History YMMV / FerrisBuellersDayOff

* EpilepticTrees: A fairly popular theory is that Ferris is actually a figment of Cameron's imagination, like a less destructive [[Film/FightClub Tyler Durden]], that Cameron created as a way to force himself to steal his dad's car and have fun. Part of the theory that changes depending on who you ask is that either Sloane is also imaginary, or is real but goes along with Cameron's delusions so she can have a good time. For this to work though, not only would Jeanie and Bueller's parents have to be imaginary, but Ed Rooney, his secretary, and the economics professor would have to be, if not imaginary, then having imaginary days, and that just brings up the question of why Cameron's illusion includes such an elaborate B-plot.

* UnintentionallySympathetic: Ferris' older sister Jeannie is clearly meant to be portrayed as an antagonistic force whom the audience should root against, but she has a lot of great reasons to despise her younger brother. For starters, she happens to know about Ferris' antics and [[BigSisterInstinct it's literally her job to keep an eye on Ferris.]] [[WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb Candace Flynn and her would get along fabulously.]] She's also TheUnFavourite among her parents, disliked among her community as an "angsty teenager", and has to deal with the fact that her brother is [[HundredPercentHeroismRating beloved by his entire town]]. That's not just ParentalFavoritism, [[HeroWithBadPublicity it's basically her being the town menace that everybody hates.]] Talk about a rough life (though her terrible treatment of the people around her kind of justifies/excuses it)! Plus as charming a memorable as Ferris is, it doesn't hide the fact that he's kind of a douchebag. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnAaSk5KQsU The Take does an entire video about it.]]

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The economics teacher played by...anyone? Anyone?...by Creator/BenStein is easily the film's most iconic character, even though he only has a minute or two of screen time, and he serves no plot purpose whatsoever. His signature line ("Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?") has approached almost memetic levels, and it's often jokingly quoted in everyday conversation when someone asks a question that fails to get a response. Stein turned this persona into a career.

** When Ferris picks up Sloane at the High School he's wearing a hat and trenchcoat that makes him look somewhat like WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget, who Creator/MatthewBroderick would later go on to play in [[Film/InspectorGadget1999 the live-action movie adaptation]] nearly 15 years later.

** The garage guy who takes the Ferrari for a joyride to the ''Franchise/StarWars'' theme looks a lot like Creator/AdamDriver.

* AwardSnub: Steve Almond is on record as saying Creator/AlanRuck not only deserved to be nominated, but win the Academy Award for his performance. Sadly, [[ComedyGhetto no such recognition occurred]].

** Rooney is a HeWhoFightsMonsters case. His crusade to take down the rule-breaking Ferris for the sake of enforcing the rules causes him to commit some morally questionable acts himself; and he abandons his own post for the day to do so. See DesignatedVillain below.

** In 2018, one kid flayed hooky as in the film to go to a Chicago Cubs game [[https://www.mlb.com/cut4/young-cubs-fan-runs-into-principal-at-cubs-opening-day-c271969040 and ran into his principal at Wrigley Field]]. For further hilarity, the reason the principal was at the game was because, unlike [[NonGivingUpSchoolGuy Rooney]], he also had skipped the school day under false pretenses.

** As [[HardTruthAesop harsh as it is]], charming and funny people can get away with a lot while behaving like a sourpuss to others means you won't be appreciated or taken seriously no matter how morally you may behave. Jeannie would probably be happier in life if she didn't act like a killjoy most of the time.
* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Is Jeannie's subplot a lesson about envy and obsession? Or is it that you should enable your sibling to be a delinquent.

** Ferris is a very divisive figure, to say the least. He is either a rebellious but charming kid who wants to have a good time with his friends and escape an oppressive school? Or is he a manipulative narcissist who indulges in hedonistic behavior at the expense of those around him? At one point, he does complain about the curriculum, implying he does have a genuine disdain for school.

* DesignatedVillain: Rooney is depicted as a DeanBitterman-type who's seemingly trying to stop Ferris and his friends from having fun for no good reason. Except he ''does'' have good reason: it's his job to enforce school regulations, and Ferris has been breaking said regs by skipping school ''at least nine times'' before ''he hacks into the school computer to alter the records'', and does so by blatantly exploiting the goodwill of everyone around him, including his parents. [[SubvertedTrope HOWEVER]], the movie turns the audience against him by having him go way too far in trying to catch Ferris: breaking into his house, assaulting his dog, and getting Jeannie in trouble with the cops. Based on the lengths he goes to, Rooney is really just a big bully [[VillainHasAPoint who happens to technically be in the right]].

** As [[HardTruthAesop harsh as it is]], charming and funny people can get away with a lot. And being a sourpuss to others means you won't be appreciated no matter how morally you may behave.

** Ferris is a very divisive figure, to say the least. He is either a rebellious but charming kid who wants to have a good time with his friends and escape an oppressive school? Or is he a manipulative narcissist who indulges in hedonistic behavior at the expense of those around him?

* DesignatedHero: Ferris has cut school at least nine times before, covering his tracks by hacking into the school computer to change the records. He gets away with all sorts of things by blatantly exploiting the good will of everyone around him, including his parents, by weaving a complex web of whatever lies will serve him currently at the moment, and by psychologically bullying his friend Cameron. Despite all of this we're expected to root for him simply because he is the titular character.

