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Title: Tommy Boy (1995)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Chris Farley | ... | Tommy | |
| David Spade | ... | Richard | |
| Brian Dennehy | ... | Big Tom | |
| Bo Derek | ... | Beverly | |
| Dan Aykroyd | ... | Zalinsky | |
| Julie Warner | ... | Michelle | |
| Sean McCann | ... | Frank Rittenhauer | |
| Zach Grenier | ... | Ted Reilly | |
 |
James Blendick | ... | Ron Gilmore |
|
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Clinton Turnbull | ... | Young Tommy |
|
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Ryder Britton | ... | Young Richard |
| Paul Greenberg | ... | Skittish Student | |
|
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Graeme Millington | ... | Frat Boy |
| Michael Cram | ... | Frat Boy | |
| Dean Marshall | ... | Frat Boy | |
Tommy Callahan Jr. is a slow-witted, clumsy guy who recently graduated college after attending for seven years. His father, Big Tom Callahan, owns an auto parts factory in Ohio. When Tommy arrives back home, he finds he has a position at the factory waiting for him. His dad also introduces Tommy to the new brake pad division of the factory and to Tommy's soon-to-be stepmother, Beverly, and her son Paul. But when Big Tom dies, the factory threatens to go under unless the new brake pads are to be sold. Therefore, Tommy must go on the road to sell them, along with the assistance of Richard, Big Tom's right-hand man. Will Tommy save the company, or will the factory, and the town, go under? Written by Anonymous
Yes, I know, it's not THAT old of a movie, it only dates to 1995. However, so much has happened in our world since then, it just *seems* like it's been around for years.
I think the movie is very good and very funny, and certainly much better than critics gave it credit for (every time I see it in the TV listings it has only one star by it. Why?!). I watch it routinely (it's on TV a lot, especially USA network). Two things I like about it are the pacing, and the deeper story that plays in the background.
First, the pacing: this movie hits the deck running and never stops moving, it just keeps rolling right along, from one nutty event to the next, but it is all carefully intertwined and everything works in symmetry to bring the viewer to the (admittedly schmaltzy) happy ending. Anyway, I like it when a movie maintains a good pace or a rhythm, never letting itself get too bogged down. "Tommy Boy" is one of those.
Second, the deeper story in the background: all the times I've watched this movie, I've never lost sight of the fact that the story didn't just revolve around some big dumb guy who couldn't seem to find his way out of a wet paper bag. No, there was always in the background the sad issue of Tommy Boy's beloved father dying. Plus, another sobering issue, that of how all this will lead to rather dire economic consequences for a business (Callahan Autoparts) that's been around for a long time and has employed lots of people in the town of Sandusky. Those two grim facts of life - death in the family and impending economic consequences - make this movie more compelling watching than one may realize, and I think this movie will hold up well over the years to come just for those reasons.
But enough with the gloom already. This movie is just plain FUNNY, thanks not just to Chris Farley, but to an entire cast that seems to work really well together. I couldn't envision the cast members being changed or replaced in any form. And Chris Farley did such a seamless depiction of this funny guy named Tommy Boy, that I still, in my heart of hearts, just know that there really IS a big dumb funny guy named Tommy Callahan, somewhere in Sandusky, Ohio, who is running an autoparts factory. No, there really IS a Tommy Callahan, believe me... It's kinda' like Pee-Wee Herman: that wasn't really an actor named Paul Reubens playing him, no! - there really IS a Pee-Wee Herman, who is totally in love with his bicycle, and has a dog named Speck...
Funny, but I look at waitresses in restaurants just a little differently now (thanks to that wonderful scene where Tommy Boy explains to Helen why he sucks as a salesman). And any time I'm feeling down, I just remember: "Fat guy in a little coat." "Hey, Prehistoric Forest!" "Holy Schnikees!" "Hey, quit playin' with yer dinghy!" plus many other lines, LOL LOL Those will always cheers me up!