In any case, he’s not a hero at the beginning. He’s a total mercenary and opportunist; he grossly overcharges Luke and Obi Wan for transport (though the joke’s on Han- he thinks he’s the badass who needs to leave the planet quick while the old man and farmboy are maybe in some very silly local trouble only to realize he’s hauling the hottest cargo he’s ever hauled [though it’s the droids, not the humans]) and at the Death Star he only helps them, at first anyway, because they’re more likely to get out alive by working together than by working separately. Only during the process does any selflessness come out, then at the end he risks his own life to help what he believes is probably a doomed cause, so that’s his big moment of redemption.
Of course, this being before STAR WARS went to hell, his past is not wiped clean (like Ferris’s absences). They come back to bite him when Boba Fett takes him to Jabba where he spends- however long it is- before being rescued. So, redemption and atonement- classic part of a [supporting] hero quest. (I suppose ultimately the Christian imagery he was warshed clean in carbonite.)
Han is a smuggler who smuggles contraband into the republic, which includes drugs I imagine. The first film I believe even has a reference to it, or I might be mixing in expanded universe stuff.
My point being if a “hero” or protagonist breaking any rules or laws ruins your enjoyment of a film well…whats left?
(Several posters said Ferris ruined the movie for them.)
Canonically, the shipment of Jabba’s that he’s in trouble over was Kessel Spice, a controlled narcotic. It’s not exactly illegal - the Empire runs the mines where its harvested - but it’s pretty unsavory. Especially considering that, at the time Han was smuggling it, the Empire was mining it by working slaves to death.
Which didn’t really take all that much work, because the mines are infested with giant man-eating spiders.
All-in-all, a pretty shady undertaking, even for an anti-hero.
A film in general, know. A light comedy, potentially; depends on what rules and laws you’re talking about, for they’re not all created equally, and also in how they’re broken. A teenager skipping class is one thing, but one who browbeats his needy depressed friend into stealing a classic car that he knows the friend’s dad will go berserk if anything happens to and lying to his very loving/indulgent/goodhearted parents to do it, lying about the death of his girlfriend’s grandmother to get her out of class, etc., etc. starts to make him increasingly less than sympathetic.
Regarding Cool Han and Luke, I wonder if the same narcotics that work on Hutts work on humans. Or, since in the Duniverse the spice is made from the worms, and Hutts from the Tatooniverse resemble the spice worms (just a lot smaller), and you have those sandworm like things who live out in the desert, I wonder if really this is the same spice for which Arrakis Dune Desert Planet was famous, or if perhaps it was something made from Jabba himself ala the sand worm. Or perhaps Tattooine and Arrakis, as have been theorized, are the same world, though instead of the difference being time it’s how much spice you’ve consumed and what universe it’s put you into… I’ll wager there’s a mystery in it you’d need spice to figure out.
The worst thing Ferris did was convince Cameron to let him take the car. But it served a purpose - convincing the school that it was Sloan’s dad coming to pick her up. It was also a fun way to get around for the day (they did have fun in the car). Of course he didn’t envisage the car being wrecked, but that doesn’t absolve him either.
Ferris lies to authority figures and ‘the establishment’, but he’s pretty honest with his friends.
I think what the differences of opinion might boil down to is between those who think lying to authority figures and the establishment is not so bad and those who think it’s just as bad as lying to your friends. Myself, I have very little problem lying to authorities, so long as it gets me what I want and doesn’t harm others, because I simply never have trusted the authorities to be looking out for me, so I empathize.
I was pointing out that you’re acting like he was a hooligan when that doesn’t really fit with what he chose to on his day off.
Do you really not see the difference between taking your friend’s parents’ car, parking it in a valeted garage and then returning it, and taking someone’s car off the street to never return it again?
And I agree it was a bit of a crappy thing to do, but it wasn’t him being dickish to his friends, and it certainly wasn’t evil or sociopathic like some people were saying. It was one crappy thing, and lots of people do those, esp. in their teens.
If your childhood friends took a car that was worth 100,000+ (2011 ) when
1- They had no specific permission to do so
2- They in fact knew specifically that they were forbidden to do so
3- They probably are not even on the insurance policy for (another crime, incidentally, but do you really think an insurance company would cover a teenager driving a showroom condition vintage muscle car?)
4- They already have a car probably nicer than most working people’s to drive
5- It’s not even to go joyriding so much as to let a friend go joyriding
then yep, they’re guilty of auto theft. Whether their parents would have pressed charges or not depends on the parents, but they would legally have that right.
It would qualify as joyriding, which depends on locale as to how serious a crime it is. Usually it will get you community service and probation if a first offense, BUT in some places (and I have no idea what the law was in 1980s Illinois) some places offer much stricter penalties and it’s a more serious offense when it’s a car over a certain $ value.
Not even a joyriding conviction for the danger to the public, because they didn’t endanger the public. The $ value is irrelevant. It’s Cameron’s family’s car. What is his dad going to do, sue his minor son for damages that he’ll have to pay himself?
Give it up, it was all harmless fun. Rooney and the sister were the villains here. She redeemed herself in the end (I’d like to redeem her in the end ). But Rooney doesn’t get half of what’s coming to him. The world is a better place because of Ferris Bueller.
Do you really not see the difference between taking your friend’s parents’ car, that is supposed to be driven, enjoyed, admired and is pure sex on wheels but was locked up tighter than a virgin in a chastity belt and Cameron wasn’t even allowed to polish let alone look at parking it in a valeted garage and then returning it, and taking someone’s car off the street to never return it again?
It’s true. Cameron’s dad was killing that car. Even Ferris drove it carefully. Only the parking guys let it loose to live the life that a piece of class ass car ought to have.
Ferris did the driving. He’s not Cameron’s father’s son. If I were Cameron’s father I would totally press charges against Ferris for his role (since he did the actual driving) and sue him and by extension his parents for a full half of the damage to my property.
As for the Ferrari being locked up like a chastity belt or whatever, who cares? It’s Cameron’s father’s property; if he wanted to crush it and make a lawn sculpture it is 100% his right.
But Ferris didn’t deal any damage to the car. None of the damage to the car happened while it was being driven. The thing was still in mint condition when they got it back to Cameron’s house, it just had a bunch of extra miles on it. The damage was caused entirely by Cameron kicking in the grill until it rolled off its jacks and crashed through the picture window.
Cameron is jointly and severably liable (or something like that IANA lawyer). A judge won’t allow Cameron’s dad to profit from a suit where he’s jointly liable for the damages. And he won’t charge Ferris if Cameron isn’t charged as well, and he won’t allow that. It doesn’t happen (I surmise).
). But Rooney doesn’t get half of what’s coming to him. The world is a better place because of Ferris Bueller.