“Tommy Boy” has a great charm about it.
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How do I criticize a movie that I think is a nearly perfect comedy? I figure it´s fair that I lay out my bias immediately. When I first experienced "Tommy Boy" back in the mid-90s, I knew nothing about either Chris Farley or David Spade. Not being one to stay home and watch television on a Saturday night, I was unfamiliar with their substantial body of work on "Saturday Night Live." What I did see was an incredibly funny comedy featuring two men who had diametrically-opposing personalities that, when put in conflict, resulted in hilarity.
"Tommy Boy" is the story of an idiot man-child, Tom Callahan, Jr. who is thrust into responsibility when his father dies. Times have been tough in the small, blue collar town that Tommy grew up in. Factories have been shutting down and Callahan Auto is the only thing holding it together. Three hundred people are depending on Tommy to spur incredible interest in a new brake line and make the plant viable… or else they´ll be bought out and closed.
The comedy in this particular film comes from Farley´s ebullient style. He´s loud and boisterous without a hint of self-conscienceness. If he held back, it wouldn´t work. But because everything is big, from the physical comedy involving his girth to minor head trauma, Farley makes the movie funny.
David Spade´s Richard is exactly the opposite. Snarky and self-involved, Spade plays Richard as an intellectual foil to Farley´s Tommy. Whereas Tommy stutters and sputters when in conflict, Richard always has a line to make himself feel superior. His insults belie a person who, through life, was never accepted into social circles so in turn he becomes angry at the world and lashes out through words.
When Tommy is forced to go out on the road to save Callahan Auto, Richard is assigned to guide him through the process. The "Odd Couple" pairing results in some of the most hilarious moments. The film becomes a road comedy, only while the participants are working toward the same goal, they don´t like each other very much. The result is a compressed dynamic that allows for a variety of comedy settings.
The best part about "Tommy Boy" is that it is, by and large, a fun movie. Although there are a couple of racier scenes, including one where Richard is busting while playing with himself while looking at a woman skinny dipping and another when he pulls a prank on Tommy involving housekeeping, the movie is clean fun. It doesn´t have a lot of gross out humor and doesn´t need to swear to be funny.
Plus the film is infinitely quotable. Though I´ve got the movie near memorized, I still laugh uproariously at "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" and the scene where Tommy quizzes Richard on his favorite "Lil´ Rascal."
"Tommy Boy" has a great charm about it. A comedic wonder, it also houses a story of personal growth as Tommy understands the responsibility he has been given and Richard learns how to get along with others. Rob Lowe is delicious as the deviant brother-in-law who works to sabotage Tommy´s plans, and Julie Warner sweet as Tommy´s love interest. The entire cast, from Brian Dennehy to Bo Derek, is excellent in their roles, no matter the size. And it´s all topped off by a theme of thriving against adversity in blue collar America, something I think we can all get behind. "Tommy Boy" is an excellent movie that will be remembered for years to come.
Video:
The anamorphic 1.78:1 video transfer looks very good. The original DVD wasn´t bad and I can´t say that I notice a significant improvement at all. The colors are solid, there are few if any artifacts like scratches or marks. Lines are definite and while there is a little edge enhancement, it´s only noticeable during the titles.
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[release]16410[/release]