That video that went around like wildfire yesterday -- the video that's above -- is almost certainly a teaser for a Super Bowl ad (which happens to be on February 5th, 2012), and not an ad for a complete Ferris Bueller's Day Off 2 movie which had somehow escaped the notice of every single Hollywood trade and entertainment newsite. Which is fine by me. Ferris Bueller is an asshole. Besides, they already made a Ferris Bueller sequel and it was called Election, where Ferris ends up a sad high school principal himself, who is tormented by his super-popular student Reese Witherspoon, the fact that his glory days are long over, and that he's getting exactly what he deserves.
One more thing: A friend once told me that he thought -- knew, actually -- that Alan Ruck's character Cameron was obviously fucking Ferris' girlfriend behind his back. Next time you see the move, pay close attention to Cameron and Sloane. You'll never unsee it.
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Funny. It's an ad for Honda.
You'd think he's stay away from associating with cars after what happened back in Ireland.
Decades later, I still don't know what that means. In-joke from John Hughes? Mia Sara ad-lib? Whuh?
I think the fact that he's the biggest asshole ever and that few people realize it or even care shows how well the movie does its job. Not only does it manage to make you suspend your disbelief that such an irremediable ass bag could get away so much but it also convinces you that he's right and that there's some kind of wisdom in his douchery. Of course anyone who looks deeply enough we'll just see him for the complete and utter bastard that he is....but to the untrained audience it's not apparent or important. In this regard the film is extremely good at what it does.
I think its pretty well pointed out in the movie by his sister that Ferris gets everything he wants and everyone still loves him.
Once you realize that Ferris and his girlfriend are actually a figment of Cameron's imagination, there is no going back. Seriously, it makes so much sense.
Scuttlebutt around here is that this is a teaser for Priceline's new campaign, you know, once they kill off Shatner.
As cool as bringing him back for a quickie ad is, now I'm thinking about how great a sequel would be where Ferris is all grown up. Soooo many possibilities.
The only justice would be if Ferris' kid was an even bigger douchebag. Is that possible or would it cause a rift in the space/time continuum?
Rob, I'm with you on Ferris' assholism. That movie has driven me crazy since it came out because we're meant to root for a guy who's basically an entitled dick who gives a shit about no one but himself. I never liked the film and cannot comprehend its undying popularity.
That's why the film is so great, because it's really enjoyable despite the fact the main character is an entitled dick, and it's got hilarious supporting characters like Dean Rooney, his secretary and Ferris' sister. Plus not sure why you think Ferris cares for nobody but himself, he shows concern for Sloane and Cameron through the film. OK so he takes the car, but it is a really nice car...
Is there anybody who didn't pick up that this was a teaser for. Super Bowl ad? I saw this story on three different websites, and I didn't see one that thought this was teasing a sequel.
Anyone remember the Griswolds' short for HomeAway from last year's Super Bowl? I'm betting this is the same thing, from a similar kind travel site or hotel.
At first I was sorta pissed when I saw this.
Then I saw it was Superbowl related. And you know what? I think I trust an ad agency to not screw this up more than I'd trust Hollywood.
As for why? Well, I think that's because the ad agency has actual incentive to make an ad people will actually want to watch. The LAST thing you want is your product associated with a lousy ad.
Mind, it also helps this went up the same day that Capcom did that trolling, given that kinda absorbed all my ire, but still.
Considering how well off Ferris Bueller is, no way he'd wind up like Matthew Broderick's character in Election - a more likely sequel would be CEO Bueller's Day Off. Or maybe CEO Bueller's Corporate Bailout.
It's still a great film anyway.
Actually, I felt like Matthew Broderick's character in Tower Heist was Ferris, but an older Ferris whose luck's run out and whose bullshit's caught up to him...
no doubt the thing is a superbowl ad for some project of matts. though no doubt sooner or later holly wood will either do a feris buller 2 or a remake.
Cameron was banging Sloan because Cameron Frye and Ferris Bueller are one and the same person. Ferris is the physical manifestation of how Cameron wishes his life was. That is why everyone always makes such a big deal about Ferris, why everyone notices when he isn't in school, but nobody cares about all the times Cameron doesn't go to school. The reason why Sloan is going out with Ferris is because Cameron thinks that is what Sloan wants and expects a boyfriend to be, but those scenes of Cameron and Sloan talking show that they are the real boyfriend and girlfriend. Ferris's parents are overly affectionate towards Ferris because that is how Cameron, who's parents are never even in the movie, wishes his parents would act towards him. There is a break in this when Ferris is running right next to his dad driving, and his dad doesn't even notice him. This is a manifestation of how Cameron's dad loves his car so much, to the point where Cameron feels his dad loves the car more than Cameron, and doesn't even notice his existence. The principal is what is trying to bring Ferris (read Cameron) back into reality, which is school. School is where everyone goes to multiple monotonous classes and absolutely nothing happens. That is why the day off is an attempt for Cameron to actually escape reality.
