So I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for the 20th time, and at the climactic final scene something occurred to me, besides noting what a shame it is that Jennifer Gray killed her career with a nose job:
Yes, she had the wallet of Rooney when she opened the door and saw Ferris caught.
Why did she rescue Ferris, whose unmasking governed her every move, up to the last second before she opened the door?
Perhaps she recognized the wisdom of Charlie Sheen at the police station, who asked her what she was “really” mad about? (Was that Sheen’s first film? He was great.)
Anyway, I’m chewing on this while I try to work out the dynamics in Antichrist.
Hey, they both have Sheen and Grey in them. So close, right? (Now if John Hughes had made Red Dawn. One wonders how the sportos, the motorheads, geeks, sluts, bloods, wastoids, dweebies, dickheads of Shermer Illinois would do against the commies.)
I think it showed personal growth. She had blamed all her problems on Ferris, but through Charlie Sheen (somehow), she realized that her resentment of her brother was causing most of her misery, not anything he was actually doing to her. Also, yeah, Rooney broke into her house and scared the crap out of her, so no love lost there.
Regarding her nose, she actually had just gone in for minor rhinoplasty (not sure exactly what the plan was) and the doctor botched it. Actually, I think she had to have two separate surgeries. The first rhinoplasty was the botched one and the second was to repair the damage. She was quite upset about it and blamed the botched surgery for tanking her career.
I think that was because he was a principal and the cops sympathized with him trying to cut down on truancy. And I get that the movie unfairly demonizes him for doing his job for much of the film, but then the whole breaking-and-entering thing is over the top.
She got turned into a normal, good-looking, generic girl. I must have seen her picture at least a dozen times since the surgery and I still couldn’t pick her out of a lineup. And each time I see her, I feel like Guy Pearce’s character from Memento, thinking, “Who’s that? Oh - so that’s what Jennifer Gray looks like now. Good to know.”
Plus, he was long gone and she had no proof. She didn’t find the wallet until that last scene. (Possibly, she had it but didn’t produce it til that last scene.)
Yes, common enemy, Sheen (Winning!) wisdom setting in, and a little bit of “You won fair and square, Ferris” thinking (remember the competitive grinning at each other as they met in the intersection, her in the car with MILF, him running in the street).
I always interpreted her actions as saying, " I own you now. If you try ANYTHING, I can rat you out. Your days of having everything work out for you are over."
She finally has dirt on him, which puts her in the catbird seat. A rare victory of her over Ferris.
