A Metafilter poster (via Kottke) has a theory about the film I've seen more times than any other:
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.But then why did Ben Stein the Teacher call out both "Bueller" and "Frye" as separate people, when neither of them was either there to imagine it?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.
UPDATE: From the same site- a wiki of Ferris' crimes.
Posted by Stephen Silver at April 30, 2009 12:14 AMSince when did you start reading MeFi? You should get an account. I have been banned. F them.
Posted by: LilB at April 30, 2009 01:35 PM