Tommy Boy
Director- Peter Segal
Release Date- March 31, 1995
After
seven years of college Thomas R. “Tommy” Callahan III (Chris Farley) has
graduated and is returning to his hometown. After his father Big Tom Callahan (Brian
Dennehy) dies Callahan Auto Parts is endanger of being sold. Tommy and Richard
Hayden (David Spade) must sell 500,000 brake pads before the bank sells the
company. The sales trip is a disaster until Richard proves to Tommy that he
really can sell. Tommy’s step brother Paul (Rob Lowe) sabotages Tommy’s orders
causing him to fail. Tommy eventually discovers his new in-laws devious plan to
sell the company which Tommy and Richard prevent. The film ends with Tommy as
the new president of Callahan Auto.
The
dialogue and action written for this film evokes much laughter from its witty
one-liners to its spot on slapstick. A scene in particular, showing Tommy
having a meltdown during a sales pitch has the perfect combination of dialogue
and action needed to create a very humorous and memorable scene. The
non-diegetic soundtracks and score selected for the film helped convey the on
screen emotions and attitude of the actors. The non-diegetic soundtracks used
in the “selling montage” fit perfectly with the new upbeat attitude of the
characters. Cinematographer, Victor J Kemper, did a phenomenal job constructing
the shots for this film. The low angle shot that tilts to reveal the death of
Tommy’s father achieved a perfect transition.
For this film, I believe that Peter Segal has used all of
his resources to craft a film that is not only comedic, but also has a dramatic
side. Most of the plot for this film is meant to make you laugh, but at certain
times a more serious side of the characters is shown to help the viewer
connect. The soundscape Segal and his sound department created also really add
to the comedy and sometimes seriousness of the film. From the non-diegetic
bagpipes score chosen for Big Tom’s funeral to the foley sounds used in the
slapstick bits. Segal has used the elements of sound in his film to make a good
film even better. Segal working with his Cinematographer (Kemper) achieved
great success. The full shot used in the scene where Tommy is walking down a
gravel road, after Big Tom’s funeral, was brilliantly chosen to accurately
depict Tommy’s strong emotions.
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