Tommy Boy

The work of onscreen chemistry can’t be overlooked. Look at the 1995 comedy, “Tommy Boy,” for instance. There’s nothing special about Bonny and Terry Turner’s script – the writing is decent, many of the jokes are obvious and the plot is standard. However, when looking at Chris Farley and David Spade, who first worked together on “Saturday Night Live” and later in “Coneheads,” “Tommy Boy” ended up being funnier than it should’ve been. Jamey Codding said in his review, “In fact, the film became one of the surprise hit comedies of the 1990s and, in the process, propelled Farley and Spade into fleeting superstardom.”

Recent college graduate Tom Callahan II, played by Chris Farley, still relaxing over the fact that he got a D+, goes home to work for his father’s auto parts company. Seeing that his son needs serious guidance and supervision, Big Tom Callahan (Brian Dennehey), a greatly successful businessman who “could sell a ketchup Popsicle to a woman in white gloves,” asks corporate assistant Richard Hayden (David Spade) to help Tommy. However, when Big Tom suddenly passes during his wedding reception, Tommy and Richard drive on a sale trip to try and stop Beverly and Paul Barish (Bo Derek and Rob Lowe), Tommy’s new step-mother and step-brother, from selling Callahan Auto to top competitor Ray Zalinski (Dan Aykroyd).

Besides Farley and Spade, whose performances made them get the MTV Movie Award for Best Onscreen Duo, the rest of the cast is great but understated in their roles; however the casting of Dennehey as Tommy’s father was perfect. Derek and Lowe are fine as Tommy’s tricky extended family, as is Julie Warner, who plays Tommy’s love interest Michelle Brock. Codding said, “With this kind of meager competition, Aykroyd actually stands out in his bit part as automotive giant Ray Zalinski, but "Tommy Boy" is still unequivocally the Farley & Spade show.”

Codding continued, “In one corner, you've got Tommy, a warm-hearted clod whose genuine intentions are all too often thwarted by poor execution. And in the other corner, there's Richard, a cold-hearted jerk whose selfish intentions have led to a lonely, unsuccessful life. This Abbott and Costello-like dynamic forms the heart and soul of the film and produces a horde of classic one-liners ("Does this suit make me look fat?" "No, your face does."), and while Farley and Spade revived this relationship one year later in "Tommy Boy 2" (AKA "Black Sheep"), this will forever stand as the duo's crowning moment. For proof, check out Farley's and Spade's post "Tommy Boy" career paths: The redundant "Black Sheep" was popular with the "Tommy Boy" crowd for obvious reasons, but Farley's next two films, "Beverly Hills Ninja" and "Almost Heroes," were mediocre at best, while Spade starred in blockbusters like "Joe Dirt" and "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," and can currently be seen in commercials shilling for Capital One. Not exactly an upward trend, which makes "Tommy Boy's" success even more remarkable.”

When looking at quotable movies, this one can be a contender with just about any other ‘90s comedy. Sure, it has flaws, but not enough of them to overlook the comedic duo of Farley and Spade. Like its late, funny co-star, “Tommy Boy” is memorable, fascinating and absolutely hilarious. Codding said, “Featuring Chris Farley at his goofiest, zaniest, clumsiest best, this is the way most of us will forever remember the former "SNL" star.” Ironically, the same thing could be said about Spade.

There is a cameo of the hot model, Lorri Bagley, who plays a girl that decides to go skinny dipping at a hotel pool Farley and Spade stay at.

I saw this movie during math class in High School and I found this movie really funny. If you haven’t seen this and you liked Chris Farley, don’t listen to the criticisms the critics gave this and see it for yourself. This is an absolute must, especially for those who are fans of Chris Farley, and comedy fans overall.

Look at next week when I look at two movies that Farley co-starred in, but people don’t really talk about it so much, in “Chris Farley Month.”