Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Question: When Sloane was told her grandmother was dead, did she know it was a hoax? And did Rooney figure it out?

Answer: Sloane knew it was a hoax. Ferris would not have done something like that without her knowing. Rooney pretty much had figured it out, but could never prove anything. Once he was discovered inside the Bueller house (illegally) by Ferris' sister, anything he did know he would have to keep to himself.

raywest

Sloane starts to put her jacket on the moment that she sees the school nurse walk into the classroom, suggesting that Sloane already knew she would be called out, and she smiles to her classmates.

Answer: Cameron stares specifically at the child in the painting, because he identifies with it. He feels the lack of affection and attention from his own family (unlike the child in the painting who is enjoying time with her family, the mother is holding her hand).

Shipper

Answer: I thought he was freaking out, realizing the picture was made of thousands of tiny dots (pointillism).

Brian Katcher

Question: What did Rooney mean when he told Grace to "go soak your head"?

Answer: It's an old insult, somewhat equivalent to 'buzz off'.

Brian Katcher

Answer: The other answer (about buzzing off) is correct, but the phrase has multiple definitions. It can also mean that someone doesn't know what they're talking about, or a person who is extremely frustrated and unable to express themselves calmly or coherently need to cool off.

raywest

Answer: In the original script, both Jeanie and Ferris are listed as being 18. However, the Buellers also had 2 other children (a 7-year old son and 12-year old daughter) who were cut out of the film.

Bishop73

Answer: Probably, yes. From dialogue, Ferris is about to graduate, and he and Jean seem to be at the same school, so either she's actually the younger of the two (which seems unlikely - would parents give the younger child a car but not the older?) or they're in the same school year. On the assumption that they're in the same year, the most likely scenario is that, yes, they're twins. The only other possibility is that they were born less than a year apart (putting them in the same school year), with Jean probably being the older of the two.

Tailkinker

Or Ferris had repeated a year of school sometime in the past and Jeanie had caught up. The gifted car vs computer is a key point of resentment for Ferris throughout the movie, suggesting that Ferris may not have been trusted with a car, and got the computer instead.

Answer: Or Ferris may have skipped a year and is now caught up to his slightly older sister.

Shipper

Answer: Twins (even fraternal twins) are usually much closer in temperament to each other. Jean, on the other hand, seems very uptight and even envious of Ferris. Could be that Jean is an adopted child, same age as Ferris. There is typically some friction with adopted kids.

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: "March of the Swivel Heads" by The English Beat.

Question: Can someone please tell me how old Ferris and Jeanie are? It seems that Ferris is a senior and that would make him about 17 or 18, but then why would Jeanie have a car if she was younger, especially since Ferris says that he asked for a car and didn't get it? If she was older, what would she still be doing in school?

Answer: They're twins.

Macalou

Question: Just before Ferris makes it into his house, Ed Rooney appears and finally catches Ferris. Just as he's about to lay into Ferris, Jeanie appears and covers for him. As soon as Ferris gets in the house, Jeanie shows Ed Rooney his wallet and mentions that she found it on the floor causing him to be shocked. After being chased off by the dog, why did Rooney simply give up?

Answer: Rooney had gotten so carried away with trying to catch Ferris skipping school, that he illegally entered the Bueller house. Jeannie found his wallet and had proof that he had trespassed, an act that could get him arrested and fired from his job. She is blackmailing him to leave. He knew he'd lost and left.

raywest

Question: Its an American film, set in America, with American kids in an American way of life...so why the HUGE Union Jack on the inside of Ferris' bedroom door? What's the significance with Britain?

pierpp

Chosen answer: The British flag was a trendy item in the mid-80s. You had it on t-shirts, on pants, on all kinds of items, and kids would draw it on their sneakers (remember Converse's rubber toes? That was perfect to draw a British flag!) or on whatever they could draw on.

Sereenie

Answer: It's tribute to the Beatles. Ferris sang the Beatles version of "Twist and shout" at the parade.

