Tommy Boy

Last updated
Tommy Boy
Tommy Boy.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Peter Segal
Written by Bonnie Turner
Terry Turner
Produced by Lorne Michaels
Starring
Cinematography Victor J. Kemper
Edited byWilliam Kerr
Music by David Newman
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • March 31, 1995 (1995-03-31)
Running time
97 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million [2]
Box office$32.7 million [1]

Tommy Boy is a 1995 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, produced by Lorne Michaels, and starring former Saturday Night Live castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David Spade. The first of many films that Segal has filmed with former SNL castmates, it tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man (Farley) who learns lessons about friendship and self-worth, following the sudden death of his industrialist father.

Contents

Shot primarily in Toronto and Los Angeles under the working title "Rocky Road", Tommy Boy received mixed reviews from critics [3] and was a commercial disappointment, grossing $32.7 million on a budget of $20 million. Since its release, however, Tommy Boy has become a cult film and been also successful on home video. [4] [5]

Plot

After seven years at college, friendly but dim-witted Thomas R. "Tommy" Callahan III barely graduates from Marquette University and returns to his hometown of Sandusky, Ohio. His father, widowed industrialist Thomas R. "Big Tom" Callahan Jr., gives him an executive job at the family's auto parts plant, Callahan Auto, and reveals he will marry Beverly Barrish-Burns, whom he had met at a fat farm, with her son Paul effectively becoming Tommy's new stepbrother. However, Big Tom suddenly suffers a fatal heart attack during the wedding reception. After the funeral, doubting the company will survive without Big Tom, the bank reneges on promises of a loan for a new brake pad division, requiring that the company's debts be resolved immediately. Tommy suggests that he will let the bank hold his few inherited shares and house in exchange for the bank giving time to sell 500,000 brake pads to prove the new division's viability; if he succeeds, the bank will underwrite the venture. Tommy then sets out on a cross-country sales trip with Big Tom's sardonic and sycophantic assistant Richard Hayden, a childhood acquaintance who is particularly antagonistic towards Tommy.

Meanwhile, sales manager Michelle Brock, a high school classmate of Tommy's, notices Beverly and Paul kissing romantically; they reveal themselves as married con artists with criminal records. Instead of eventually suing for divorce and taking half of Big Tom's estate, Beverly has inherited a controlling interest in the company. To convert that into cash, she seeks a quick sale to self-described "auto parts king" Ray Zalinsky, owner and operator of rival automotive parts company Zalinsky Auto Parts in Chicago. On the road, Tommy's social anxiety and hyperactivity alienate several potential buyers. The lack of any progress leads to tension between Tommy and Richard, culminating in a fistfight. After witnessing Tommy persuade a surly waitress to serve him at a restaurant after the kitchen has closed, Richard suggests he use his skill at reading people to make sales. The two reconcile and quickly reach their sales goal. However, Paul sabotages the company's computers, causing sales posted by Michelle to be either lost or rerouted. With half of the sales now canceled, the bank (now backed by Beverly and Paul) decides to sell Callahan Auto to Zalinsky. Hoping to persuade Zalinsky to reconsider, Tommy and Richard board a plane to Chicago posing as flight attendants. In Chicago, they briefly meet with Zalinsky, but he tells them he desires the reputation connected with the Callahan brand, planning to shutter the company and lay off its workers.

Tommy and Richard are denied entrance to the Zalinsky board room since Tommy has no standing. As they wallow on the curb in self-pity, Michelle quickly arrives with Paul and Beverly's police records. Tommy devises a plan: dressed as a suicide bomber by using road flares, he attracts the attention of a live television news crew and, along with Michelle and Richard, forces his way back into the board room. Back in Sandusky, Callahan workers watch the drama on television. In a final move of pure persuasion, Tommy quotes Zalinsky's own advertising slogan, claiming he stands for the "American working man." As the television audience watches, Zalinsky signs Tommy's purchase order for 500,000 brake pads. Although Zalinsky nullifies the purchase order as he will soon own Callahan Auto, Michelle shows the police records, which includes Paul's outstanding warrants for fraud. Since Beverly is still married to Paul, her marriage to Big Tom was bigamous and therefore never legal. Thus, all of Big Tom's controlling shares actually belong to Tommy, the rightful heir. Since Tommy does not want to sell the shares, the deal with Zalinsky is off, and since Tommy still holds Zalinsky's purchase order, the company is saved. After Paul attempts escape but is arrested, Zalinsky admits defeat and invites Beverly to dinner. Back in Sandusky, Tommy gives a speech at the plant saying he will take his presidency of Callahan Auto seriously to keep the workers steadily employed. Sailing in his dinghy on a lake, Tommy tells his father's spirit he will continue his legacy at Callahan and says he must go ashore to have dinner with Michelle and her family, having ignited a relationship with her.

