The humor in Tommy Boy is nothing of high quality, and people shouldn't look at it as "the funniest film ever made." It's a mindless, joyous, rowdy ride through non-offensive material with two lead actors giving their all and forming simple and sincere chemistry. Now how can you hate a movie like that? The hate that this film has gotten is undeserving, really. It's nothing more than comedic fluff. Slapstick is a hard thing to achieve, and usually dumb laughs are the only thing a movie in this genre does achieve. Tommy Boy achieves great chemistry between two actors, good laughs, and sincere characters all in its short runtime. To begin with, when dealing with slapstick you need a likable, unoffensive star who is capable of being sweet and goofy. Farley just works. And he shows it explicitly here.
Plot-wise, the film focuses on goofball Tommy Callahan III (Farley) who has just graduated College and is on to take over his father's company, Callahan Autos. His father (Dennehy) is about to get married again, but collapses and dies while dancing on his big night. Callahan Autos is trying to sell half a million brake pads, and now their time is shortened even more seeing as the death of their boss has left them very vulnerable.
Tommy teams up with Richard (Spade), a goody two-shoes employee of his fathers who is jealous of Tommy's nice treatment and ability to be lackadaisical and be rewarded for it, to try and sell as many break pads to different companies across the US so they can make one last attempt to save the company.
As you can imagine, the trip is where the duo are going to encounter the most antics. Some are funny, some are tone-deaf and go on for way too long. Tommy Boy does rip off some more successful films like the pool scene from National Lampoon's Vacation, but after a while, it begins to fade into the background and it's something that isn't obtrusive before long.
This is a different kind of buddy comedy, because the buddies aren't really buddies, but rather, acquaintances. They're not two best friends hanging out, having fun on a road trip. One's antics leave the other one in a state of overwhelming disgust. Richard becomes Tommy's critic, smart-Alec self-conscious, and verbal abuser. In fact, Spade gets the most laughs out of everyone in the film. Farley is usually the but of every joke, as you'd expect. So maybe Farley isn't a good actor as much as he is a good punchline? Director Peter Segal also worked the camera when it was time to shoot Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, so it's possible that a year later he'd like to spoof the buddy comedy genre by ultimately incorporating two characters who just simply tolerate each other for much of the film. Of course that is as far-fetched of an explanation I think I ever went for. Tommy Boy is funny and that's all there is to it. It's charming, creative, and works on the level it wants to.
Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade, Bo Derek, Julie Warner, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Dennehy, and Rob Lowe (uncredited). Directed by: Peter Segal.
Plot-wise, the film focuses on goofball Tommy Callahan III (Farley) who has just graduated College and is on to take over his father's company, Callahan Autos. His father (Dennehy) is about to get married again, but collapses and dies while dancing on his big night. Callahan Autos is trying to sell half a million brake pads, and now their time is shortened even more seeing as the death of their boss has left them very vulnerable.
Tommy teams up with Richard (Spade), a goody two-shoes employee of his fathers who is jealous of Tommy's nice treatment and ability to be lackadaisical and be rewarded for it, to try and sell as many break pads to different companies across the US so they can make one last attempt to save the company.
As you can imagine, the trip is where the duo are going to encounter the most antics. Some are funny, some are tone-deaf and go on for way too long. Tommy Boy does rip off some more successful films like the pool scene from National Lampoon's Vacation, but after a while, it begins to fade into the background and it's something that isn't obtrusive before long.
This is a different kind of buddy comedy, because the buddies aren't really buddies, but rather, acquaintances. They're not two best friends hanging out, having fun on a road trip. One's antics leave the other one in a state of overwhelming disgust. Richard becomes Tommy's critic, smart-Alec self-conscious, and verbal abuser. In fact, Spade gets the most laughs out of everyone in the film. Farley is usually the but of every joke, as you'd expect. So maybe Farley isn't a good actor as much as he is a good punchline? Director Peter Segal also worked the camera when it was time to shoot Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, so it's possible that a year later he'd like to spoof the buddy comedy genre by ultimately incorporating two characters who just simply tolerate each other for much of the film. Of course that is as far-fetched of an explanation I think I ever went for. Tommy Boy is funny and that's all there is to it. It's charming, creative, and works on the level it wants to.
Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade, Bo Derek, Julie Warner, Dan Aykroyd, Brian Dennehy, and Rob Lowe (uncredited). Directed by: Peter Segal.