Basically, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is Fight Club before Fight Club existed.
Or maybe I'm just making the whole thing up because I'm crazy.
Also, The Parade
I think we all remember the scene that shows Ferris basically leading a parade in downtown Chicago. But do you remember where Sloan and Cameron were during this? That is when they had a moment in the film, where the two of them were away from the parade, talking about the future. You see, at this one moment, Ferris wasn't there, and it was just Cameron and Sloan together. A time when Cameron truly felt like he existed. This would have caused Cameron to become very happy, almost as if there was a parade going on in his head...
Anyway, I have spent my fair share of time dissecting this film to fit my crazy idea of Ferris not being real and being a figment of Cameron's imagination. I basically gave my friends a one hour lecture explain all this stuff after I rewatched it, but this is all I could remember from it. I had a theory about everything, including the significance of even the people that took Cameron's car out for a joy ride, but I can not remember everything in my crazy theory. I just hope I opened some eyes to this wild possibility, and maybe some of you can rewatch the movie and basically have a fresh new look at things.
I definitely agree with you. I always thought it was a little superfluous (but a lot of fun) to show Ferris lip-synching two entire songs in one entire scene. Then I rewatched the film and realized that the point of that scene isn't to show how you much fun Ferris was having at the parade. Rather, it shows you that while Cameron and Sloane aren't really sure of the future, they manage to enjoy this moment in their lives.
With such positive responses, or "likes", I guess I'll keep on going.
As I stated, Ferris's family isn't real, and this includes the whole family, even the sister. If Ferris is what Cameron wishes he was, then the sister is what Cameron believes everyone thinks of him as. The sister represents Cameron's pessimism. The sister doesn't get away with anything, and feels like everyone loves Ferris over her and nobody cares about her. This coincides with Charlie Sheen's character, who is Dark Ferris. You see, Dark Ferris doesn't get away with anything, and is seen as a seedy, undesirable character by everyone due to his problems with the law and drug habits. This image of people not putting up with the qualities that Cameron believes everyone loves in Ferris is what causes Ferris's sister to "fall in love" with Dark Ferris, or really the idea of Dark Ferris. But in the end, Cameron's pessimism truly wins when the sister is seen "giving up" on the idea of Ferris getting caught, and even helps him. Because Cameron believes that in the end, people will always prefer the idea of Ferris over Cameron's true self. The ending of that shows that Ferris doesn't "win", the sister, or Cameron's psyche of never being good enough, is what truly wins.
Now, in the end, Cameron (just about the only real person in the movie) is seen taking responsibility for screwing up his dad's car. What follows this is Ferris shown getting away with pretending to be sick all day. Because, yet again, Ferris is a figment of Cameron's imagination and of what Cameron wishes his life was. Cameron wishes he can get away with destroying his dad's car like how Ferris gets away with ditching school. But Ferris doesn't get caught and doesn't go back to school, and Cameron keeps on living in his fantasy world to escape from the harsh reality of not being noticed and held in contempt by his father.
Wait, but Charlie Sheen's character only shares a scene with Ferris' sister and mother, but not with either Ferris or Cameron. Plus, Principle Rooney doesn't go to Cameron's house to bring him back to school, he goes to Ferris' house
That's totally fair, and I admit that it's a fun theory. I really like the "Sloan and Cameron having sex behind Ferris' back" theory. Obviously you can't raise more evidence than there is in the movie, and without the intent to make a story about Cameron fantasizing there's likely to not be ton of evidence. But it's certainly novel and fun.
I can definitely see where you are coming from. I think you are looking for more evidence for this theory to be plausible to you, but I'm sorry, I can't give it to you any more than I can't expect you to accept so much of it just being in Cameron's head. I feel that the problem lies within the fact that the "Ferris not being real" theory is just that, a fun idea that I and many others like to play around with. Hughes has already said Ferris is real and he did not make this movie to be some kind of crazy mindfuck. Whereas Fight Club was made with the intention of being a mindfuck. So what you have in FBDO is a movie that is a comedy about some kid ditching class. This theory all starts from how Sloan and Cameron interact. From there, people established this crazy idea that Ferris isn't real all based on the fact that Sloan has slutty tendencies. Compare this to Fight Club, when a writer deliberately set up a situation where two identities exist within one person, and yes, there are bound to be holes in the argument when compared to each other. I understand the argument isn't completely sound, but I just enjoy discussing this possibility, and I get some weird enjoyment going on about this on a comment board like this.
And that's not to say you can't have a movie where it's all an internal struggle, but in order to establish that you need some kind of textual clue that I don't think is in FBDO. Some thing seems to definitely happen, but it's all too vague for use to determine what's real and what's not.
Well, like I said, I think it's fun to think about, but I don't think it holds up very well. Why is Sloan real, but other characters aren't? Cameron does speak to other people, and he is around other people. Why isn't the entire movie just Cameron in bed, as we see him at the beginning, and the whole thing is a day dream? Well, for starters the direction of the movie doesn't give us much textual support, as it doesn't establish him as in bed at the end of the movie. If, after Ferris and Sloan leave, we came back to a shot of Cameron back in bed, in the same position he was before, I could see the whole movie being a day dream, but as it is, at least *some* stuff happened, but there's not a good measuring stick to decide what is real and what isn't.
