4K Blu-Ray Review: Tommy Boy

The Film

Tommy Boy came out in 1995, and I didn't get it then. I'm not sure I entirely get it now, either, but there's a level of nostalgia that helps make it more palatable today. It's a relic of a time when Saturday Night Live seemed to bring out a new film about their sketch characters every year, and a time capsule for a simpler, more innocent America that doesn't exist anymore. If it ever did.

Watching it today, I think most of my love for it stems from nostalgia rather than real fondness. It has moments of genuine hilarity, brought on by the easy charm of Chris Farley and David Spade, who play off each other brilliantly. But it's also so big and broad in its slapstick that most of the jokes miss just because they're so scattershot.

Tommy Boy is the story of Tommy Callahan, a barely literate college graduate who returns home to continue the family tradition of running their auto parts plant in Ohio. After tragedy strikes, Tommy is left to operate the business alone, with the help of his father's right-hand man, Richard, who doesn't care for the lunkhead offspring.

Naturally, the mismatched pair have to overcome their differences and beat the evil corporate stooge (Dan Aykroyd), who aims to take over the family business.

It's a very simple, often surprisingly sweet, and easy-going comedy that couldn't be made today because of how different the American landscape has become. Not due to cultural norms or "cancel culture", but simply, well, because there's no auto parts industry anymore. Blue collar jobs are dying, and the idea that a family could run a modest enterprise with dignity is fantasy, at best.

Part of that makes Tommy Boy such pleasant and nostalgic viewing. It's an immensely sincere picture that really desperately believes in the America it portrays. I saw it growing up in Canada, and, along with other road movies of that era, it left a lasting impression on my of a country I desperately wanted to be part of. Today, all of that's gone, yet Tommy Boy captures the lingering sense of warm melancholy.

Granted, most of the gags don't work, and they heavily rely on Chris Farley being overweight and falling over. It's a shame, as Farley was a preternaturally gifted comedian, a wilder version of John Candy, who could handle even the more dramatic material with nuance. For years before his death, Farley spoke of wanting to do more dramatic parts instead of the "fatty fall down" roles as he called them. It's a great tragedy we never got to see them.

Still, he and Spade are a marvel together. They're effortlessly funny, be that in verbal jousting or just sideways glances as they annoy one another. They feel like brothers, which is perfect for the material. A few years later, they tried the same trick with the far worse Black Sheep, and it didn't work at all. For whatever reason, Tommy Boy is lightning in a bottle.

This isn't a perfect movie, nor is it one of the great comedies of the 90s. But it is a delightful moment in time that fans will still revisit fondly. If you didn't get it back then, chances are you won't get it now. Something tells me that would make both Farley and Spade giggle even harder.

Video

Tommy Boy hasn't received much love on Blu-Ray in the Nordics, and I haven't seen a single copy in the wild for over a decade. So it's lovely to see the 4K presentation be this good, especially as Peter Segal's directing doesn't exactly lend to any great visual flair. It's mostly just scenes of two people riffing in drab environments, with the star power of Farley and Spade carrying the picture.

And yet, despite this, Tommy Boy looks lovely. The 90s landscape is sharp, the color accuracy great, and it looks as I remember it looking in theaters, which is always a good sign. It's not a whole revival that changes your outlook of the film entire, but it is a solid, perfectly fine remaster that makes it the best Tommy Boy version out there.

That's exactly what it needs to be.

Audio

The TrueHD audio track is exactly the same as in previous releases, which means it's perfectly passable, yet oddly muted apart from the dialog. It does exactly one thing right, and that's bringing up the gags to the forefront, and then stops there.

In a way, it's exactly like Farley's character in the film. Which, intentional or not, is oddly apt. I'm not sure this film needs anything more.

Extras

There are two different 4K editions of Tommy Boy available. The more commonly available one was sent for review, and includes absolutely nothing in the way of extras. Another European version includes an additional Blu-Ray disc with robust commentaries and featurettes that are like a goldmine for film and comedy fans.

It's really a tragedy that this is the version most will get in the Nordics, as it's bereft of any sign that would indicate why Tommy Boy is such a beloved cult film.

Overall

Tommy Boy has its fans, and I'm sure they'll be plenty happy with just getting the best possible visual version of their film. But for everyone else, the 4K edition is harder to recommend. This isn't a restoration that requires the highest fidelity, and the audio track isn't exactly top tier, either. The lack of extras is a major bummer, and the pared down Nordic release is the very definition of minimum viable product.

If there's a Blu-Ray available, get that instead.