Tommy Boy: Peter Segal

I'm just going to say it: I loved Beverly Hills Ninja (1997). Throughout it all, Chris Farley was so infectiously enthusiastic and earnest that I couldn't help rooting for him. I can't say the same thing for his character in Peter Segal's Tommy Boy. The film is essentially a road trip movie following Tommy Callahan III (Farley) and Richard Hayden (David Spade) as they try to sell enough brake pads to save their company from bankruptcy after its owner, Tommy's father, unexpectedly dies of a heart attack. In hindsight, the film is almost shockingly reminiscent of the old Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies. Tommy is Lewis, the well-meaning, idiotic buffoon who can't help but get in the way. Richard is Martin, the put-upon straight man whose contempt for his partner at the start of the film is overbearing. But here's the thing: I don't feel that Farley earned my affection as a character during the film. Almost all of Richard's criticisms of Tommy are perfectly valid: he's loud, stupid, incompetent, spoiled, and has spent most of his life being lavished with rewards and praise by his father despite having no skills or talents. Farley only truly earns my empathy in the last third of the film when he miraculously gets his act together and manages to save the company. There are also quite a few plot holes that are almost unforgivable despite it being a comedy. For example: why wasn't Tommy arrested after he pulled that stunt at Zalinsky's board room? I know that he didn't actually have explosives strapped to his chest. But he still held innocent people hostage. Also, that was quite a coincidence that Michelle just happened to spot the film's two villains kissing at an airport. If I didn't know any better, I would think that that was lazy screenwriting.

6/10