Plot: What’s it about?
Tommy Boy marked the coming of age of actor Chris Farley. He’d had supporting roles in a few earlier movies (namely Wayne’s World, Billy Madison and Airheads which were all headlined by his SNL buddies), but this is where the duo between Chris Farley and David Spade began. Chris Farley, who died of a drug overdose late in 1997, had a huge career ahead of him. But his life, like John Belushi (whom Farley idolized), was in the fast lane and his candle was snuffed way too early. The movie was directed by Peter Segal, and it’s where Segal found his direction. As evidenced in the supplements to Tommy Boy, Segal had a vision for what he wanted the movie to be. When supplied with the right talent (Farley and Spade), sparks flew and the rest, as they say, is history. Now don’t get me wrong, Tommy Boy certainly isn’t the funniest movie ever made and it didn’t exactly break new ground as far as movies go. But it was a defining movie that will always be looked back upon.
Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) had just graduated from college in just seven short years. He’s heading back home to work at the company business headed by his father (Brian Dennehy) who’s about to unveil a new brake pad that’ll bring things to a new level. However at his wedding to Beverly (Bo Derek), “Big Tom” has a heart attack leaving the company to her and her snotty son, Paul (Rob Lowe). In an effort to save the company from going bankrupt, Tommy and cohort Richard (David Spade) hit the road to sell the new product. Along the way they hit plenty of snags, but it turns out Tommy’s a good salesman. The company is in danger of being purchased by Zalinsky (Dan Aykroyd) and his company unless Tommy and Richard can save it.
At the time the movie was made, late 1994, Farley and Spade were still regular cast members on “Saturday Night Live” and though trying, they did manage to make this movie and perform their roles on television as well. The movie was somewhat of a hit at the time but has since grown into “cult classics” status. It inspired somewhat of a spin-off the next year with Black Sheep, which wasn’t quite as good or nearly as inspired. If you look below the surface, you’ll see that Tommy Boy actually has some good qualities to it. Yes, the good guys win at the end and the bad guy (Rob Lowe) gets what’s coming to him but friendship, teamwork and perseverance are certainly evident in this comedy. It’s been a while since my tenure in college but I’m willing to bet that this movie is being watched in dorm rooms and fraternity houses all across the country and it will be for some time to come. For those out there who haven’t seen it or thought that Chris Farley was just another “big fat guy comic”, Tommy Boy will prove them wrong.
Video: How does it look?
I had high hopes when I popped in Tommy Boy as it’s a personal favorite of mine. Thankfully Paramount’s 1.85:1 HEVC 4K transfer didn’t really disappoint. This was personally supervised by Director Peter Segal and, for lack of a better term, it shows. I noticed a clarity that I hadn’t seen in the previous offerings and that’s not to say that they were bad, but the new 4K image steps it up a notch. It can be hit and miss with some films (even those from the 90’s), but thankfully Tommy Boy has come up with the long end of the stick. Colors are generally strong and detail is better than I’ve seen it look on this film. There’s a tad bit of grain in some of the earlier scenes, but those are few and far between. Contrast has been improved as well and what we’re left with is a generally good-looking transfer. It was worth the wait.
Audio: How does it sound?
Tommy Boy isn’t the most audio-heavy movie out there, but it does have a few moments namely when the deer is stuck in the car. The soundtrack is full of songs from the 70’s and 80’s and they all sound better than ever in a Dolby TrueHD track. Surround effects are pretty few and far between, though dialogue is generally strong and well-centered. This is a notch above the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack that was present on the standard DVD and as mentioned, Tommy Boy wasn’t really made to blow the roof off the place but what we have here is a better than average soundtrack and it shows.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Audio Commentary – Director Peter Segal obviously has a high regard for this film and his comments are reflected in his commentary track. After listening to this and the featurettes, there is a lot of redundant information but better too much than not enough.
- Featurettes – Four total, with none offering mind-blowing info., but still on the “nice to have” list.
- Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter – This is a look at the film, how it came to fruition and the names and faces behind it.
- Stories from the Side of the Road – We meet the characters are described in more detail as well as a lot of behind the scenes footage with Farley and Spade
- Just the Two of Us – We take a look at Chris Farley and David Spade’s on and off camera relationship. The two played off of each other like a modern day Laurel and Hardy and their bond is shown in detail.
- Growing Up Farley – Chris Farley’s two brothers tell some stories of him, how crazy he was growing up and how happy he was while acting.
- Storyboard Comparisons – Just that. Some rough footage that shows how it translated on screen.
- Deleted and Extended Scenes – Half a dozen total shown with a Director’s introduction and why the scene was cut. These are shown in varying degrees of quality, but Segal’s comments at least tell us why things ended up the way they were I mean did we really need a scene of Rob Lowe using his hairspray to light a dog on fire?
- Alternate Takes – Similar to the above, we get half a dozen “alternate takes” which is fairly common with comedians and their roles.
- Gag Reel
- Photo Gallery
- TV Spots
- Theatrical Trailer
The Bottom Line
Three decades have passed since the release of this, yes I think we can call it a…classic. This new version brings us a couple of things of note: A cool-looking Steelbook cover and a new 4K transfer. Everything else is the same. But if you’re feeling nostalgic and/or just want to have the most definitive version of this film in your collection – look no further.