Cast

Release

Home media

Tommy Boy premiered on VHS and LaserDisc on October 10, 1995. [6]

Reception

Box office

Tommy Boy opened on March 31, 1995, and grossed $8 million in its opening weekend, finishing first at the box office. The film had a total box office gross of $32.7 million. [7]

Critical reception

Tommy Boy received mixed reviews from critics upon its release. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 39% approval rating, based on 46 reviews, with an average rating of 5.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though it benefits from the comic charms of its two leads, Tommy Boy too often feels like a familiar sketch stretched thin." [3] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 46 out of 100, based on reviews from 20 critics, indicating "Mixed or average reviews". [8] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A− on scale of A to F. [9]

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, calling it "sweet natured" and a "good belly laugh of a movie". [10] Brian Webster of the Online Film Critics Society also received the film positively, saying that the film would please Farley fans. Dan Marcucci and Nancy Serougi of the Broomfield Enterprise said the film was "Farley at his best", [3] [ better source needed ] and Scott Weinberg of DVDTalk.com said that it was "pretty damn funny". [11] In the 2015 film I Am Chris Farley , many of his fellow SNL peers praised Farley's performance; Dan Aykroyd stated that the movie showcased Farley's quality and range as an actor, while Jay Mohr noted that audiences were able to see Farley's sensitive and vulnerable side.

Among the negative reviews, Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert only gave the film one star out of four, writing that: "Tommy Boy is one of those movies that plays like an explosion down at the screenplay factory. You can almost picture a bewildered office boy, his face smudged with soot, wandering through the ruins and rescuing pages at random. Too bad they didn't mail them to the insurance company instead of filming them." [12] The film is on Ebert's "Most Hated" list. [13] Caryn James of The New York Times wrote that the film was "the very poor cousin of a dopey Jim Carrey movie". [14] Owen Gleiberman graded the film a "C" on an A+ to F scale, [15] and Ken Hanke of Mountain Xpress said that it was a "Passably funny star vehicle. Nothing great." [3] [ better source needed ]

Bo Derek was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress.

Dedication

Tommy Boy and the 1994 horror film Wes Craven's New Nightmare are dedicated to Gregg Fonseca (1952–1994), who died eight months before the release of Tommy Boy. While Fonseca did not work on either film, he served as production designer on the first two Nightmare on Elm Street films, as well as Coneheads and both Wayne's World films which, like Tommy Boy, were produced by Lorne Michaels.

Soundtrack

Warner Bros. soundtrack release
  1. "I Love It Loud (Injected Mix)" – written by Gene Simmons & Vincent Cusano, performed by Phunk Junkeez
  2. "Graduation" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  3. "Silver Naked Ladies" – Paul Westerberg
  4. "Lalaluukee" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  5. "Call On Me" – Primal Scream
  6. "How Do I Look?" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  7. "Wait for the Blackout" – written by The Damned (Scabies/Sensible/Gray/Vanian/Billy Karloff), performed by The Goo Goo Dolls
  8. "Bong Resin" – David Spade
  9. "My Hallucination" – Tommy Shaw & Jack Blades
  10. "Air" – written by Pamela Laws & Nancy Hess, performed by Seven Day Diary
  11. "Fat Guy In Little Coat" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  12. "Superstar" – written by Leon Russell, Delaney Bramlett, & Bonnie Bramlett, performed by The Carpenters
  13. "Jerk Motel" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  14. "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago" – Soul Coughing
  15. "My Pretty Little Pet" – Chris Farley
  16. "Come On Eileen" – Dexys Midnight Runners
  17. "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" – R.E.M.
  18. "Eres Tú" – written by Juan Carlos Calderón, performed by Mocedades
  19. "Housekeeping" – Chris Farley & David Spade
  20. "My Lucky Day" – Smoking Popes
Other songs featured in the film
  1. "What'd I Say" – written by Ray Charles, performed by Chris Farley and Brian Dennehy
  2. "Maniac" – written by Michael Sembello and Dennis Matkosky
  3. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" – written by Eddie Holland & Norman Whitfield, performed by Louis Price
  4. "Amazing Grace" – performed by The Pipes and Drums and Military of The King's Own Scottish Borderers
  5. "Crazy" – written by Willie Nelson, performed by Patsy Cline
  6. "I'm Sorry" – written by Ronnie Self & Dub Allbritten, performed by Brenda Lee
  7. "Ooh Wow" – written by Sidney Cooper, performed by Buckwheat Zydeco
  8. "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" – written by Pat MacDonald, performed by Timbuk 3
  9. "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down" – Cliff Friend & Dave Franklin

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ron Howard</span> American filmmaker and actor (b. 1954)

Ronald William Howard is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six decade career, Howard has received two Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2003 and was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 2013. Howard has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions in film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Sandler</span> American comedian and actor (born 1966)

Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor and comedian. Primarily a comedic leading actor in films, his accolades include nominations for three Grammy Awards, five Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2023, Sandler was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Farley</span> American comedian and actor (1964–1997)

Christopher Crosby Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was known for his loud, energetic comedic style, and was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live for five seasons from 1990 to 1995. He went on to pursue a film career, appearing in films such as Airheads, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Almost Heroes.

