This is an absolutely loaded two-disc special edition of Tommy Boy with an enhanced widescreen transfer, a new dynamic audio presentation, and a boatload of extras (so many they needed a second disc).

Tommy Boy is a sweet natured, raucous comedy about a man-child who has partied his way through life and never amounted to much thrust into responsibility with an entire company hanging in the balance.

Tommy Callahan Jr. (Chris Farley) has finally finished college, in a shade under 7 years, and is moving back to his hometown of Sandusky, IL.  His father (Brian Dennehy) has a job waiting for him when he returns at his company, Callahan Auto Parts.  He also has some big news; he’s getting remarried to a beautiful woman, Beverly (Bo Derek), that he’s met while Tommy was away.  She has a son, Paul (Rob Lowe), of her own and Tommy is ecstatic for his dad and to meet his new family.

On Tommy’s arrival, he is given an office, and, at his father’s request, is to be looked after by number cruncher Richard (David Spade), who is not happy about it.  Richard thinks Tommy is a complete idiot.  Tommy meets Beverly and he takes Paul out on the town to bond (they go drinking and cow tipping).  Problem is, Paul is a total jerk who wants nothing to do with Tommy.  Turns out, Tommy’s father is being conned by his bride to be and her son, who aren’t mother and son at all.  They are just trying to get to his money. 

At the wedding, Tommy’s father has a stroke and dies.  The company is left in limbo and receives an offer to be bought out (which will close the factory and lay off all the workers) from the “King” of auto parts, Ray Zalinsky (Dan Aykroyd).  The only way for this not to happen is if they sell a maximum amount of their brake pads in the next few months.  But with Tommy’s father dead, who was a phenomenal salesman, there is no one to pull it off.  Tommy, thinking he has what it takes volunteers to go on the road with Richard to try and sell as many brake pads as humanly possible.  With Richard and Tommy not getting along, Paul out to sabotage them at every turn and Tommy’s disastrous sales pitches, this seems like an impossible task.  But it is not long before Tommy and Richard start to form a friendship and learn how to use Tommy’s unique personality to win sales.  But they have a huge goal to achieve and it’s up to Tommy and Richard to save the company and the employees who work for it.

CRITIQUE

Despite some narrative dull spots and a pedestrian script, Tommy Boy is an endearing, good-natured comedy that succeeds on the opposing personalities of David Spade and the late Chris Farley, who create a wonderful comic team with tremendous chemistry.

I’m a little biased towards the film because it was a staple of my college life (it was always the pre-going out movie) and my friends and I could recite it almost word for word.  Now that some years have separated me from that time and the film, I can look at it again in a different light.  And I have to say, I still found it hilarious and fun.  The film has major momentum problems anytime Spade and Farley are apart, but when they are together it more than makes up for it.  They are truly a dynamic comic teaming that shined in this film.

Farley, who died of a drug overdose in 1997, was a talented physical comedian that only found the right vehicle in this film and on Saturday Night Live.  Tommy Boy captured not just his usual physical antics (carried on very loudly and boisterously) but also highlighted his quieter, sweeter side of comedy.  This was what is so endearing about the film and his performance; that he’s almost impossible to dislike through the film.  Spade has also never found the right vehicle for his comedy besides this film, Just Shoot Me and a few SNL skits.  His acerbic wit and dry humor is on full display and works magically besides Farley’s boisterous physical presence.  Spade needs someone to harp on for him to be funny (as put downs and digs are his specialty), but it’s a delicate balance that can come across nasty if not played right.  Tommy Boy pulls it off perfectly. 

The supporting cast is also very strong, although almost unmemorable in comparison to the leads.  Brian Dennehy is perfectly cast as Tommy’s father; it’s almost believable that Farley is his real son.  Dennehy has fun with the role and it’s infectious.  Rob Lowe is surprisingly good as the villainous brother-in-law, like he was in Wayne’s World, who gets his comeuppance in many hilarious ways throughout the film.  He is just oozing slime ball vibes and the filmmakers have fun with his pratfalls (he’s like the coyote chasing the road runner).  Bo Derek doesn’t do too much but still looks amazing.  The only weak link is a surprise; Dan Aykroyd is way too over the top as the obnoxious businessman out to destroy the Callahan Company. 

