My favorite thought-piece about Ferris Bueller is the "Fight Club" theory, in which Ferris Bueller, the person, is just a figment of Cameron's imagination, like Tyler Durden, and Sloane is the girl Cameron secretly loves.Added: A list of crimes committed by Cameron and his "friends" during their trip to Chicago. (Reciprocal HT: Althouse.)
One day while he's lying sick in bed, Cameron lets "Ferris" steal his father's car and take the day off, and as Cameron wanders around the city, all of his interactions with Ferris and Sloane, and all the impossible hijinks, are all just played out in his head. This is part of the reason why the "three" characters can see so much of Chicago in less than one day -- Cameron is alone, just imagining it all.
It isn't until he destroys the front of the car in a fugue state does he finally get a grip and decide to confront his father, after which he imagines a final, impossible escape for Ferris and a storybook happy ending for Sloane ("He's gonna marry me!"), the girl that Cameron knows he can never have.
Monday, May 3, 2010
IF I DIDN'T WANT IT, I WOULDN'T HAVE LET "YOU" TAKE THE CAR: You want meta theory? Because this beats anything I've ever conjured:
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Wow - that actually kind of works.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I don't buy it but it's an interesting idea.
ReplyDeleteMy mind is blown.
ReplyDeleteI would love to watch a version of Sixteen Candles in which Long Duk Dong didn't exist.
ReplyDeleteLove it. It also neatly explains Ferris's great (albeit moderately dishonest) relationship with his parents - it's the parental relationship that Cameron would love to have. And Jeannie (sorry, "Shawna") is the competitive yet ultimately loving sister that Cam, as an only child, wishes he had - and she is the one who shames Rooney, the other major antagonistic authority figure in the film.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how to explain Charlie Sheen, though.
Yeah, but how does this fit into the Tommy Westphal multiverse? Certainly "Danke Schoen" or "Twist and Shout" draw it in.
ReplyDeleteThat is actually amazing
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to re-watch FBDO with this in mind
Or even better, a version of Pretty in Pink where Ducky doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteNow it all makes perfect sense...I think you can carry this out to all Hughes' films...Think about it: Ducky was probably Andie's idealized yet-to-find-out-he's-gay male friend in Pretty In Pink.
ReplyDeleteThat was text, not subtext, right?
ReplyDeleteYou mean you can't do all that stuff in Chicago in one day? Now my vacation plans are blown...
ReplyDelete"Ferris Bueller" as written and directed by Charlie Kaufman ;)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your blog. Keep it that way. qhlgevoafwjmwgbx
ReplyDeleteOr else.
ReplyDelete