History Film / FerrisBuellersDayOff

* CoolCar: [[http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_2864-Ferrari-250-GT-Spyder-California-Replica-1961.html "The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California."]]. The car featured in the film is actually a fibreglass replica built on an custom chassis, though a real one was used for extreme closeups at the beginning. Today, a real version would cost upwards of $10 million, almost the entire budget in 1986 dollars.

* ArtisticLicenseCars: Cameron's dad's Ferrari has a back seat, while the real 250 GT Spyder California was a two seater, and the odometer is unable to turn back when put in reverse. The mechanism to prevent that was not mandated or even available until the 1970s, meaning the odometer on a 1961 model would roll back when driven in reverse (or, better yet, disconnect the odometer cable and roll it back with an electric drill).

* TheAllegedCar: Cameron's car is a piece of shit, according to Ferris.

* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Several plot elements in the film appeared to be inspired by two people John Hughes knew in high school, including one who had a habit of playing hooky to the point of being persued by the dean, even taking a fancy car into Chicago, and another friend who was sick all the time.

* FunWithSubtitles: when Ferris is explaining to the camera the best way to fake an illness to get out of school, they appear on screen.

* DeanBitterman: Rooney. He's a pretty strict disciplinarian and has declared Ferris his ArchEnemy because the kid is the local HighSchoolHustler with nine absent days (''before'' Ferris hacked the computer). Take note that Cameron is ''also'' home sick and Rooney doesn't decides to personally visit him to make sure he's actually sick.

** Also odd in that they didn't check in on Ferris to make sure he was okay...

* SocietyMarchesOn: A school administrator sees one of his students sucking face with someone he believes to be ''her own father'', and dismisses it as unimportant?
-->'''Rooney:''' So ''that's'' how it is in their family...

* StaggeredZoom: Used in the museum scene of Cameron staring at Seurat's ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte''.

* DistantReactionShot: Starting with an extreme close-up of his screaming mouth, the shot pulls back to the car, then the block, the city of Chicago, and finally the planet Earth to punctuate Cameron's reaction to reading of the odometer of Cam's father's Ferrari.

* AnAesop: Ferris's "Life moves pretty fast..." line.

** And more famously with Ferris leaping over obstacles in his last dash home.

* NotSoDifferent: Partially the reason for Jeannie's [[spoiler: HeelFaceTurn]] is that she sees how trashed and tarnished Rooney is from pursuing Ferris and trying to catch him. It shows that if she kept pursuing the matter further, she could get in worse trouble.

* DecoyProtagonist: Ferris. The fun of the movie is in watching Ferris's antics, but the ''point'' of the movie is Cameron's personal growth.

cause I'm the nurse who likes to...\\

* StaggeredZoom: Used in the museum scene of Cameron staring at ''A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte''.

* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion: Thinking he's terminally ill, a strippergram/prostitute dressed as a [[NaughtyNurseOutfit nurse]] is sent to Ferris' house, and greets him (actually Jeannie) with the rhyme:
-->I heard that you were feeling ill,\\

* VillainyFreeVillain: Jeannie never does anything immoral - rather she counters several of ''Ferris''' immoral acts. However, being entirely motivated by spite launches her straight into antagonist territory. And she does experience a HeelFaceTurn of sorts.

* VillainHasAPoint: Yes, [[DeanBitterman Vice Principal Ed Rooney]] had gone too far by breaking into the Bueller home, but that doesn't change the fact that Ferris ''is'' skipping school, has done so ''at least nine times'' before (even ''hacking into the school computer to change the records''), and has done so by blatantly exploiting the good will of everyone around him.

In 1990, a TV series based on the film began to air on NBC (which can now be viewed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70J1Lo6jIAg in its entirety]] on Website/YouTube), with Creator/CharlieSchlatter replacing Matthew in the title role. Due to poor ratings, it was cancelled during its first season. {{Dueling show|s}} ''Series/ParkerLewisCantLose'' was its SpiritualSuccessor (and some say was the real TV adaptation).

Also happens to be movie critic Richard Roeper's favorite film. Creator/LaLaLandRecords ''finally'' released a Creator/{{Paramount}}-sanctioned soundtrack album in 2016. See The Trivia tab for why it took so long.

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The film follows Ferris Bueller (Creator/MatthewBroderick), a high school senior in suburban Chicago, who pretends to be sick and [[SkippingSchool skips school]] one beautiful spring day. He's able to convince his neurotic best friend Cameron (Creator/AlanRuck) and his carefree girlfriend Sloane (Creator/MiaSara) to come along with him. The three of them "borrow" Cameron's father's prized sports car, heading into the city to spend one more day together before graduation. Meanwhile, Ferris's resentful sister Jeannie (Creator/JenniferGrey) and Dean of Students Ed Rooney (Creator/JeffreyJones) are both hot on his trail, ready to prove that he's skipping school.

* EstablishingCharacterMusic: After Ferris reveals his ruse to the audience, he plays "Love Missile F1-11" Sigue Sigue Sputnik on his hi-fi.

* SupportingProtagonist: Cameron is a supporting character, but the film is his journey to standing up to his father. who experiences the most development.

* CheshireCatGrin: The allegedly-catatonic Cameron, just pulled up from the bottom of a pool after keeling over into it face first, broke into one of these when Ferris and Sloane realize he saw Sloane stark naked while she was changing into her swimsuit, and enjoyed every minute of it. Cameron's ensuing hysterical laughter led to further dunkings by Ferris.