The script, from SNL writers Bonnie and Terry Turner, is fairly pedestrian and has a somewhat dull narrative (which gets in the way of the two leads), but the cast makes the most of every page.  The only time the film loses steam is when it focuses too much on the narrative and not on Tommy and Richard.  The dialogue is crisp and fun (a lot of it was adlibbed).  The direction from Peter Segal is tremendous, he manages to balance the two opposing personalities of Farley and Spade to perfection, while not letting his script pull the film into sappy territory (and yet still managing to be sweet and good natured).  This is quite a feat; it’s just too bad the narrative had to get in his way from time to time. 

THE VIDEO

The transfer is presented in 1:85.1 anamorphic widescreen and it is quite good but nothing spectacular.  The films darker spots have been cleaned up but I didn’t think the colors were as vibrant or crisp as they could have been.  But it’s an overall quality transfer.

THE AUDIO

Tommy Boy is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and the presentation is outstanding.  The film is drenched in soundtrack, it is a big part of the fun, and it sounds terrific (while never getting in the way of the dialogue).  The surround is quite active and impressive.

THE EXTRAS

The extras in this special edition are just tremendous; this is everything you could want in a special edition and more.

Disc 1:

Audio Commentary with Director Peter Segal – Segal is interesting, sweet natured and entertaining throughout this informative commentary.  He goes into the technical aspects of the film, the preproduction problems, the reason for him doing the film (to work with Farley), the chemistry and fun on set, and script changes (the film was originally more about Tommy and Paul). 

Disc 2:

Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter – This is the typical making-of featurette with new interviews with the cast and crew and some behind-the-scenes footage.  There seems to be a consensus that the film was a blast to make and it was truly an adlibbing-friendly environment. 

Stories from the Side of the Road – These are new interviews with the cast and crew (including Spade and Lowe) discussing the creation and filming of the film’s memorable big gags from the road trip parts of the film (like the deer scene, the airplane bathroom scene, the hotel scenes, etc.).  Interesting and funny to hear from the cast after all this time talk about these memorable scenes.

Just the Two of Us – This is a funny and touching featurette that is about David Spade and Chris Farley’s friendship and experiences on the film.  It includes behind-the-scenes footage of the two clowning around and new interviews with Spade, the cast, and the director. 

Growing Up Farley – This is a touching and funny featurette with interviews with Farley’s two brothers, Kevin and John, sharing stories about growing up with Chris.  Farley was a great comedic talent that never realized his full potential; he was loved by his family and those who worked with him.

6 Deleted Scenes – These scenes that were cut are presented by director Peter Segal and, for the most part, it’s obvious why they were cut, but the scenes are interesting in that they are fully cut scenes taken all the way through (and that they have informative openings with the director to help you understand why they were cut).  There is one very funny deleted scene cut when Tommy comes home from the road to Paul and his new mother packing for Chicago.

6 Alternative Takes – These are full scenes from the film done in a different way.  It was great to see some of the memorable scenes filmed another way (even though I still prefer the original).

15 Extended Scenes – These are scenes that are in the film that just have some additional footage mixed in (which was cut).  There are actually some hilarious bits in here that must have been cut due to time constraints (the wedding scene is full of hilarious new scenes).  Some of these extended scenes actually make the scene make more sense too (or at least bits of the dialogue). 

Storyboard Comparisons – I was surprised to see this extra for this type of a film that was mostly adlibbed and has such an “on the fly” feel to it.  There are 7 storyboard comparisons from original storyboard concept to the actual film.

Gag Reel – This is a hilarious gag reel that, again, shows you how much fun they had making this and what a hilarious guy Farley was.

Rounding out the extras are TV Spots and a Photo Gallery.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Tommy Boy is a sweet natured, charming, and engaging comedy with a great comic duo (born out of true friendship) at its core.  The late Chris Farley and David Spade are simply perfect together in the film, playing off one another like one of the best comedy teams of all time.  The supporting cast and direction are first rate and make up for the weak narrative (which gets in the way of the two leads at times).  This special edition is simply perfect (great transfer, perfect audio presentation and truly magnificent extras) for the fans of the film, and will probably make a few more.