The DVD Dissection: Tommy Boy - Holy Schnike Edition (Blu-Ray)
Posted by Chad Webb on 12.31.2008
"He could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves." Lines like that keep this comedy alive.
Chris Farley: Tommy
David Spade: Richard
Brian Dennehy: Big Tom
Bo Derek: Beverly
Rob Lowe: Paul Barish
Dan Aykroyd: Zalinsky
Julie Warner: Michelle
Sean McCann: Rittenhauer
Directed By: Peter Segal
Written By: Bonnie and Terry Turner
Theatrical Release Date: March 31, 1995
DVD Release Date: December 16, 2008
Running Time: 97 minutes
Rated PG-13 for sex-related humor, some drug content and nudity.
The Film
In his original 1995 review of Tommy Boy, Roger Ebert wrote the following: "No one is funny in Tommy Boy. There are no memorable lines." I often wonder when a critic makes such bold statements, ones that turn out to be totally untrue, if inside they are deeply embarrassed. Make no mistake; the plot of this film is a disaster of clichés and rip-offs. So why then has the film been re-released on DVD so many times? Why do we always find scenes from this movie in comedy montages? And why is it still so much fun to watch? The answer is not limited to just Chris Farley. He is indeed hilarious, but it is his chemistry with David Spade, and how the duo plays off one another that makes this worth admiring again and again.
I might as well unload my main problem with Tommy Boy right away, so I leave you with happy thoughts, and a sweet aftertaste, instead of one that induces bitter comments at the bottom of the page. The screenplay by the uncredited Fred Wolf and the Turners, the direction from Peter Segal, and even the acting from the main characters steals so much from Plains, Trains, and Automobiles (one of my favorite films) that it will make your head spin in violent circles. It does this with such blatant lack of respect and remorse, that it is impossible to not knock a few points of the final rating. For instance, you have the damaged car, the singing in the damaged car, one uptight prick, one overweight buffoon, selling merchandise for money, and I could go on. Aside from that, the minor squabbles are not all that important, like the premature killing of Brian Dennehy, the mysteriousness of Rob Lowe's character, and the lame wind ending. Anyway, I'll move along.
The plot is simple enough to understand. After all, this is a Chris Farley vehicle produced by Lorne Michaels, not David Lynch. Thomas "Tommy" Callahan III (Chris Farley) has recently graduated college. He had been attending for 7 years, and now he is finally free. Apparently, he had no academic major because his future ambitions are fuzzy until an easy position from his father's auto parts company lands on his lap. Tommy and his family live in Sandusky, Ohio where their parts factory employs hundreds of people, and is a valued manufacturer of the area. They are launching a new brake pad division. In addition, Big Tom Callahan (Brian Dennehy) is getting married to a woman named Beverly (Bo Derek), who comes with baggage, a son named Paul (Rob Lowe). Unfortunately, all the plans change when Big Tom drops dead at the wedding reception. Without him, the company is in shambles, and the biggest rival, Zalinsky Auto, has made an offer to buy. Beverly stands to gain a lot of money by selling, but the board wants to make sure they have exhausted all options. Tommy then volunteers to sell the new brake pads with the help of his father's right hand man, Richard (David Spade). They set out on the road in hopes of making sales, while Beverly and her "son" are busy planning other misdeeds back home.
It goes without saying that Chris Farley's early death was tragic. Who knows where his career could have gone if he had controlled his addictions. Working with pal David Spade was the only period that could be labeled his peak. Prior to Tommy Boy, his supporting roles and cameos in other Lorne Michaels flicks starring Saturday Night Live alumni, were consistently memorable. The bus driver from Billy Madison, the cop from Airheads, the concert security guard from Wayne's World, and the mechanic from Coneheads. He has an intense presence. Even when his antics are overly silly, you can't help but look and laugh at how enthusiastic and crazy with passion Farley is in every scene. Tommy Boy is easily the best example of his talents, and his first foray into the "lovable overweight dimwit" persona.
