Ferris Bueller opening sequence- Alex

Teen film analysis: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is an American teen film, demonstrating typical aspects of teen behaviour and stereotypes, and the stereotypes of what would be expected from a teen film, for example, the teens fooling the adults and school/college life.
The film opens with titles, over which speech can be heard- a woman calling ‘Ferris... Ferris...’ This already gives the audience of what one of the characters is to be called. The shot then changes to show the front of a large house, over which the dialogue continues- the woman calls ‘Tom!’ The sound of footsteps is heard as someone obviously approaches her location, and a male voice says ‘What’s the matter?’ They proceed to discuss that Ferris is not well. The shot changes to a close-up of the face of a mid-teens boy lying in bed. The man continues to call his name as the boy opens his eyes and looks up. The shot reverses to show the man and the woman looking down at the camera- a point of view shot. This clarifies to the audience that these are obviously the parents of the boy in bed, who is obviously Ferris. The woman worriedly turns to the man, explaining that Ferris ‘doesn’t have a fever but he says his stomach hurts and he’s seeing spots’. The next shot shows Ferris look up as if he cannot see and calls for his father. His mother then explains that his hands are cold and clammy, and his father feels his hands to see for himself.
Ferris then says ‘I’m fine, I’ll get up’ and starts to get up, but his parents react by exclaiming ‘No!’ and pushing him back into his bed. Ferris argues that he wants to go to school and that he has a test that day, but his parents insist that he stays at home. This is unusual at first as Ferris here is going against the typical stereotype of a teen wanting to miss school. Ferris continues to say ‘I wanna go to a good college so I can have a fruitful life’. This is possibly a shocking contrast as these things would be completely unexpected to be said by a teen.
The shot cuts to show a pair of feet in the doorway, one foot tapping impatiently, and after a close-up of Ferris’ mother with her hands on her hips the shot cuts to show a late-teens woman in the doorway, who is annoyed and starts to argue with Ferris’ parents that Ferris is not ill. This is obviously Ferris’ sister. At the sound of his sister’s voice, Ferris leans forward and starts to call his sister, as if he is blind- ‘Jeanie? Is that you? Jeanie? I can’t see that far’. A reverse shot shows the irritation on his sister’s face. He continues to call and dramatically collapses back into his bed. This starts to show a hint of unrealism in Ferris’ illness and that he might possibly be faking it. Ferris’ parents, now facing his sister, tell her to go to school, and a shot shows Ferris leaning forward and winking at his sister. This reveals that Ferris is faking being ill, and doing it very well, but that it irritates his sister. His sister protests about her parents letting him stay home, claiming ‘If I was bleeding out my eyes, you’d still make me go to school, this is so unfair’. At this point Ferris croons ‘Jeanie, please don’t be upset with me, you have your health, be thankful’. This is also unexpected from a teen and also shows that Ferris is starting to take advantage of this situation to annoy his sister. He then gestures at her with his finger over his lips to keep her quiet. His sister storms out of the room, saying ‘That’s it, I want out with this family’. Ferris’ parents turn back to him, where he resolves that he will stay in bed for the day and ‘maybe have an aspirin around noon’. His mother proceeds to tuck him back into bed and both his parents croon about ringing them if he needs them. Ferris again comes out with a non-stereotypical statement: ‘It’s nice to know I have such loving, caring parents. You’re both very special people’. This is unusual as the stereotypical teenager is usually ungrateful and rebellious towards their parents. Ferris’ mother then gives him a loving kiss as if he is a small child, and his parents leave the room, constantly emphasising that if he needs them, call them, as Ferris makes sleep, babyish sounds. Once they have left the room and closed the door, Ferris sits up and stares at into the camera and states ‘They bought it’. This brings Ferris back into the mould of the teenager as he has successfully tricked his parents.
The shot then cuts to show a TV screen showing MTV, with rock music coming from it. This is back into the stereotype of teen, as already modern music is involved. Now up from his bed Ferris talks to the camera again, directly addressing the audience- ‘Incredible, one of the worst performances of my career, and they never doubted it for a second’. He opens his bedroom curtains and continues- ‘how can I possibly be expected to handle school on a day like this?’- the shot changes several times to show the view out of his window of the blue sky.
This is back into the stereotypical style of a teen film- a teen outwitting his parents in order to skip school for a day.

by Alex Holden
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