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xmoonlitxdreamx · 3 days ago

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Here’s some misc notes/commentary/etc I took while reading the FBDO novelization! I think I mostly talk about differences between the novelization, movie, and script… this isn’t every detail that’s different, just things that I thought were interesting or something.

This is stuff on chapters 1-4 (there's 25 chapters total). I'll plan to make more posts as I read more, but I'm kind of slow w/ reading so idk how many of these posts I'll make... we'll see.

Anyway yeah, enjoy. :p

Misc

The cover says “based on the motion picture,” while the inside opening page says “based on the screenplay.” Idk which is true lol maybe it takes bits from both. Not sure.

Ch. 1

The narration notes that it’s springtime. (Idk just commenting on the “FBDO takes place on June 5th" thing)

Narration refers to Ferris as 18 years old. (Same as the script, different from some promotional material/etc where he’s 17 years old)

3rd person narration isn’t selective to Ferris’s POV, it kind of switches around a lot to any character.

The opening has Ferris’s family rushing around in the morning and also includes the two younger siblings from the script; this opening and family dynamic feels a lot more like the beginning of 16 Candles or Home Alone (both written by John Hughes so that makes sense lol).

Personally I think I greatly prefer in the movie where the family children are only Ferris and Jeanie; it makes the cast feel a bit more focused. Idk the younger siblings are kind of fluff characters meant to make it seem like Ferris has a ~WaCkY FaMiLy!!~ but eh. I prefer the Jeanie-Ferris rivalry/dynamic to be Jeanie being a hater @ Ferris specifically rather than Jeanie just being exhausted by her whole family. Having Ferris be the only other sibling makes Jeanie’s rage more deranged somehow LMAO… and I guess to me, having a big wacky family with one angry kid is too predictable.

My more technical reason for not preferring the younger siblings in the cast is that I feel like they don’t really add or contrast anything with Ferris’s plot—Jeanie and Ferris kind of emphasize each other’s plots/personalities. Again all the younger siblings do is play up the wackiness of Ferris’s family, and for me I don’t think there’s really any reason to give Ferris a big wacky family within the context of this story… like yeah that sort of family dynamic does contrast w/ Cameron’s family, but I think Jeanie and the Bueller parents give enough of a different family dynamic from Cameron’s family even without the younger sibling characters.

My other note is that I’m kind of just biased against wisecracking elementary school characters LOL I feel like they can veer irritating……. But that’s a personal peeve. I guess it’s kind of novel that it’s the little sister who’s the jokester and the little brother who’s the worry-wart rather than the other way around.

The narration notes that Jeanie is 17 years old. (This differs from the script, where she’s 18).

Ferris mentally notes that he and Jeanie used to play together as kids a lot. (No commentary, just thought that was interesting lol. Guessing Jeanie got more pissy as she got older)

The monologue Ferris does in the movie about Cameron’s home life (the one he does in the restaurant bathroom) happens as an internal monologue in bed before he tricks his parents that he’s sick. Think it makes sense that it happens here in the book since the first couple pages are all about Ferris’s family dynamic; logical that this would be the opportunity to contrast with Cameron’s family dynamic.

The monologue is longer than in the movie; some additional details:

The screws on the doors/etc in Cameron’s house are all neatly aligned so that they face up and down

Ferris once turned one of the screws when he visited Cameron; when he visited again a few days later, the screws were screwed back to be up and down.

(Basically just meant to emphasize how meticulous Cameron’s parents are about every detail in their house.)

Ferris has a framed picture of Sloane in his room. :) (no commentary I just think that’s cute lmfao)

Ferris has a catcher’s mask in his room. Called it on my baseball AU where I made him play catcher LMAO

Ch. 2

Ferris calls Sloane’s house after he convinces his family that he’s sick; he talks briefly to Sloane’s mom.

Sloane’s mom (Mrs. Peterson) doesn’t like Ferris.

There’s an exchange where Ferris says something to Mrs. Peterson that can be interpreted as a rude remark/wisecrack (“By the way, have your crocus come up yet?”), which causes Mrs. Peterson to hang up the phone angrily on him. The narration reveals that Ferris was earnestly just asking her if her crocus flowers had bloomed yet, and he doesn’t understand why all his friends’ parents don’t like him.

I’m glad the author made it that Ferris wasn’t just being rude to Sloane’s mom; when I first read the scene I thought he was just being annoying lol;; The idea that Ferris is accidentally a smartass to everyone when he’s actually just trying to be niceys is kind of a funny angle LMAO I do personally hc him a little bit like that to a degree. Mainly to Jeanie. Idk I think him having an element of innocence to him kind of helps to balance his annoying/pushy personality and keeps him more sympathetic.

The main thing I was kinda meh about with that exchange was that Sloane’s mom (and I guess all parents that know Ferris) doesn’t like Ferris. I kinda prefer in the movie where it seems like everyone except a handful of people inexplicably like Ferris, including adults (the English department, the police officers). idk it adds to his freakish nature. (???)

The 3rd wall breaking he does in the shower in the movie is portrayed as a fake presentation/TED talk kinda thing he does in the shower; apparently this is part of his daily morning routine.

