Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is iconic of the eighties because it epitomises American culture just by missing one day of school. As shown in the above picture Ferris, Cameron and Sloane are driving in a very expensive stolen Ferrari, this shows how materialistic the eighties were because the car belongs to Cameron's father who loves the car more than his own son. Again highlighting that status and wealth were symbolic of success which is a common theme across the film. Ferris embodies the fact that as long as you have the confidence and a way with words you can achieve anything, he manages to convince his parents that he is ill then goes on a day trip full of experiences.

On this day off the three characters have a cultural experience by visiting the Art institute of Chicago, Sears Tower, Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Wrigley Field. These destinations portray a diverse set of historical, sporting and economic cultural parts of Chicago. Despite these attractions not necessarily being iconic of the eighties they show the importance of Chicago's society during the time period. As a result of this we can see the different aspects of American life that made the eighties so iconic. Especially as the film was set in the mid 80s it is the peak of the decade so it is the perfect tie to view the decade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KFVLWX7eEY

This is the opening scene from the film, instantly you can see iconic images of the eighties with the technology such as the thicker computers and devices to play music. The scene portrays the message of the film that you need to embrace your youth and have fun whilst you still can as they are soon to become adults. Therefore it resonates with young Americans, in some respects the Yuppie as this element of fun and exploration embodied the eighties and this is the group of people the film is aimed at. Therefore Ferris Bueller's Day Off is iconic of the eighties because it shows a social and cultural change amongst young people through a final journey where they come to the realisation that they need to grow up and become responsible adults.