MIDDLE-AGED MATINEE! #23 - 'Tommy Boy' (1995)

4/5 Stars

One day, my parents came into the house and told me that they had rented a film for me to watch in my room. It was a comedy called “Tommy Boy” and after I watched it, I rewound the tape and watched it again. Then, I rewound the tape and watched it one more time.

My parents were surprised by how much I loved this movie about a dimwit son who must sell enough brake pads in order to save his recently deceased father’s factory. The biggest reason for this movie’s success is easily due to two things: the genius of the late and great Chris Farley and his undeniable chemistry with David Spade.

Tommy Callahan III (Farley) is expected to take over Callahan Auto from his father, “Big Tom” Callahan (Brian Dennehy). No one really believes that Tommy can do the job, especially Richard Hayden (Spade), Big Tom’s cynical assistant who Tommy terrorized when they were younger.

Chris Farley and David Spade star in 'Tommy Boy'!

After Big Tom unexpectedly dies, Tommy puts up his shares to the bank in exchange for time to sell over 500,000 brake pads to show that the new division of the plant that his father threw all the money into is a viable investment. Tommy then recruits Richard to accompany him on a road trip across America to sell the pads and this unlikeliest of duos must come through or Callahan Auto will go under for good.

The movie is a classic screwball comedy with a great comedy duo at the center of it. Spade’s more sarcastic wit pairs well with Farley’s playfully dumb performance as Tommy. There are also stakes as not only is the factory under the gun, but Tommy and Richard must also thwart the plans of con artist Beverly Burns-Barrish (Bo Derek), Tommy’s stepmom who wants to sell her inherited shares to a rival company while her son Paul (Rob Lowe) tries to sabotage Tommy’s efforts to sell more brake pads.

To put it simply, this is one of my favorite comedies and I feel it has earned its cult classic status. Farley and Spade would go on to make another film together, “Black Sheep”, in 1996 and they were talking about making a third film together when Farely sadly passed away in ‘97.

I would have loved to have seen the universe where Farley is still alive and he and Spade had become one of the best comedy duos in films. Thankfully, we did get “Tommy Boy”, a film that Spade can be proud that he made, but it is also a movie where Farley gave a great comedic performance in a movie where, in a way, he can live on forever.