The monologue is more similar to the one he does in the script rather than in the movie. Idk I didn’t compare them fully, it’s mainly that the book is him emphasizing the necessity for planning your day thoroughly if you’re gonna skip school. I do think some of those details from the script/book could’ve worked in the movie too, but idk maybe they cut the whole ~make sure you plan everything out~ thing from the movie to make Sloane’s “you knew what you were doing when you woke up this morning” line be more of a surprise at the end of the movie. (idk not sure if that made sense lol;;;)

Ch. 3

Chapter opens with a description of Cameron: “Cameron had dark hair and eyes, was slightly on the stocky side, but all in all considered rather lovable looking.”

I know it’s maybe weird to have body headcanons for characters that have actors but I also hc Cameron as slightly stocky (compared to Ferris) so I feel very vindicated in that description LMAO;; here’s roughly my body type hcs for them btw (drawn several weeks ago):

Fully unnecessary lskfjlsdfj but yeah.

Also I think it’s cute that the narration describes Cameron as loveable. :)

Weird that cameron's eyes are described as dark when alan ruck's eyes are like blindingly blue tho

Ferris doesn’t say “Cameron babe” when he calls Cameron (same as the script, tho he does call him "Cam" rather than "Cameron" in the book)

There’s a bit after Ferris’s phone call with Cameron with the narration describing the school/student body culture; talks about how there’s like some middle courtyard in the school that no one uses because all the windows face it, making it feel like a zoo for anyone who passes through there or sth. Think this section is in part just to transition the setting from Cameron’s house to the school, but it also has a gag at the end saying Jeanie uses the courtyard regularly to get to class—highlights how she’s kind of an outcast at the school and is a bit oblivious to the social norms that the other students follow.

A student notes to a teacher in class that they saw Cameron at the enlistment office to join the Marines. (I skipped ahead a bit and later in the book Cameron confirms that he almost joined the Marines that day.) Personally, I don’t care for this detail; not in the script either so I guess this is a novelization original. Idk I can’t see Cameron as someone who wants to join the military, he already hates how strict his parents are...? and I feel like Cameron’s desire throughout the movie is that he wants to be cared for, not that he wants to be disciplined or wants to “be a man” (aka grow up); imo I think at times he’s actively trying not to grow up until Ferris kind of coaxes him into facing his entry into adulthood/face his fears or wtv. But idk I guess i can see an angle where if Cameron's so desperate for feeling a sense of belonging somewhere, maybe he'd try to find a "family" in joining the marines or whatever.

There’s a scene at the end of this chapter focusing on Sloane that talks a little bit about her dating Ferris. Interesting passage from it:

“[Sloane’s] friends were kind of surprised when Sloane started seeing Ferris. It was an established fact that everyone liked him, and sure, he was good looking, but there had to be at least half a dozen guys at school who looked better. He also had a nice build, but Rambo he wasn’t. He was a good athlete who didn’t take sports seriously, an intelligent guy who didn’t particularly care about grades.”

I kinda like this take on Ferris! I think in fic (and also in my own characterization to a degree) I tend to see Ferris characterized as a guy that everyone gushes over and wants to date, but I think it makes sense that he’s liked by everyone but is not really like…... a hottie LOL. More of a “jack of all trades master of none” kind of angle I guess which is more grounded. (ik I said earlier I like a fantastical/unrealistic kind of Ferris characterization…. Idk depends on my mood how realistic or unrealistic I like Ferris to be lmao)

Ch. 4

Unlike in the movie, the book explicitly describes Cameron as having tech skills, and that Cameron helped Ferris at some point wire all the electronics in Ferris’s house to Ferris’s computer. Personally, I prefer that in the movie it’s Ferris who has the tech skills; him inexplicably being good at everything is just funny to me lmao and also I think it helps create a better contrast between Ferris and Cameron, where Ferris is the guy who can do anything and Cameron is the guy who can do nothing. (Cameron even says as much in the movie, so.)

I do like the idea of Cameron and Ferris like scheming together and wiring all the tech to Ferris’s computer together over Christmas break tho. (??? Idk I just like the concept of them doing activities together lol)

Ferris’s dad calls Ferris on the phone; similar to the script, Ferris gets info from his dad on where he keeps his savings bonds & steals the bonds from his dad’s secret stash for spending money. Ferris is much less of a dickhead here than in the script tho LOL if I remember correctly, script!Ferris is like smoking/mocking his dad/saying rude remarks at the camera during this scene. Book!Ferris is still more rude than movie!Ferris here tho, since movie!Ferris doesn’t steal money from his dad or trick him about the bonds at all.

Unlike the script, Ferris only steals one of the ten bonds from his dad’s stash; I think in the script he takes like several of them to cash in. He also takes a moment to pray to God and say sth like “Since I’m only taking one of these ten bonds, I promise to only ditch class 1/10th of the time in college.” Idk I think him only taking one bond and him jokingly compromising with his conscience about it is a good balance between the script version of this scene (where he’s a total douchebag) and the movie (where he doesn’t do any stealing at all); kind of softens the action while still making him cheeky and a menace lol

Ferris drinks pepsi yeahhh my pepsi boy (my unabridged note from when i read this chapter hgjghddg idk he drinks pepsi here)

Fully unrelated but I happened to see in the script that Ferris drinks coke here in this scene and other scenes. Wonder why there was so much Pepsi in the movie then. Random.

Ok that's it for now. Thanks for reading if you did!

#blab #ferris bueller's day off #fbdo #ferris bueller's day off novelization

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