I'll never forget the expressions on David Spade's face during any number of SNL sketches with Farley. One can clearly see he is doing his best to hide his laughter, but how difficult it must be when Farley never breaks character. Spade mixed Farley's slapstick with his own blend of sarcasm and arrogant comebacks. His reactions and disgust at Tommy's constant mishaps made them funnier. Take the scene where Tommy dodges the row of hooks in the factory. You see Farley performing his martial arts, and it deserves a chuckle at best. Compare that to the moment he talks in the fan mimicking Darth Vader. Spade enters the room and says "Aww, I've interrupted happy time", and the viewers roar. Rob Lowe fills a similar gap in a couple of sequences, but Spade cannot be completely replaced. As Richard, the brains at Callahan Auto, he spends so much time being a smart-ass, that he has no friends whatsoever. Together, Spade and Farley make an unstoppable team, one that can pull off flagrant imitations of other films jokes. Imagine what they could have accomplished with superior writing.
Chris Farley commonly performed all of his own stunts, and this was terrific since his size, and the physicality he afforded would be hard to replicate. He was also known as the innovator of "anti-slapstick" comedy style; ie. man walks into doorframe, curses and screams in pain for long period of time. His next film was another adventure with David Spade, called Black Sheep, with an equally as ridiculous premise, and almost as many hysterical sequences. Farley's efforts are undoubtedly the guilty pleasures of many. I was not fond of Beverly Hills Ninja or Almost Heroes, but both have loyal fans. Spade's own career never had the energy or heart after Farley's passing. He would appear in handful of humorous films, but several were duds.
No one but Farley could make eating french fries while simultaneously squirting a ketchup packet in his mouth funny. That is one of the many scenes that still echoes in my mind when Farley's name is mentioned. Another recurring moment I'll see on television or on tribute packages is Lowe watering down Farley as he is covered in mud singing "Maniac", reminiscent of Flashdance. A friend of mine has a ringtone that begins with Spade impersonating a maid as Farley's is trying to sleep. You get the picture by now. Tommy Boy is saturated with segments that make us smile, and prompt us to get up, and pop the disc in the player one more time.
It was definitely the sense of timing and smooth pacing on Tommy Boy that garnered Director Peter Segal high profile future efforts. Of his entire resume, one could argue that nothing is above average. Segal switches on and off between films that are horrendous and those which are adequate. My Fellow Americans, Anger Management, 50 First Dates, and Get Smart occupy the latter category, whereas The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, and The Longest Yard remake are the former. However, his ventures always give the studio a huge return, so he will be around for awhile longer.
One can describe Tommy Boy in any number of ways that are accurate, but are overused. They are: odd couple movie, road movie, situational comedy, buddy comedy, and I probably missed one. The fact is, multiple dippings on DVD, constant airings on television, and regular revisits at parties have kept Tommy Boy's strange charm in the minds of millions. It is certainly Farley’s best, but also the best of Peter Segal. And because I feel like it, here are the top 5 reasons why Tommy Boy is still awesome: 5) Richard's narration of the hot girl skinny dipping. 4) the "fat guy in a little coat" dance, 3) Bo Derek's emergence from the pool, 2) setting the antique model cars on fire, and 1) Chris Farley's outrageous hair.
It was not the complexities of the characters that people paid to see. It was the level of wildness, and how genuinely Farley acted the bits that got the world's attention. Here is a quote from the man himself: "Basically, I only play one character; I just play him at different volumes." At least he is honest. That is really what Farley brought to the table, honesty, in his comedy, in the delivery of his lines, and the truthful love for his craft. That is why he is still remembered to this day.
The Video
Similar to Old School, this picture transfer is nice, but not nearly a substantial enough of an improvement to consider upgrading. That is, unless you want to have your entire DVD library on Blu-Ray. Slight grain is detectable is many areas, specifically for the distant shots, or when the camera pulls back. The set design lacks detail, so these flaws tend to stand out. Nevertheless, the factory scenes look the best with bright colors and proper lighting. Thankfully, this film takes place during the day mainly, so the high-definition has chances to flex its muscles. This is presented with a 1.85:1 Non-Anamorphic (1080p Widescreen) aspect ratio.
