Tommy Boy DVD
Paramount Studios
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Length: 97 minutes
Director: Peter Segal
Year: (1995)
Britt Gillette's Tommy Boy DVD Review
Chris Farley and David Spade team up in this 1995 comedy about an incompetent, intellectually-challenged auto-parts heir who is forced to save his family business following his father's untimely death. Utterly hilarious from beginning to end, Tommy Boy is one of the best comedies of the 1990s and continues in the long tradition of cult classic comedies that helped cement the careers of former Saturday Night Live cast members. The on-screen banter between Farley and Spade is unrivaled, making Farley's premature death all the more of a loss. Throughout Tommy Boy, Farley's unique brand of Belushi-like humor and good-natured demeanor are at their best, and fans of comedy should not miss it…
When Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) is picked up at the airport by Callahan Auto employee Richard Hayden (David Spade) on his return from college (where he acquired a hard-earned degree on the seven-year plan), his father "Big Tom" (Brian Dennehy) informs him that he getting married to his new girlfriend Beverly (Bo Derek). Beverly has a son of her own, Paul (Rob Lowe), who travels into town for his mother's wedding to Big Tom. Ecstatic to finally have a brother, Tommy Boy takes Paul out to see his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio - where the idea of fun consists of cow-tipping. Paul is anything but amused.
On the day of the wedding, however, Big Tom suffers a heart attack, and without Big Tom to run the show, Callahan's clients grow weary about doing business with (and the bankers are concerned about lending money to) the over-extended Callahan Auto Parts. The board of directors contemplates selling its shares to Ray Zalinsky (the man who sells auto parts to the common man, because that's who he is and that's who he cares about!) But selling out means end to the Sandusky facilities which would put hundreds of employees out of work and deal a major blow to the town.
So, Richard and Tommy Boy decide to hit the road and sell to Callahan's clients face-to-face. However, when Tommy Boy bungles a number of meetings and Richard comes across as too arrogant, they lose more orders than they gain. The future of Callahan Auto and the town Sandusky hangs in the balance. Meanwhile, Tommy's love interest - ex-high school classmate and Callahan employee Michelle Brock (Julie Warner) uncovers the truth about Beverly and her supposed son Paul. The two are really husband and wife - making Beverly's marriage to Big Tom null and void. Thus, she never inherited her shares of stock in Callahan Auto and the decision to sell becomes Tommy Boy's alone.
Tommy Boy is simply one laugh after another. If you haven't seen it, you don't know what you're missing out on. Chris Farley and David Spade form the perfect comedy team, and the film is one of those rare comedies that's well-written and funny without being outlandish…
Britt Gillette
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Posted on 7 December 2004