Great American conservative movie?

If there is any good reason to think that the film is conservative it is not well explained.

Let's start with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act scene. The teacher discusses the negative implications of the act done by Republicans and quotes Bush calling Reagan's economic policies "Voodoo Economics."

Regarding Cameron's family problem, there are various ways to interpret it, not necessarily through the lens of family values. While Cameron yearns for his father's love, he also consistently curses him throughout the film. This doesn't make the film the opposite of conservative, but it doesn't support the claim that it's inherently conservative.

As for Ferris attending a baseball game, why isn't American football seen as a better representation of the American patriotic experience? Moreover, i'm not a big connoisseur of US sports, but isn't baseball the only American sport that's played many times in the morning? if yes, so it's make sense they will attending to baseball game during school time.

It's true that Ferris's rebellion has a tender side, but his character shows disrespect for authority. His opening words reveal he has no ideology other than "living the moment." Even his casual marriage proposal to Sloane leaves room for doubt about his understanding of the significance of such an act. It doesn't seem like a conservative desire to marry or align with any particular stance.

In defense of the claim that the film is conservative, one could argue that Ferris understands this is the time to have fun and take advantage of his youth before following the conservative path of a permanent job and starting a family. Without doing so, he might regret "losing" his youth for the rest of his life.

Additionally, I am agree that the main characters loves America.

The director is undoubtedly criticizing schools in the USA, but it is challenging to ascertain whether the criticism is aimed at american education in general or specifically at the public education system.

Ummm...this is absolutely ridiculous.

John Hughes makes conservative films because his characters don't drink or do drugs?

This is likely the dumbest thing I'll read today.

Is your post some type of performance art, a writing exercise, or just being daft?

What teenage comedy doesn't mock the school system?

Wow, that’s some straw-clutching right there!

I've honestly never seen Ferris Bueller as a poster child for conservatism; quite the opposite, in fact: he’s anti-authority and seems accustomed to getting what he wants through guile, duplicity and manipulation, rather than discipline, application and hard work (which is what conservatism used to be all about, right?). He not only skips school, but also gets away with it, while at the same time manipulating his best friend and girlfriend into joining him. He also hacks into his school computer to adjust his attendance record and engages in the theft and destruction of a valuable classic car.

Ferris is what my (mildly conservative) parents would have regarded as a “bad influence”, rather than somebody to emulate. Maybe such behavior is viewed as admirable by conservatives in 2024 – wow, conservatism really has changed! – but back in the 1980s I don’t think many parents, conservative or otherwise, would have viewed Ferris Bueller as a particularly positive role model.

If I was to be generous, however, I might concede that there is a soft-centered traditionalism in John Hughes’ movies. His films are predominantly set in white, middle-class suburbia, where a particular view of America – an aspirational country with a “can do” attitude and, of course, that good ol’ protestant work ethic - was pretty much set in stone at that time.

The warm-hearted sentimentality in many of Hughes' films could also point towards this particular rose-tinted view of suburban America, although I would also argue that Hughes was sentimental about youth itself and the very nature of being young in a world full of adults who think they know best. To that end, given his Gen X target audience, the actual tone of Hughes' films generally tilts towards the progressive.

John Hughes' films are quite straightforward, really, neither political nor preachy: they're essentially wish-fulfilment fantasies, devoid of any underlying agenda.