#80: Tommy Boy (1995)

Director: Peter Segal
Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade and Rob Lowe
Plot: “An incompetent, immature, and dimwitted heir to an auto parts factory must save the business to keep it out of the hands of his new, con-artist relatives and big business.”
Stock: Up
Previous Ranking: NR

“Brothers don’t shake hands. Brothers gotta hug.”

After completing the first edition of this list in 2011 I felt pretty good. I was especially satisfied with my top ten, felt my favorite actors/directors were validated and didn’t think I forgot a single movie.

Two out of three ain’t bad.

Tommy Boy was – at least to this point – the only film I forgot to include the first time around. There really isn’t any explanation other than it simply got lost in the shuffle. I even went back to review my notes from four years ago to see if I had wrote it down at all, but I couldn’t find a single trace of it.

While Tommy Boy may have been forgotten it has found its home now.

Chris Farley shows why he was the funniest guy on SNL in the 90s, and on the short-list of funniest SNL cast-member of all-time with his leading-man performance. He dominates every single scene with his sheer physicality, his relentless fearlessness and his unparalleled sense of humor.

Despite his shortcomings, David Spade is the perfect compliment to Farley. They play off each other beautifully and with the fluidity of a seasoned comedic duo.

While Tommy Boy was a long ways off from a blockbuster hit at the movie theaters, it has developed into a cult hit due to Farley’s tragic death and the multitude of re-runs on TBS. Unfortunately that happens too often in life, we don’t recognize greatness until it has passed.

Fun Fact: On the list showing the exam grades of the students at the beginning of the movie, look at the bottom. One of the names is Helen Keller, who scored an F.

Fun Fact #2: Rob Lowe played the supporting role of Tommy’s stepbrother and is uncredited. The reason for this is because Rob was contractually obligated to Stephen King’s The Stand (1994) at the time, so he took the part simply as a favor for friend Chris Farley.

Hint for #79: Film based on the poem “The Odyssey.”

Peace Be The Journey.