Tommy Boy Information

Tommy Boy is a 1995 American road comedy film produced by Lorne Michaels, directed by Peter Segal, written by Bonnie and Terry Turner, and starring former Saturday Night Live castmates and close friends Chris Farley and David Spade. The film tells the story of a socially and emotionally immature man (portrayed by Farley) 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. The film was shot primarily in Toronto and Los Angeles.

Plot

After seven years, Thomas R. "Tommy" Callahan III (Chris Farley) barely graduates from Marquette University and returns home to Sandusky, Ohio. His proud father, industrialist, and widower Thomas R. "Big Tom" Callahan, Jr. (Brian Dennehy), gives him an executive job at the family's auto parts plant, Callahan Auto. In addition to the new job and office, Big Tom reveals another set of surprises for his son: He plans to marry Beverly Barrish-Burns (Bo Derek), a woman he had met at a fat farm, and that her son, Paul (Rob Lowe), will become Tommy's new stepbrother. However, Big Tom unexpectedly dies from a sudden heart attack during the wedding reception. After the funeral, doubting the future of the company without Big Tom, the bank reneges on promises of a loan for a new brake pad division and seeks immediate payment of Callahan Auto's debts. In a move surprising even to him, Tommy suggests a deal: Tommy will let the bank hold his few inherited shares and house in exchange for the bank giving time to sell enough brake pads to prove the new division's viability. If enough brake pads are sold by the deadline, the bank will 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 should fail, the bank will use their ownership stake to convince the board to sell the company. Tommy sets out on a cross-nation sales trip with his father's sycophantic assistant, Richard Hayden (David Spade), a childhood acquaintance who thinks Tommy is dim-witted and boorish.

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 in the company. To turn that into cash, she seeks a quick sale to self-described "auto parts king" Ray Zalinsky (Dan Aykroyd). On the road, Tommy's social anxiety and hyperactivity alienate potential buyers. The lack of any progress leads to tension between Tommy and Richard and, in a series of comic pratfalls, near destruction of Richard's 1967 Plymouth GTX. When all seems lost, Tommy persuades a surly waitress to serve him after the kitchen has closed and his confidence is restored. The two mend their friendship and quickly 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. With half of the sales now canceled, the bank, backed by Beverly and Paul, decides to sell Callahan Auto to Zalinsky. Hoping that they can persuade Zalinsky to reconsider, Tommy and Richard travel to Chicago boarding a plane as flight attendants. In Chicago, they get a brief meeting with Zalinsky. He spells it out for them: He wants only the goodwill connected with the Callahan brand. He will close down the company and lay off its 300 workers.

Tommy and Richard are denied entrance to 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 suicide bomber, he attracts the attention of a live television news crew and then forces his way back into the board room. Back in Sandusky, Callahan workers watch the drama on a conveniently placed television. Now in control of the board meeting, and with cameras watching, Tommy reveals his deception; the sticks of dynamite strapped to his chest are actually road flares stolen from a construction site. In a final move of pure persuasion, Tommy quotes Zalinsky's own advertising slogan, that he is 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. With the cameras now 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, all of Big Tom's controlling shares actually belong to Tommy, his rightful heir. Since Tommy does not want to sell them, 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 starts a romance with Michelle and is made president of Callahan Auto.

Cast

• Chris Farley as Thomas "Tommy" Callahan III
• David Spade as Richard Hayden
• Rob Lowe as Paul Barish
• Bo Derek as Beverly Barish-Burns Callahan
• Dan Aykroyd as Ray Zalinsky
• Julie Warner as Michelle Brock
• Brian Dennehy as Thomas "Big Tom" Callahan Jr.
• William Patterson Dunlop as R.T.
• Sean McCann as Frank Rittenhauer
• Zach Grenier as Ted Reilly
• James Blendick as Ron Gilmore
• Clinton Turnbull as Young Tommy
• Ryder Britton as Young Richard
• Philip Williams as Danny
• David 'Skippy' Malloy as Sammy
• Roy Lewis as Louis
• Addison Bell as Mr. Brady
• Maria Vacratsis as Helen
• Colin Fox as Ted Nelson
• Jonathan Wilson as Marty
• Pat Moffatt as Mrs. Nelson
• David Huband as Gas Attendant
• Julianne Gillies as Brady's Receptionist
• Michael Ewing as Ticket Agent

Reception

Tommy Boy opened as the No. 1 movie in the United States on March 31, 1995, eventually falling out of the Top 20 within seven weeks. Total U.S. box office gross was $32,648,673. Despite being popular with audiences, the film received negative reviews from critics upon its initial release.

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." The film is on Ebert's "Most Hated" list. Caryn James of The New York Times wrote that the film was "the very poor cousin of a dopey Jim Carrey movie". Bo Derek won a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress. The film received positive reviews from the Lawrence Journal-World, the Los Angeles Times, and the Arizona Daily Star. Rotten Tomatoes' index rates the film at 45%.

Since its release, some critics have suggested the film is a "cult classic."

Soundtrack

Warner Brothers soundtrack release

1. "I Love It Loud (Injected Mix)" " written by Gene Simmons & Vincent Cusano, performed by Phunk Junkeez
2. Graduation " David Spade
3. "Silver Naked Ladies" " Paul Westerberg
4. Lalaluukee " Chris Farley
5. "Call On Me" " Primal Scream
6. How Do I Look? " 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
12. "Superstar" " written by Leon Russell, Delaney Bramlett, & Bonnie Bramlett, performed by The Carpenters
13. Jerk Motel " 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 " David Spade
20. "My Lucky Day" " Smoking Popes
21. Poop " David Spade

Other songs

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