”Fifteen years from now, when he looks back on the ruin his life’s become, he is gonna remember Edward Rooney.”
Edward "Ed" R. Rooney is the Dean of Students and the main antagonist in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He is suspicious of Ferris Bueller skipping school for the 9th time, so he goes out to catch him once and for all, but then ends up getting humiliated. He is played by Jeffrey Jones.
Personality[]
Edward is a merciless, strict, calculating, and scornful member of the staff that is not afraid to go to great lengths to punish (He must have proof in order to do punishments) troublemakers such as Ferris and the rest of the students. He has shown abuse of power (like calling the parents excessively or breaking into a student's house), is callous to the staff/students (it explains why he is despised by everybody except Grace, in which she tolerates him), and is quick to anger when he doesn't reach his goals. He has also shown intelligence that matches Ferris’s quick wits when he almost caught Ferris in the act multiple times and is a bit athletic, showing to outrun a dog for a brief moment before succumbing. He is highly obsessed with Ferris, due to Ferris's quick thinking to get out of even the worst situations, leading Ferris to be Edward's biggest target for discipline. It is also hinted he is envious of Ferris's popularity when Grace explains to him why his archnemesis is very popular compared to him.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off[]
Dean of Students Edward R. Rooney suspects Ferris is a repeat truant and commits to catching Ferris after being absent 9 times. Ferris convinces his best friend Cameron Frye, who is legitimately absent due to illness (though an hypochondriac, which Ferris easily sees through him), to help Ferris' “girlfriend” Sloane Peterson skip school with them on the pretext of her grandmother's supposed death. Eventually, Rooney catches on to Ferris Bueller's scheme and exits the school, en route to the Bueller's residence. He stealthily invades the Bueller home, trying to find evidence to prove Ferris' truancy, while getting into several pratfalls. Meanwhile at the school, Jeanie is frustrated that the entire school supports and rallies for Ferris. She skips school as well and returns home to encounter Rooney at their residence. She is spooked by Rooney's unannounced presence at their home and punches him unconscious before running away to call the police. He recovers from the glancing blow and goes back outside, unknowingly leaving his wallet behind. When the police arrive, they instantly don't buy Jeanie's claim of intrusion and place her under arrest for making an false report. Ferris arrives back home first after his adventure but is confronted by a fully recovered, very bruised, and very angry Rooney. He threatens to flunk him for truancy and impersonation when monologuing to Ferris, as revenge for the pain and effort to finally catch him in the act. At the same time, an very annoyed Jeanie enters the house first while the parents argue amongst themselves outside. When she sees Rooney threatening Ferris, She suddenly has a change of heart. Jeanie intervenes and “thanks” Rooney for helping return Ferris "from the hospital.". She smugly displays Rooney's wallet to him, blackmailing him with trespassing to keep his silence about the encounter before tossing his wallet into the yard afterwards. This alerts Ferris' dog again, who chases Rooney away again from the property. During the end credits, a defeated and visibly hurt Rooney is seen heading home. He is picked up by an local school bus, where he is further embarrassed by the students.
Quotes[]
- "That is why I have got to catch him this time. To show these kids that the example he sets is a first class ticket to nowhere.'"
- "Tell you what, dip s••t. You don't like my policies, you can come on down here and smooch my big old white butt."
- "Fifteen years from now, when he looks back on the ruin his life’s become, he is gonna remember Edward Rooney."
- "YOU S••THEAD!"
- "Looking for this? I got you, Ferris."
- "I have dreamed about this! This time, goddamn you little bastard! I've got you right where I want you."
- "So, how would you feel about another year of high school? Under my close personal supervision!"
- "Four years chasing this kid!"
- "Four years he has been making a fool of me."
Trivia[]
- In the special features, Jeffrey Jones talks about how Ed Rooney wants to catch Ferris to stay in power, but since Ferris is more popular than him, he just ends up humiliating himself.
- In the original novel, it is revealed that some of his stress in life actually comes from a stressful home life and marriage.
- He is shown to not be skilled at technology when Bueller hacked the attendance records and erasing any proof of his tardiness in front of an powerless Rooney.
- Jeffrey Jones has stated that He's hardly remembers the movie despite playing a starring part in the movie.
- Even though he's not mentioned in the commercial set in the future, it does has some moments that reference him.
- Jeffrey Jones is an convicted sex offender (pleaded no contest) and has been arrested multiple times for not updating his status as a sex offender. Since then, Various movies he has appeared in has avoided recasting and referencing him in sequels and commercials.
Gallery[]
Rooney and Grace sitting in Rooney's office