kids anticipated. On the drive home, Cameron panics about the mileage, knowing that his abusive father will react horribly. Ferris hatches a plan to jack up the car, run it in reverse, and reduce the mileage on the odometer. The plan fails and Cameron accidentally pushes the car off the jacks, sending it into a ditch. Reluctantly, Cameron plans to take responsibility and own up to his father.

The Race Home

When they get back to their neighborhood, Ferris Bueller walks Sloane home before making his way to his house. While running home, he almost gets hit by a car, which turns out to be his mother and sister driving home from the police station. Jeanie sees Ferris and starts gunning it home, hoping to beat him.

Though Ferris Bueller raced home, he is unable to beat Jeanie and finds his principal waiting for him too. To his surprise, Jeanie covers for him, scolding him for walking home from the hospital while being so sick. Then, Ferris is able to make it back to his bedroom before his parents notice his absence, successfully getting away with an epic senior skip day.

Ferris Bueller Cast

Matthew Broderick – Ferris Bueller
Alan Ruck – Cameron Frye
Mia Sara – Sloane Peterson
Jeffrey Jones – Ed Rooney
Jennifer Grey – Jeanie Bueller
Charlie Sheen – Boy in Police Station
Cindy Pickett – Katie Bueller
Lyman Ward – Tom Bueller
Edie McClurg – Grace
Richard Edson – Garage Attendant
Ben Stein – Economics Teacher
Del Close – English Teacher
Virginia Capers – Florence Sparrow
Larry Flash Jenkins – Attendant’s Co-Pilot
Kristy Swanson – Simone Adamley
Lisa Bellard – Economics Student
Max Perlich – Anderson
Scott Coffey – Adams

Fun Facts

• The script for the movie was written in 6 days.
• The actor Ben Stein has a degree in economics in real life. The lecture scene was totally unscripted!
• There was a lot of competition for the role of Ferris; Rob Lowe, John Cusack, Jim Carrey, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, and Robert Downey Jr. were all considered for the role.
• Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 48 hours to give him that “wasted” look he portrayed in the film
• The Ferrari in the movie wasn’t real, there were 3 replicas made by Modena.
• Several of the people dancing in the background during the parade scene were not part of the film. They were just citizens who were dancing to the music
• A sequel to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off was discussed but Matthew Broderick refused. He felt that the movie was timeless and that a sequel would ruin it’s legacy

Ferris Bueller Quotes:

“The question isn’t “what are we going to do”, the question is “what aren’t we going to do?”

“You’re not dying, you just can’t think of anything good to do.”

“You can’t respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn’t work.” – Ferris Bueller

“It is a piece of shit. Don’t worry about it. I don’t even have a piece of shit; I have to envy yours.”

“Where’s your brain?”