Tommy Boy 4K review by Bobby Blakey
There is no denying that Chris Farley was a comedy genius, and his short career had a massive impact on the genre. In 1995 Farley teamed up for the first time outside of SNL with funny man David Spade for the comedy classic Tommy Boy. The film co-stars Rob Lowe, Bo Derek, and Brian Dennehy from Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, 50 First Dates, and more recently the My Spy films director Peter Segal. Does this comedy classic hold up the laughs or will it fail to live up to the legacy of Farley’s career?
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Tommy Boy follows the dimwitted Tommy Callahan who inherits a near-bankrupt automobile parts factory in Sandusky, Ohio after his beloved father dies. His brand-new stepmother, Beverly, wants to cash out and close, but Tommy's sentimental attachment to his father's employees spurs him to make one last-ditch effort to find someone who will buy their products. With his father's tightly wound assistant, Richard, in tow, Tommy hits the road to scare up some new clients.
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I have seen both this one and Black Sheep numerous times throughout the years and they never get old. Getting to revisit this film in its new 4K release
further cemented its hilarity and a reminder just how much I miss Farley and his insane antics. The film holds up to perfection with a few jokes that might not sit well with some mindsets today, but still had me laughing from start to finish despite how dumb it really is.
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Farley is pure gold here. He brings not only the expected laughs, but there are dramatic moments that ease through at random. Beneath his big funny exterior Farley has a brilliant mind and some heavy emotions behind the innocent eyes he saw the world through. There are a couple of moments, most notably when he is on the boat talking about his dad Big Tom where his eyes water as he tries to still bring the laughs. It is a simple but powerful peek into the character’s heart despite him trying to hide those feelings from those around him.
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Knowing the behind-the-scenes conflicts between Farley and Spade you would think that it would hinder their performance, but despite their struggles I think their true friendship still shines through making them the perfect on-screen duo. It is sad we only got this and Black Sheep with them together as I think there was more gold there that I would have loved to see.
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To this day this film holds up so many iconic funny moments and quotable lines that are just as hilarious as the day they first hit the big screen in 95. I still love this film so much and am happy that this new release will keep it in the forefront of fans and hopefully continue introduce more new fans for years to come.
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This release offers up legacy bonus content including commentary, alternate takes, a gallery, TV spots, featurettes, deleted & extended scenes and so much more. Hit the road for a hilarious road trip with Farley and Spade with Tommy Boy on 4K for the first time available now from Paramount Home Entertainment.
