Even though it released in the late 1980s, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is still an iconic comedy movie, and a large part of the credit for that goes to the hilarious main character, Ferris Bueller.
Firstly, the metatheater nature of the movie is striking. Not many shows and movies at the time broke the fourth wall, but Ferris constantly turned to the camera to talk to the audience, like this when he tricks his parents into thinking he's sick so he can skip school. It makes us feel like we're in on his schemes, which makes the movie funnier. Additionally, Ferris changes his language level depending on who he's talking to. When he's lying to his parents, his level drops considerably as he starts talking like a child to win them over. With his friends he's at his regular level, and then when he talks to other adults he tries elevating his level to seem sophisticated. The exaggerated changes in his speech make him a funnier character.
One of my personal favorite aspects of Ferris is his wit. His ability to come up with schemes to get what he wants, like getting his girlfriend out of school or him and his friends into places they're too young for, is really funny. In addition to that, so is his ability to create good responses to things said to him. The repartee between Ferris and his best friend Cameron is fast paced and humorous to watch. Finally, Ferris uses a lot of sarcasm when he talks. It isn't overdone, or very malicious, and what result are light and funny moments.
