| Tommy Boy | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Peter Segal |
| Produced by | Lorne Michaels |
| Written by | Bonnie Turner Terry Turner Fred Wolf (uncredited) |
| Starring | Chris Farley David Spade Bo Derek Julie Warner Dan Aykroyd Brian Dennehy Rob Lowe |
| Music by | David Newman |
| Cinematography | Victor J. Kemper |
| Editing by | William Kerr |
| Studio | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 31, 1995 |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $32,679,899[1] |
Tommy Boy is a 1995 road comedy film directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, and Fred Wolf. It stars former Saturday Night Live colleagues Chris Farley and David Spade. The film tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man who learns lessons about friendship and self-worth following the sudden death of his industrialist father. The film did well commercially, but received mixed reviews from critics.[2]
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At Marquette University, Thomas R. "Tommy" Callahan III (Chris Farley) barely graduates after seven years and returns home to Sandusky, Ohio. His proud father, industrialist and widower Thomas "Big Tom" Callahan, Jr. (Brian Dennehy), gives him an executive job at the family's auto parts plant, Callahan Auto. In addition to the job and a new office, Big Tom reveals another surprise for his son: a woman he had met at a fat farm, Beverly Barrish-Burns (Bo Derek). They are to be married soon, and as a consequence, Tommy will have a stepbrother, Beverly's son Paul (Rob Lowe).
Big Tom unexpectedly dies from a sudden heart attack at the wedding reception. After the funeral, the bank reneges on promises of a loan for a new brake pad division, the key to Big Tom's strategy for the company. Doubting the future of the company without Big Tom, the bank seeks payment of Callahan Auto's debts. In a move that surprises even himself, Tommy suggests a deal: If Tommy offers his number of inherited shares, and house as collateral and if he sells enough orders for brake pads to prove the new division's viability, the bank should grant the loan. The bankers agree, and set Tommy's goal at proven sales of 500,000 brake pads. The bankers remind Tommy that if he fails the bank will use the ownership stake of Tommy's former shares to convince the board of directors to sell the company.
Tommy sets out on a cross-nation sales trip with his father's former assistant, Richard Hayden (David Spade). Richard, a childhood friend and long jealous of Tommy's ability to be lazy and yet be rewarded, agrees to the last-ditch effort to save the company.
Meanwhile, Beverly and Paul are shown kissing romantically. They are not mother and son, but married con artists with criminal records. Their plan to steal from Big Tom has paid off early. Instead of eventually suing for divorce and taking half of Big Tom's estate, Beverly has inherited controlling interest of the company. To turn that into cash, she seeks a sale to self-described "auto parts king" Ray Zalinsky (Dan Aykroyd).
On the road, Tommy's social awkwardness and hyperactivity alienate potential buyers. These failures lead to arguments between Tommy and Richard. Pratfalls between the pair lead to the dilapidation of Richard's classic 1967 Plymouth GTX. But, when Tommy persuades a surly waitress to serve him after the kitchen has closed, he finds his confidence. The pair mend their friendship and make their sales goal.
However, Paul sabotages the company's computers, causing sales posted by sales manager Michelle Brock (Julie Warner) to be lost or rerouted. Customers cancel their orders. The bank, backed by Beverly and Paul, decides to sell Callahan Auto to Zalinsky. On the eve of the sale, Zalinsky does not hide his plans: He only wants the goodwill connected with the Callahan brand name. He will close down the company and lay off its 300 workers. Tommy and Richard travel to Chicago to persuade Zalinsky to drop the deal.
In Chicago, Tommy and Richard are removed from the Zalinsky board room since Tommy has no standing. After briefly wallowing on the curb in self-pity, Michelle arrives with Paul and Beverly's police records. Tommy devises 'a plan:' Dressed as a bogus suicide bomber, he attracts a live television news camera crew and then forces his way back into the board room. In Sandusky, Callahan workers watch the drama on a conveniently placed television. Having gained the attention of Zalinsky and the Callahan board, Tommy reveals his deception; the sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest are just road flares stolen from a construction site. In a final move of pure persuasion, Tommy quotes Zalinsky's own advertising claim to be on the side of the "American working man." As a TV audience watches, Zalinsky signs Tommy's purchase order for "half-a-million" brake pads. Workers in Sandusky cheer. The TV crew, thinking the story dramatically concluded, leaves the scene.
With the cameras gone, Zalinsky says that the purchase order is meaningless, as he will soon own Callahan Auto. However, Michelle shows her police documents, which includes Paul's outstanding warrants for fraud. The group around the table works through the logic together: Since Beverly is still married to Paul, her marriage to Big Tom was bigamy, and therefore never legal. Thus, the shares actually belong to Tommy.
Since Tommy does not want to sell, the deal with Zalinsky is off. And, since Tommy still holds Zalinsky's purchase order, the company is saved. Paul attempts to escape, but is arrested. Zalinsky admits that Tommy outplayed him and invites Beverly to dinner. And, in a happy ending, Tommy is introduced to the employees in Sandusky as the new leader of Callahan Auto.
Tommy Boy opened as the No. 1 movie in the United States on March 31, 1995,[3] eventually falling out of the Top 20 within seven weeks. Total U.S. box office gross was $32,648,673.[3]
The film did well financially, but received mixed reviews from critics upon its initial release. Rotten Tomatoes' index rates the film at 45%.[2]
Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert wrote: ""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."[4] The film is on Ebert's "Most Hated" list.[5]
The New York Times'Caryn James said the film was "the very poor cousin of a dopey Jim Carrey movie".[6] Bo Derek's performance in Tommy Boy earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
The film received positive reviews from the Lawrence Journal-World, the Los Angeles Times, and the Arizona Daily Star.[2] Since its release, some critics have declared the film is a "cult classic".[7] [8]
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