The Audio
The audio department on Tommy Boy has even less to do than on Old School. At least that film had some loud songs to get the speakers moving. This contains some tunes, but they do not stand out, nor cause eye-opening reactions in terms of bass power. This comedy is primarily talking, though it does have some nice sound effects like Farley walking into glass walls, the deer ripping through the car, and stimulated car crashes. I found all the dialogue to be lucid, clear, and free of distortion. David Newman's score emanates as solid for volume level. This includes a TrueHD 5.1 Surround (English) track, as well as ones in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround (Spanish) and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (French). Subtitles in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese are also available.
The Packaging
Tommy Boy - The Holy Schnike Edition is distributed in a standard slimline blue case for Blu-Ray. The artwork is the same as it was on the standard DVD. The menu is comprised of a road and lines of the film being spoke. They are easy to navigate.
The Extras
Audio Commentary - This commentary is only with Director Peter Segal, but he talks a lot, and does his best to eliminate lengthy dead spots. He chats about normal filmmaking tidbits, as well as personal memories, and funny stories. Segal does a tremendous job of keeping the flow going through this track.
4 Featurettes (59:56) – I bunched these together because a “Play All” option is available, which is nice because this acts as one giant documentary. The sections are as follows: “Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter”, “Stories from the Side of the Road”, “Just the Two of Us”, “and “Growing Up Farley.” The first is your basic “making-of” bonus with covers the script, scheduling conflicts, and the character descriptions. The second one is basically a collection of stories on how certain jokes made it into the final cut. Much of it was drawn from casual conversations between Farley and Spade. The third is all about the relationship between Farley and Spade, their chemistry, fights, and obsession over Rob Lowe. The fourth and final featurette has Chris’ brothers sharing childhood memories up until he found his way to the stage. It is worth noting that many people go out of their way to say that Chris was clean. He apparently chugged coffee like it was going out of style. That would mean they are all being truthful because Farley would have had to make up for the absence of drugs with something equally as strong. Large quantities of caffeine are a nice substitute.
Storyboard Comparison (13:54) – Viewers receive 7 in all, which have the storyboard on top, and the final scene on the bottom. If you are a die-hard fanatic of the film, then watching the differences is interesting. These are a welcomed, but can get monotonous depending on how much you love extras. The titles of the storyboards are: “Cold Open”, “Hooks Scene”, “Moth Motel”, “Bees”, “Airline Stewards” and “Airline Bathroom.”
Deleted Scenes (6:43) – Director Peter Segal introduces this set of scenes, and talks briefly about why each one was cut. Only one is worth keeping, but these were left out for obvious reasons. The names of the scenes are: “Faculty Parking Lot”, “Guard Shack”, “Paul and the Puppy”, “Water Tower”, and “Tommy Comes Home.”
Extended Scenes (22:19) – This contains 15 extended sequences in all, but they are not worth mentioning individually. They all add approximately one or two lines of dialogue, and some are hard to catch.
Alternate Takes (4:18) – These are just different camera angles of scenes that did make it in the movie. On a couple of these, you actually get to see a close up of the skinny dipping girl. Score!
Gag Reel (4:16) – Watching a Chris Farley blooper reel has to be funny right? Yes. This is hilarious, and should be the first thing you switch on after the film is over.
Photo Gallery - This pleasant special feature includes 50 stills from the film, and behind the scenes shots.
TV Spots (7:37) – This throws a whopping 19 TV spots at you. All are around 30 seconds long, and run unique themes. These can be fun to skim through.
Theatrical Trailer (2:28) – I can’t fault the trailer. The film became a huge hit, and this preview displays many of the funny segments which lured people to the theater.
The Film: 7.5/10.0
The Video: 7.0/10.0
The Audio: 7.0/10.0
The Packaging: 7.5/10.0
The Extras: 8.5/10.0
The 411: While this Blu-Ray release offers no exclusive extras, the older ones are still here, and so is the film, which is awesome. I am sure you, like me, still reminisce with friends over the various memorable and hilarious sequences. The script has a lot of issues, but luckily for Director Peter Segal, the cast clicked, specifically Chris Farley and David Spade. They instill their passion and timing into the film, which is why it has aged so well. The technical specifications are a letdown to be honest because this is Blu-Ray and we expect more, so detecting the improvements takes work. It would have been wise for them to toss Black Sheep on here as well. Someday maybe. Anyway, if you already own the film, don’t bother upgrading. If not, this would make for a fine Blu-Ray purchase.
