History Film / FerrisBuellersDayOff

* ButtMonkey: Edward Rooney.

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Ferris and Jeannie were certainly not meant to be interpreted this way (their parents are as WASP-y as they come). But the fact is that they're both played by actors who both ''are'' Jewish and "look" ''very'' Jewish (until Jeannie's portrayer got her nose job, of course). And then there's the name "Bueller," which doesn't sound particularly goyish.

* OneSceneWonder: Ben Stein as the economics professor.

* VillainProtagonist: The alternative character interpretation puts Ferris as a selfish, spoiled, manipulative ([[AffablyEvil if extremely likable]]) jerk. Jeannie certainly sees him as this in-universe. [[spoiler:That is, until the end.]]

* BrickJoke: At the beginning, we see Ferris preparing something with his trophy, and start singing Danke Schoen. Later, we see that he has used his trophy in a Rube Goldberg device to deceive his parents, and even later, he sings Danke Schoen in one of the great scenes of the movie.

* CaughtOnTheJumbotron: Ferris catches a foul ball. It's shown on the Jumbo and national TV, and Principal Rooney happens to see it while searching arcades for him.

* ComingOfAgeStory: Arguably for ''Cameron'', who (at the beginning) is an emotional wreck because of his home life, is shown a good time by Ferris, and in the end finally decides to [[CallingTheOldManOut stand up to his father]][[hottip:* :who, if you recall, loved the 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder more than his own family]].
* CoolCar: "The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder."

* DeanBitterman: Rooney

* ForTheLulz: Why Ferris does anything. Ferris claims he's doing it to [[spoiler:give Cameron a fun day.]]
* FridgeLogic: Ferris could have easily - and plausibly - avoided detection at the parade by wearing a "carnival" mask. Of course, thanks to his being TheAce (see above), he pulls it off anyway.
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: When they go to pick up Cameron's dad's 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder at the end of the day, they stand outside the parking garage talking...while, in the corner of the screen, we see the garage attendants bringing the car in through a different entrance after having spent the day joyriding in it.

* HeyItsThatVoice: Ferris is adult Simba in ''TheLionKing''.
* HighSchoolHustler: Ferris, naturally.

* JerkAss: Rooney and [[JustForPun Jeanne]].
-->'''Jeanne:''' Do you know anything? ''[hangs up phone]''

** There are even some who think that Ferris is just a figment of Cameron's imagination.
* MoodWhiplash: Despite being a pinhead, Grace acts differently around Jeanne.

* NoFourthWall

-->'''Jeanne:''' ''SPEAK-A DE ENGLISH?!'' (slams phone down) DICK-HEAD!

* ProperlyParanoid: Cameron's fears in leaving the 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder at the garage come true when the attendants take it on a joyride.

* RecursiveCanon: In the sitcom, the movie is considered a fictionalized version of Ferris's "real" life.

--> '''Ferris Bueller''': "Here's where Cameron goes berserk."
---> '''[[TheSpoonyExperiment Dr. Insano]]''': Here's where Cameron's very soul ''snaps'' like a chewed Twix bar!

* SelectiveEnforcement: Jeannie is a victim of this from her and Ferris's parents, who seem completely oblivious to Ferris's antics.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: Ferris' line, "I asked for a car, I got a computer. How's that for being born under a bad sign?", seems odd now, because getting your own computer is almost as much a status symbol for teens as getting your own car.

** It would have been a lot harder for Ferris to pretend to be Abe Frohman, the sausage king of Chicago, since the real Abe Frohman would most likely have a webpage either for himself or for his company today complete with at least one photograph of himself.
** A video of Ferris dancing on the parade float would have most likely made its way to Youtube today, and the gig would be up.

* ThePreciousPreciousCar

* TheUnFavourite: Jeannie

* WatchThePaintJob: The 1961 Ferrari 250GT California Spyder.
* WhatAreYouInFor

* WiseBeyondTheirYears: Ferris

* WordOfDante: A researcher discovered the titular day off was the fifth of June 1985 based on the Cubs game that Ferris goes to in the movie.

* ButtMonkey: Jeannie. And Principal Rooney, although in the movie's context he's more of an AssholeVictim.

* TheChewToy: Rooney.
** Or his shoe. Literally, for both.

In 1990, a TV series based on the film began to air on NBC. Due to poor ratings, it was cancelled during its first season. Today, it is still considered of very poor quality. [[DuelingShows Dueling show]] ''[=~Parker Lewis Can't Lose~=]'' was its SpiritualSuccessor (and some say was [[SpiritualLicensee the real TV adaptation]]).

* [=~Can't Get Away With Nuthin'~=]: Inverted with Ferris, played straight with Jeannie.
* [=~Chekhov's Gun~=]: The scene at the pizza parlour where Rooney mistakes a girl for Ferris; Ferris is actually on the TV in a baseball game, catching a baseball on camera. Much later (at the end of the movie) in order to turn off the snoring sound effects playing on his stereo while he's still in bed, he retrieves the baseball from his pocket and throws it at the stereo's "off" button.

* LastOfHisKind: Along with ''PrettyInPink'', which was released in the same year, and ''SomeKindOfWonderful'', which was released a year later, this film pretty much marked the end of an era for John Hughes. After making those three films, Hughes decided that it was time for him to grow up cinematically, and thus he began cranking out films that were more oriented towards adults, such as ''[=~Planes, Trains and Automobiles~=]'', ''She's Having a Baby'', and ''The Great Outdoors''.

** Alternative?

-->"...You're still here? It's over! [[HomePage Go home]]... Go."

-->"...You're still here? It's over! [[HomePage Go home...]] Go."

-->"...You're still here? It's over! Go home... Go."

-->...You want a lift?''

* InspectorJavert / LawfulStupid: Dean Rooney. Say what you will about Ferris being manipulative, but dropping a flowerpot on a dog's head and breaking into a student's house is taking things ''too far''.

** Rooney should have been arrested for breaking and entering and assaulting the Bueller's dog in broad daylight but he got away, bruised in body and ego he may be.

* NonGivingUpSchoolGuy: Rooney. It's a bit of a DeconstructedTrope though since his single minded mission to bring back Ferris led him to committ things like breaking and entering.

--> Druggie: You oughta spend a little more time worryin 'bout yourself, and a little less time worrying 'bout what your brother does...

* PoliceAreUseless: They arrest Jeanne when she calls to report a "prowler" in her home and they find no one there. Perhaps they are suspicious since she's skipping school, but a halfhearted search would have immediately turned up Rooney's wallet...

** and Ferris has a Cabaret Voltaire poster in his room

** It would have been a lot harder for Ferris to pretend to be Abe Froman, the sausage king of Chicago, since the real Abe Froman would most likely have a webpage either for himself or for his company today complete with at least one photograph of himself.