Tommy Boy (1995)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Peter Segal

Writers (WGA):

Bonnie Turner (written by) &
Terry Turner (written by)

Release Date:

31 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

If at first you don't succeed, lower your standards.

Plot:

An incompetent, immature, and dimwitted heir to an auto parts factory must save the business to keep it out of the hands of his new, con-artist relatives and big business.

Plot Keywords:

Buddy | Con Artist | Critically Bashed | Obscene Finger Gesture | Lifting Person In Air

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Chris Farley	...	Tommy
David Spade	...	Richard
Brian Dennehy	...	Big Tom
Bo Derek	...	Beverly
Dan Aykroyd	...	Zalinsky
Julie Warner	...	Michelle
Sean McCann	...	Rittenhauer
Zach Grenier	...	Reilly
James Blendick	...	Gilmore
Clinton Turnbull	...	Young Tommy
Ryder Britton	...	Young Richard
Paul Greenberg	...	Skittish Student
Graeme Millington	...	Frat Boy
Michael Cram	...	Frat Boy
Dean Marshall	...	Frat Boy

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, some drug content and nudity.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:12 (uncut) | UK:PG (cut) | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

BCE Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

David Spade's character Richard Hayden says that 'Big' Tom, played by Brian Dennehy was like a father to him. Brian Dennehy would go on to play David Spade's father as Red Finch in the TV comedy "Just Shoot Me!" (1997)

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Ray starts the hanging engine, the fan blows Richard's toupee off of his head. The fan on a car engine sucks air toward it rather than blow air away from it as indicated.

Quotes:

Tommy: [Tommy and Richard are sitting on a park bench after getting kicked out of Salinsky's headquarters] I thought they were on my side.
Richard Hayden: They figured they had something to gain if the factory was being closed.
Tommy: Boy this is the worst. My so called family deserts me. Michelle's mad at me. I've lost the factory, the town's going under and I'm out of a job.
[the park bench collapses]
Tommy: Could've done without that.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 50 First Dates (2004)

Soundtrack:

What'd I Say

The second hardest I ever laughed at a theater.

I won't go into great details about this film, basically because there aren't many worth mentioning. It's just a funny little romp with Farley and Spade annoying each other and trying to sell some brake pads in their spare time.

I must however say that one scene almost had me on the sticky floor of the theater because I was laughing so hard. In the scene, the duo are driving down a highway in Spade's recently trashed GTX. An old Carpenters song is playing on the radio and the two are emotionally singing along with it. That alone is funny enough, then the hood of the car pops up and they skid wildly out of control. This produces a hilarious argument culminating in Spade smacking Farley in the head with a 2x4.

The only time I have ever laughed harder in public was during the snowman scene in Dumb and Dumber.

That's really all I have to say about this film. Farley was an adorable slug of a guy. I miss him, even though some of his films were real stinkers.

I'd give it 8 of 10 stars.

So sayeth the Hound.