<i>Nine Months</i> 1995 romantic comedy film by Chris Columbus

Nine Months is a 1995 American romantic comedy film produced, written and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff Goldblum and Robin Williams. It is a remake of the French film, Neuf mois, and served as Grant's first US starring role. It was filmed on location in the San Francisco Bay Area. The original music score was composed by Hans Zimmer. It was released on July 12, 1995, and received mixed reviews from critics, grossing $138 million worldwide.

<i>Joe Dirt</i> 2001 film by Dennie Gordon

Joe Dirt is a 2001 American adventure comedy film, directed by Dennie Gordon, starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Adam Beach, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf, and produced by Robert Simonds. The plot revolves around a young poor white man, Joe Dirt, who at first seems to be a loser. As he travels in search of his parents, his finer qualities are increasingly revealed. He ends up with a new family of close friends, people he has helped and who respect him. While critical reception was mostly negative, the film was a modest financial success, eventually becoming a cult favorite. A sequel, Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, premiered on Crackle on July 16, 2015.

<i>Black Sheep</i> (1996 film) 1996 American film

Black Sheep is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris, written by Fred Wolf, starring Chris Farley and David Spade, co-starring Tim Matheson, Christine Ebersole, and Gary Busey. The film follows a political aide who is assigned to control the brother of a candidate for Governor of Washington, who helps his brother's campaign. It grossed $32.3 million during its U.S. theatrical run.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Dennehy</span> American actor (1938–2020)

Brian Manion Dennehy was an American actor of stage, television, and film. He won two Tony Awards, an Olivier Award, and a Golden Globe, and received six Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Dennehy had roles in over 180 films and in many television and stage productions. His film roles included First Blood (1982), Gorky Park (1983), Silverado (1985), Cocoon (1985), F/X (1986), Presumed Innocent (1990), Tommy Boy (1995), Romeo + Juliet (1996), Ratatouille (2007), and Knight of Cups (2015). Dennehy won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for his role as Willy Loman in the television film Death of a Salesman (2000). Dennehy's final film was Driveways (2020), in which he plays a veteran of the Korean War, living alone, who befriends a young, shy boy who has come with his mother to clean out his deceased aunt's hoarded home.

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American sketch comedy series that was co-created by Dick Ebersol and Lorne Michaels, with Michaels also serving as the producer. The series premiered on the American broadcast television network NBC on October 11, 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Foley</span> Fictional character

Matt Foley is a fictional character from the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live performed by Chris Farley. Foley is a motivational speaker who exhibits characteristics atypical of someone in that position: whereas motivational speakers are usually successful and charismatic, Foley is abrasive, clumsy, and down on his luck. The character was popular in its original run and went on to become one of Farley's best-known characters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Farley</span> American actor (b. 1965)

Kevin Prindiville Farley is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and director. He is a brother of late American comedian and actor Chris Farley.

<i>Coneheads</i> (film) 1993 film by Steve Barron

Coneheads is a 1993 American science-fiction comedy film from Paramount Pictures, produced by Lorne Michaels, directed by Steve Barron, and starring Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Michelle Burke. The film is based on the NBC Saturday Night Live comedy sketches about aliens stranded on Earth, who have Anglicized their Remulakian surname to "Conehead". Michelle Burke took over the role played by Laraine Newman on SNL. The film also features roles and cameos by actors and comedians from SNL and other television series of the time.

<i>Jury Duty</i> (film) 1995 American film

Jury Duty is a 1995 American courtroom comedy film directed by John Fortenberry, written by Neil Tolkin, Barbara Williams, and Adam Small, and starring Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, Shelley Winters, and Abe Vigoda.

Maria Vacratsis is a Canadian actress. She has been featured in several Canadian television series, including Degrassi: The Next Generation, Little Mosque on the Prairie, Tactical Girls, and Rent-a-Goalie. In addition to her work on television, she has appeared with Chris Farley and David Spade in the 1995 film Tommy Boy and as Aunt Frieda in My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) and its sequel My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016). She also voiced Queen Metaria in the original English dub of Sailor Moon.