* DracoInLeatherPants: Among those who view Ferris in a more negative light, it's common to portray Principal Rooney as a noble educator trying to stop a delinquent. This ignores that Rooney goes ''way'' too far in trying to do so, to the point of committing serious crimes like breaking and entering, and that his mission to catch Ferris is motivated far more by petty hatred and his wounded ego than any real concern for the rules or students, practically salivating at the prospect of holding Ferris back another year and making his life hell all the while.

* GeniusBonus: The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoot-Hawley_Tariff_Act Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act]] that Ben Stein's character talks about is ''extremely'' significant in modern economic theory, being credited with making the Great Depression much worse than it otherwise would have been (which in turn factored into, among other things, the rise of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany). It's basically the entire reason industrial protectionist tariffs have been a DeadHorseTrope for close to a century in favor of free trade.

** Rooney's quest to prove that Bueller is ditching school is a legitimate concern. The issue is that his determination to find Ferris playing hooky leads to [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope him breaking into the Bueller house and scaring Jeannie to death]]. Most schools in America are legally required to maintain student attendance, or they face the possibility of having their funding cut.

* RonTheDeathEater: It's become somewhat popular to view Ferris as a sociopathic ManipulativeBastard rather than an irreverent, fun-loving and somewhat irresponsible teen. Supporters of this viewpoint to his charm, his ability to con and manipulate his way into getting the things he wants, and being apathetic toward the possibility of consequences for him or his companions. However, one has to ignore Ferris's confrontation with Cameron (in which he offers to take the heat for the wrecked Ferrari) and his genuine interest in helping Cameron come out of his shell, to maintain this interpretation. Not to mention that while Jeannie might be justified in busting her brother, she's only doing it out of jealousy.

** When Ferris picks up Sloane at the High School he's wearing a hat and trenchcoat that makes him look somewhat like WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget, who Creator/MatthewBroderick would later go on to play in [[Film/InspectorGadget the live-action movie adaptation]] nearly 15 years later.

** TheStinger was just a silly non-sequitur at the time, but is now utterly hilarious in these days of [[Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse huge movie franchises]] featuring teasers for the next film after the credits.

* TheWoobie:
** Cameron Frye might qualify as TheChewToy or the ButtMonkey were it not for the fact that most—if not all—of his woes are either within his ability to change or exist wholly inside of his own head, and it is this inability or unwillingness to recognize his own self worth that results in his uptight, paranoid hypochondriac persona (resulting in his also being TheEeyore of the film). Cameron's home life is notoriously ''terrible'' — his parents don't love each other, and his father cares more about restoring a car than he cares about his wife and son. Part of the reason Ferris takes him along for the ride is that he feels sorry for him and wants to show him a good time. He doesn't fit perfectly into the LoserArchetype because he doesn't really make any attempt to rise above his current situation, but you still get the impression that he could benefit from a good hug.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Is Jeannie's subplot a lesson about envy and obsession? Or is it that you should enable your sibling to be a delinquent

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic

* EnsembleDarkhorse: The economics teacher played by...anyone? Anyone?...by Ben Stein is easily the film's most iconic character, even though he only has a minute or two of screen time, and he serves no plot purpose whatsoever. His signature line ("Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?") has approached almost memetic levels, and it's often jokingly quoted in everyday conversation when someone asks a question that fails to get a response. Stein turned this persona into a career.

* FashionDissonance: Ferris' leopard pattern vest he wears throughout the film places it firmly in the eighties. EightiesHair, suspenders and Sloane's fringed jacket add to it. Cameron, with his hockey jersey that wouldn't be out of place in the 2020's, is the only aversion.

* TheWoobie: Cameron Frye might qualify as TheChewToy or the ButtMonkey were it not for the fact that most—if not all—of his woes are either within his ability to change or exist wholly inside of his own head, and it is this inability or unwillingness to recognize his own self worth that results in his uptight, paranoid hypochondriac persona (resulting in his also being TheEeyore of the film). He doesn't fit perfectly into the LoserArchetype because he doesn't really make any attempt to rise above his current situation, but you still get the impression that he could benefit from a good hug.
** Then again, Cameron's home life is notoriously ''terrible'' — his parents don't love each other, and his father cares more about restoring a car than he cares about his wife and son. Part of the reason Ferris takes him along for the ride is that he feels sorry for him and wants to show him a good time.

* ValuesResonance: In the last couple of decades, the American education system has been seen as an institution that does not actually engage with students or stoke their interests. Ferris' hooky can be seen as the act of a kid who is exasperated with a school, considering he complains about the curriculum in one of his monologues. When you see Rooney's uncomfortably obsessive behavior and the boring economics teacher, it is much easier to see Ferris' point. It also helps that Ferris shows hints of being BrilliantButLazy and otherwise is discouraged from putting in the effort.

* AccidentalAesop: Some viewers were disturbed by the moral, which implied that it's okay to lie, cheat, and steal in order to live life to the fullest.

* ValuesResonance: Since TheNewTens, and especially since the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic, the American education system is increasingly seen as an institution that does not actually engage with students or stoke their interests. Ferris' hooky can be seen as the act of a kid who is exasperated with a school, considering he complains about the curriculum in one of his monologues. When you see Rooney's uncomfortably obsessive behavior and the boring economics teacher, it is much easier to see Ferris' point. It also helps that Ferris shows hints of being BrilliantButLazy and otherwise is discouraged from putting in the effort.