In Fight Club, everything is real except for the discussions between Tyler and Jack, some of which may actually still be real (as opposed to an internal discussion in Jack's head), but with both parts spoken by one voice. In this FBDO theory, almost, but not all, of the movie never happened. I mean, Rooney's not real, so the school, Grace, the kids on the bus, the hallways of the school where people talk about Ferris, Sloan, who is in the school; none of it's real. It's all just a figment of Cameron's imagination. Once this thread starts getting pulled, I don't see any logical place for it to stop, where we could say, "Here is what actually, physically happened in this movie."
Yes, you're right, this theory requires that a huge portion of all contact and dialogue is made up in Cameron's head. Sloan is real, but I think that when Cameron talks about Ferris, he is really talking about what he wishes he was, almost like a made up version of himself, and Sloan humors him. I think Sloan has a good idea that nothing is all right in Cameron's head.
But the difference between Fight Club and FBDO is that in Fight Club, Tyler has a purpose. Tyler was created because Jack was unsatisfied with his life, the same reason Ferris was created. But I believe the reasons for them being there are different. Jack wanted to change the world and his life, where as Cameron just wants to be noticed by people and loved by his father. I think the reason Tyler and Jack react so much with the real world is because what Jack thinks is wrong has a lot more to do with the real world and the interactions within it, while Cameron's problem lies deeply within. Tyler was created to escape the real world, Ferris was created to escape himself. That is why I think, in this crazy theory, that it relies so much on Cameron making most of it up. The only people Cameron really talks to is Sloan and Ferris. All the other made up stuff is there to fuel his idea of Ferris.
I don't know, man. The thing that works about Fight Club is that everything you see on screen actually happens in reality, just sometimes slightly differently than what is presented. There actually is a fight between Tyler and "Jack"/Narrator, but it's Jack beating himself up. Someone actually does have sex with Marla, but it's Jack's body. It seems like in this Ferris Bueller theory a huge chunk of the movie never happens except in Cameron's head. Hell, the entire first ten minutes of the movie is just Ferris messing around in his house and talking with his parents. That's all Cameron thinking in his head? Rooney and Jeannie is all in his head, after Cameron has destroyed the car? Rooney getting on the school bus? Are all those kids in his head too? Grace, the secretary? Ben Stein's character?
Cameron also talks to Sloan about Ferris directly. Is that in his head, or does she humor this split personality thing? Does the whole school? Part of what made the Jack/Tyler split work is that he only interacts with a small group of people who are mostly crazy. Ferris interacts with people constantly. Who's on the float? Anyone, or does that happen in Cameron's head? Why does Cameron imagine his dad at work?
I'll admit, it's a fun theory to toss around, but the two characters just interact with too many people for it to make much sense unless nearly everything is in his head, but then it's neither very fun or interesting, unlike in Fight Club, where his personality split actually resulted in huge consequences in the real world.
Actually, I now understand your question as to why Rooney is going to Ferris's house instead of Cameron's to try to bring Cameron back into reality. Rooney also isn't real, and represents the conflict of the trying to bring the idea of Ferris in to school, or the idea of Cameron's fantasy world into reality. Rooney is trying to be the catalyst to ending Cameron's fantasy, and that is why he pursues Ferris, because it is reality trying to deconstruct the fantasy that is Ferris. I hope that answers your question.
Sorry, I meant to say Rooney goes to Ferris's house, but all this talk about them being the same person confuses me a bit and forget my train of thought about who I am writing about.
In regards to Dark Ferris not meeting actual Ferris or Cameron, Dark Ferris isn't meant to be there to fight Ferris or compete with Cameron's idea of Ferris and how great he is, he is meant to be some sort of hope or solace for the sister, which is Cameron's pessimism.
Broderick wasn't the principal in "Election". He was merely a teacher who wanted to fuck the student he hated the most, and who tried to cheat on his wife with the most unattractive woman alive. Poor guy just wanted to know that someone besides his wife still wanted his dick.
There is the other more widespread theory that Ferris is actually a figment of Cameron's imagination
I love the theory too, but the only problem is that Sloane has to be a figment too in certain respects, I think.
Ferris Bueller by way of Fight Club?
That's frelling BRILLIANT!
"I want you to drive this Ferrari as fast as you can."
I had a film teacher who hated Ferris as well. Called him a sociopath, and all sorts of other things. He was probably right, and I won't dispute it, but it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the film.
A. I've always thought Sloane would/had thrown Cameron a pity fuck.
B. I think Ferris knew, but he didn't give a shit because he had folk sending Whore-A-Grams to his house, prolly teachers that gave him "study hall," and various underclassmen waiting in line to be the next Sloane.
