In Saturday Night Live brought in a new group of actors who collectively became known as the "Bad Boys" of SNL. Included in this group were David Spade and Chris Farley. The two played off each other perfectly often with Farley branding his own style of physical comedy and Spade acting as either his straight man or spewing toxic yet hilarious sarcasm. It was only natural that at some point the two would star in a movie together and that finally happened in with the release of Paramount Pictures' buddy comedy, Tommy Boy. As the film celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, Paramount has decided to release it on 4K with a great steel bookcase to commemorate this milestone.
For those who are unfamiliar with the story here is a recap:
After his beloved father (Brian Dennehy) dies, dimwitted Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) inherits a near-bankrupt automobile parts factory in Sandusky, Ohio. His brand new stepmother, Beverly (Bo Derek), 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 (David Spade), in tow, Tommy hits the road to scare up some new clients.
What makes this film stand out is Farley and Spade. The duo will go down amongst the great comedy duos of all time like Abbott and Costello, Pryor and Wilder, and Cheech and Chong. They have an easy banter and good chemistry and feed off each other beautifully. The rest of the cast are very good as well including Brian Dennehy (First Blood) who is perfectly cast as Tommy's father, Bo Derek (Ten), Julie Warner (Doc Hollywood), and an uncredited Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation). Director Peter Segal does a fine job but, let's face it, nobody is raving about the directing on a project like this.
The 4K transfer with Dolby Vision makes the video quality incredibly sharp and detailed. The color palette is somewhat muted with a golden brownish hue that matches the original film. While the wedding sequence is bright, the rest of the movie is darker but no less clean-looking.
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is beyond serviceable but it is unclear why this release wasn't transferred to a Dolby Atmos audio track. Granted this film doesn't offer much in the way of layered audio so perhaps the powers that be didn't feel it was necessary to spend money and time on upgrading the audio, as the 5.0 lossless track is good enough. The dialogue and the soundtrack both sound strong in this format so viewers won't have anything to complain about.
The Steebook combo pack includes the 4K disc, the Blu-ray Disc, and the digital download. It also has a number of extras that were previously released and are housed on the Blu-ray Disc. The extras include: Commentary by director Peter Segal, Tommy Boy: Behind the Laughter, Stories from the Side of the Road, Just the Two of Us, Growing Up Farley, Storyboard Comparisons, Deleted and Extended Scenes, Alternate Takes, Gag Reel, Photo Gallery, TV Spots, and Theatrical Trailer.
Tommy Boy was generally panned by critics when it was leased and rightfully so. It isn't a work of art by any stretch of the imagination but it showcased Farley as the physically comedic master he was. Teaming him with Spade makes the movie even more enjoyable and the laughs abound, especially if you are a fan of dumb-witted humor.
Over the years Tommy Boy has become a cult classic and it is easy to see why. It is a perfect example of feel-good fun that will make almost anyone laugh.
Grade: B-
