Tommy Boy

This movie has everything! It has a good storyline, good acting, great scenery, adventure and some brilliant gags! Chris Farley plays Tommy Callaghanhe mega successful company 'Callaghan Auto Parts' has to go on the road to stop the company going under after Big Tom dies. The trouble is that Tommy knows nothing about break pads and needs the help of Callaghan Auto Parts worker Richard (David Spade). From the moment the two dorks hit the road, the movie is just so much fun. If you love slapstick with a great storyline you'll love this because the gags keep coming thick and fast and the movie will just make you laugh out loud! It was so sad about Farley's untimely death in 1997, but a credit to his genius is 'Tommy Boy'. Get it, chill out and enjoy this brilliant slapstick!

I saw this film knowing absolutely nothing about both it and its stars, Chris Farley and David Spade, and I have to say that this film is a comic classic. It is so stupid at times that it can only be hilarious. Farley is brilliant as the bumbling idiot who takes to the road with his dad's right hand man (the equally excellent Spade) to find the funding to save the families 'auto parts' business. Relax, put your brain on auto-pilot and soak up the fun. A great supporting cast features film favourites such as Brian Dennehy (Cocoon), Rob Lowe (Wayne's World) and Bo Derek ("10"). Highly recommended for a good laugh.

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.

Yes, I know, it's not THAT old of a movie, it only dates to 1995. However, so much has happened in our world since then, it just *seems* like it's been around for years.

I think the movie is very good and very funny, and certainly much better than critics gave it credit for (every time I see it in the TV listings it has only one star by it. Why?!). I watch it routinely (it's on TV a lot, especially USA network). Two things I like about it are the pacing, and the deeper story that plays in the background.

First, the pacing: this movie hits the deck running and never stops moving, it just keeps rolling right along, from one nutty event to the next, but it is all carefully intertwined and everything works in symmetry to bring the viewer to the (admittedly schmaltzy) happy ending. Anyway, I like it when a movie maintains a good pace or a rhythm, never letting itself get too bogged down. "Tommy Boy" is one of those.

Second, the deeper story in the background: all the times I've watched this movie, I've never lost sight of the fact that the story didn't just revolve around some big dumb guy who couldn't seem to find his way out of a wet paper bag. No, there was always in the background the sad issue of Tommy Boy's beloved father dying. Plus, another sobering issue, that of how all this will lead to rather dire economic consequences for a business (Callahan Autoparts) that's been around for a long time and has employed lots of people in the town of Sandusky. Those two grim facts of life - death in the family and impending economic consequences - make this movie more compelling watching than one may realize, and I think this movie will hold up well over the years to come just for those reasons.

But enough with the gloom already. This movie is just plain FUNNY, thanks not just to Chris Farley, but to an entire cast that seems to work really well together. I couldn't envision the cast members being changed or replaced in any form. And Chris Farley did such a seamless depiction of this funny guy named Tommy Boy, that I still, in my heart of hearts, just know that there really IS a big dumb funny guy named Tommy Callahan, somewhere in Sandusky, Ohio, who is running an autoparts factory. No, there really IS a Tommy Callahan, believe me... It's kinda' like Pee-Wee Herman: that wasn't really an actor named Paul Reubens playing him, no! - there really IS a Pee-Wee Herman, who is totally in love with his bicycle, and has a dog named Speck...

Funny, but I look at waitresses in restaurants just a little differently now (thanks to that wonderful scene where Tommy Boy explains to Helen why he sucks as a salesman). And any time I'm feeling down, I just remember: "Fat guy in a little coat." "Hey, Prehistoric Forest!" "Holy Schnikees!" "Hey, quit playin' with yer dinghy!" plus many other lines, LOL LOL Those will always cheers me up!

I watch this film (or portions of it) every time it comes on television. I don't buy many DVDs, but this is one I will definitely make an exception for eventually. Chris Farley and David Spade's antics have been well documented in the other reviews, but in addition to the comedy, you might also find yourself shedding a bit of a sentimental tear. There is one particular scene that had me going from tears of sentiment to tears of laughter in a matter of seconds (the sing-a-long in the car - you know the one if you've seen the movie). Even Rob Lowe had some very funny moments. Frankly, I don't know how they ever managed to finish this movie, as I wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face had I been one of the actors. I imagine there were a lot of re-takes.

If nothing else, this certainly has to feature the funniest cow-tipping scene ever filmed, though I'd be hard pressed to cite other such scenes. Unlike many of the recent comedies, this one is funny throughout. Highly recommended.