Answer: It's an instrumental version of "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" by The Dream Academy. The original song is by The Smiths.

Myridon

Question: A lot of people in this film sing the song "Danke Shoen." Why do they do this?

Answer: It is a song that easily gets stuck in one's head after hearing it; it's more or less used as a comic effect for this reason. Ferris sings it twice (once in the shower and again in the parade), Mr. Rooney hums it at Ferris' house, and Jeannie sings it when leaving the police station.

Macalou

Question: In the beginning, Cameron is on the phone with Rooney, pretending to be Mr. Peterson, in the Bueller's kitchen. Ferris then calls the office for homework assignments, and he is on the round, red phone from his room. This movie was made in 1986- were phones with dual lines on them available in 1986?

Answer: Yes, they were available back then. Plus it could have been two separate lines not necessarily one "dual" line. They were used a lot in homes with financially well off people as Ferris' parents obviously are.

William Bergquist

Question: In the US, can you really be taken to a police station for (presumably) making a phony phone call? To me it seems like a waste of resources since it is probably a common occurrence. Also Jeannie would have stuck to her story that it was true...as break-ins do happen all the time.

Gavin Jackson

Answer: In the United States, phoning in a false report to police can be treated as either a misdemeanor or felony offense (depending on jurisdiction). A false report is considered obstructing law enforcement, which is pretty serious. A misdemeanor offense can result in jail time of a year or less, while a felony offense can result in more than a year's jail time and heavy fines. The important factor that makes it a crime is knowingly trying to mislead the police, not accidentally reporting false information. In "Ferris Beuller's Day Off," Jean was not trying to mislead the police; but, lacking evidence, the police assumed she was knowingly phoning in a false report, so they arrested her (probably on a misdemeanor).

Charles Austin Miller

Answer: Illinois law makes making a false report on 911 a form of disorderly conduct.

LorgSkyegon

Answer: I think the main thing was Jeanie wasn't in school and was probably taken in for truancy as well as the supposedly phony call. But it's unlikely that they would have taken her to the police station if she was picked up at home.

Bishop73

Question: Does anybody know where I can find a video/audio of just that clip where Cameron is sitting in his car debating whether or not he should go out?

Answer: A simple Google search came up with http://www.idiotsavant.com/bueller/sounds.htm.

Phil Watts

Question: Obviously Sloane knew the moment the nurse came in that she was going to be leaving because Ferris planned the whole thing. But wouldn't it be a bit of a giveaway to the rest of the class and the teacher that she starts putting on her coat and gathering her things before any of them find out why the nurse is there? The nurse could have been coming to see someone else, and if Ferris wanted to make sure he and his friends could have the day off and not get caught by Rooney, shouldn't Sloane have been a bit more subtle or played along as if she didn't know what was going on?

Answer: Yes, and she does play along once the nurse and the teacher turn their attention to her. When the nurse first comes in, however, she and the teacher aren't looking in her (Sloane's) direction, so she quickly gets ready while the nurse informs the teacher of what (she thinks) has happened. Maybe a little overeager, sure, and definitely a risk, but her excitement over spending a day playing hooky with her boyfriend just overcame her, I guess.

Answer: I agree with the other answer, but mostly the scene was written for comedic effect and it shows the audience that Sloane was in on the plan. She is being a bit smug knowing that she's pulling one over on the teacher. The other students probably wouldn't care or give her away.

raywest

Answer: It appears that he was.

raywest

Answer: Yes.

Shipper

More mistakes in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ferris: Cameron has never been in love - at least, nobody's ever been in love with him. If things don't change for him, he's gonna marry the first girl he lays, and she's gonna treat him like shit, because she will have given him what he has built up in his mind as the end-all, be-all of human existence. She won't respect him, 'cause you can't respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn't work.

More quotes from Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Trivia: Charlie Sheen stayed awake for 2 days to play the guy in the police station, so he could get the right look for the scene.

More trivia for Ferris Bueller's Day Off

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