Ferris Bueller is a sociopath

It's a hard tact denying the breezy charm of Bueller, from its catchy soundtrack to the likable performances across the board, the ace timing of Edie McClurg and Jeffery Jones, and Hughes's sense of pacing, which is impeccable. As Jeremy recently opined the greatness of the ZAZ team, John Hughes seems no less informative about the meter of comedy. But the problem with the character of Ferris Bueller is that he's something of a shit. That's a modest sticking point for what amounts to a "fun ride," but the film presents the fact that he's an abusive manipulator who gets things over because he's charming. The character is point-blank xenophobic. From Ferris's handling of the guys at the parking lot, to his abuses of the asshole waiter at Che Quis' to his exploitative (but beneficial) relationship with Cameron, there's an undercurrent to his character that is unredeemed by his privleged background or his actions. As I've said before, this isn't about someone pulling something over because it's the only way he'll get to experience it - Ferris has the money for the restaurant, he just doesn't have a reservation. And part of the charm of films like this is that it's about sticking it to the man. Where Ferris is not rebelling against anything. He's just a really good liar. Ultimately these failings, like the smug business dealings in Secret of My Success are probably the trappings of its Reagan-era filmmaking. But it's also likely that Hughes was so successful at this point that he only knew how to exploit class differences (ala Pretty in Pink) in the most egregiously overstated ways possible. But understanding class constructs are important, even if you're going to ignore them (like in The Philadelphia Story), because it turns a character into someone clever and sympathetic versus a smug spoiled brat who defeats Rooney, a well-meaning bureaucrat (at least when it comes to Sloane's fake-relative's death) who's simply doing his job. The film is the triumph of privilege.

Ultimately the success of Ferris Bueller the character is the thing I can't hold against the film: Ferris presents his case, and asks the viewer to side with him, and he's conning the audience just as he does everyone else. Like the story of the scorpion and the frog, Bueller will sting you, but would smile and tell you it's only in his nature. The film then becomes about the cult of personality, and Bueller asks you to both forgive and allow him to do what he does without him ever returning the favor. Bueller wants to argue that engaging in victimless crimes is about stopping to smell the roses. But the film's evidence against suggests that's just an excuse to get what he wants; nothing in the film suggests that anything he says is trustworthy. On the recent special edition DVD of the film, Ben Stein said that when he met President George W. Bush, the first thing W. said to him was "Bueller... Bueller...." And I think if you look at the president - who has used his personality to get what he wants, regardless - you can tell he's a big Ferris Bueller fan. And if Ferris Bueller were a real person, he'd probably have a job in the current administration.

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