Tommy Boy: 700th Review

And now for my 700th movie review.

100 Monty Python and the Holy Grail  /  200 Duck Soup  /  300 Super Troopers  /   

400 Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein  /   500 The Odd Couple  /  600 Stir Crazy

"I'm starting to picking up your sarcasm."

"Well, I should hope so, because I'm laying it on pretty thick."

Callahan Auto is the savior of the small town of Sandusky.  The family owned company has been in business for decades and provides numerous jobs for the town.  The company is run by Big Tom Callahn (Dennehy), who is a born salesman and well-liked by everyone.  His son Tommy Callahan (Farley) has finally graduated from college (after 7 years), and returns home to work at the factory.  He also returns to the news that his father is getting remarried.  Beverly (Derek) has already moved into the family home, along with her son Paul (Lowe).

After the wedding, Big Tom dies suddenly, leaving the company in a difficult position.  The bank is reluctant to provide a loan for the new brake pad section, but without the loan the company cannot survive.  Tommy decides to go on his father's sales trip, along with his father's assistant Richie (Spade).  He also gives his shares of the company, along with his house, to the bank to keep the company in business until he returns with orders.  Tommy has no sales experience and does not get along with Richie, can they save the business and the town?


There is no denying that Chris Farley was a talented comedian.  He dove into physical comedy with gusto and delivered hilariously weird characters.  This film captured that joy let Farley go as big as he needed to go.  He gets many funny moments throughout the film.  My favorite scene is pictured above when he is telling a story with model cars, that gets out of hand fast.

Farley is joined by his friend and Saturday Night Live co-star David Spade.  Farley and Spade made three films together, Coneheads, Tommy Boy, and Black Sheep, and of those this film is considered their best collaboration.  It incorporates Farley's physical comedy with Spade's sarcasm.  The movie is endlessly quotable with gags that still work decades later.  Everyone involved gets a laugh, including Rob Lowe doing physical comedy in an uncredited role.

It is a hilarious movie that everyone should have to see, even if it's just the edited for TV version.

Tommy Boy (1995) 97 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for sex-related humor, some drug content and nudity
Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Chris Farley as Tommy Callahan
David Spade as Richie Hayden
Rob Lowe as Paul Barish
Brian Dennehy as Big Tom Callahan
Bo Derek as Beverly Barish
Dan Aykroyd as Ray Zalinski
Julie Warner as Michelle
Sean McCann as Frank Rittenhauer
Zach Grenier as Ted Reilly
James Blendick as Ron Gilmore