Rebelling
"The question isn't what are we going to do. The question is what aren't we going to do." -Ferris Bueller
Rebelling against authority is a huge theme in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and it all starts with Ferris convincing his friends to try it out. Ferris has come of age before the movie begins in this way because he has already decided for himself that he can make his choices and act his age because that is how he wants to spend his life. He doesn't follow orders placed on him by his parents, or his principal and teachers, because he finds himself capable of being on his own. Throughout the movie, by taking Cameron and Sloane on a multitude of life changing adventures, Ferris teaches them that they can follow his lead and helps them find the rush in not always doing what you're told. Rebellion is a form of coming of age because, as stated by Mark Merrill, [teenagers need to] to experience more freedom as they get older, but only as they learn a very important point: freedom comes with responsibility" (Merrill, 1). Cameron proves this mindset is prevalent within him after he tells Ferris that he is sick of living in fear, and his day off of school has been the best day of his life, but he still owns up to his actions when confronting his dad about his Ferari. Though the three acted out against their parents by ditching school for the day, they experienced being on their own and were forced to accept consequences for their absence from school. They come of age through this experience and learn responsibility by accepting the punishment for rebelling.
In this clip, from 0:00 to 0:28, Ferris states, "The question isn't what are we going to do. The question is what aren't we going to do." They are about to take off from school and enjoy a day in downtown Chicago, not caring about the consequences that could come from rebelling against Principal Rooney and skipping school.