<i>Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star</i> 2003 film by Sam Weisman

Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star is a 2003 American comedy film directed by Sam Weisman and starring David Spade, Mary McCormack, Jon Lovitz, Craig Bierko, Alyssa Milano, and Rob Reiner. Spade portrays a child actor who fell into obscurity as an adult and who attempts to revive his career by getting a part in Rob Reiner's next film. In addition, the movie shows Dickie interacting with numerous former child stars, played by over two dozen actual former stars lampooning their careers, such as Leif Garrett, Barry Williams, Corey Feldman, Emmanuel Lewis, Dustin Diamond, and Danny Bonaduce.

<i>Beverly Hills Ninja</i> 1997 American martial arts comedy film

Beverly Hills Ninja is a 1997 American martial arts comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Mark Feldberg and Mitch Klebanoff. The film stars Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan, Nathaniel Parker, with Chris Rock, and Robin Shou. The main plot revolves around Haru, a white orphan boy who is found by a clan of ninjas as an infant in an abandoned treasure chest and is raised by them.

<i>The Swan Princess</i> 1994 American film

The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy film based on the ballet Swan Lake. Featuring Michelle Nicastro, Howard McGillin, Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, Sandy Duncan, and Steve Vinovich, the film is directed by former Disney animation director Richard Rich and scored by Lex de Azevedo. The film was distributed by New Line Cinema in the United States and by Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International outside the US. It was released theatrically on November 18, 1994, and grossed $9.8 million against a $21 million budget, becoming a box-office bomb, partly due to struggling competition with a re-release of The Lion King (1994). The film later became popular through home video releases and has since been followed by a series of direct-to-video sequels starting in 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Love It Loud</span> 1982 song by the American rock band Kiss

"I Love It Loud" is a song by American rock band Kiss. It was released on their 1982 album Creatures of the Night. It has proven to be a staple of the band's live show, being performed on almost every tour the band has done aside from the Reunion and Psycho Circus tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Spade</span> American comedian and actor (born 1964)

David Wayne Spade is an American comedian and actor. After several years as a stand-up comedian, Spade rose to prominence as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1996. Following his departure from SNL, he began an acting career in both film and television, starring or co-starring in the films Tommy Boy (1995), Black Sheep (1996), Senseless (1998), Joe Dirt (2001), Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star (2003), The Benchwarmers (2006), Grown Ups (2010) and its 2013 sequel, The Ridiculous 6 (2015), The Do-Over (2016), and The Wrong Missy (2020).

<i>Divorce American Style</i> 1967 film by Bud Yorkin

Divorce American Style is a 1967 American satirical comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards, Jean Simmons, and Van Johnson. Norman Lear produced the film and wrote the screenplay, based on a story by Robert Kaufman. It focuses on a married couple who opt for divorce when counseling fails to help them resolve their various problems, and the problems presented to divorced people by alimony. The title is an homage to Divorce Italian Style (1961).

<i>I Am Chris Farley</i> 2015 American film

I Am Chris Farley is a 2015 documentary film based on the life of comedian and actor Chris Farley, co-directed by Brent Hodge of Hodgee Films and Derik Murray, who was also a producer, of Network Entertainment. The production features interviews with numerous actors, comedians and others who worked with Farley during his career.

References

  1. 1 2 "Tommy Boy (1995)". Box Office Mojo . IMDb . Retrieved May 16, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Tommy Boy (1995)". TheWrap . Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Tommy Boy (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ Ramer, Dan. "Tommy Boy – BD". DVDFile.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ Busch, Jenna (December 23, 2008). "Tommy Boy Blu-ray Review". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ "'Batman,' 'The Cure' flip-flopped in Japan". El Paso Times. September 29, 1995. p. 61. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. ↑ "Tommy Boy (1995)". The Numbers . Nash Information Services. Retrieved January 25, 2008.
  8. ↑ "Tommy Boy". Metacritic .
  9. ↑ "TOMMY BOY (1995) A-". CinemaScore . Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (March 31, 1995). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Tommy Boy' an Enjoyable, Rowdy Romp". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  11. ↑ Scott Weinberg. "Tommy Boy – Holy Schnike Edition". DVD Talk.
  12. ↑ Ebert, Roger (March 31, 1995). "Tommy Boy". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  13. ↑ Ebert, Roger (August 11, 2005). "Ebert's Most Hated". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved September 5, 2011.
  14. ↑ James, Caryn (31 March 1995). "FILM REVIEW; How Stupid Is Tommy? Maximally". The New York Times . Retrieved July 29, 2007.
  15. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (April 21, 1995). "TOMMY BOY". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved April 10, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.