Tommy Boy (1995)

David Spade and Chris Farley

And now as was promised in a previous post: Tommy Boy. It's rated PG-13 for some drug use (marijuana), sex-related humor, and brief nudity (a girl jumping in a pool naked).

Dan –
Let’s be clear up front, I love this movie because it makes me laugh, not because of its clever plot or intelligent dialogue, which it clearly lacks. If I could only watch the same five movies over and over again for the rest of my life, this is the first movie that pops into my head. And I have no idea what the others would be.  It is one of the most quoted and quotable movies among my group of friends. As I was watching it again I noticed just how many of the lines I still use in my regular vocabulary (“Holy Schnike!”, “Son of a!” etc.). My friends and I can quote almost the whole thing and laugh at every joke as if it was the first time we’d heard it. It just never gets old to me. My wife even got me a shirt with the Callahan Auto Parts logo.

I’d be lying if I told you that I don’t see a lot of similarities between myself and the character of Thomas R. Callahan, III, especially as he is embodied and brought to life by the late, great Chris Farley. Tommy went to college for seven years, I went to college for six. Tommy is a big guy, I’m a big guy. Tommy tells stories that go a little too far, I tell stories that go a little too far. He gets called Tommy Boy, I get called Danny Boy. The list could go on. If there was a movie made of my life and Chris Farley was still alive, I would choose him to play me. As Mark and I started watching this movie I mentioned that I have some similar character traits to him and, not surprisingly, he agreed he was thinking the same thing.


Some movies will always be funny no matter how many times you see them, making you laugh even when you know what’s coming almost as if the anticipation is as funny as the joke. This is a funny movie and the two stars play really well off each other. They both have great timing, and Chris Farley is a great physical comedian (I can't believe he does such a nice cartwheel) as well as a guy with an expressive face and manic energy. Just look at the stories he tells - the sales pitch in the picture above, the "why I suck as a salesman" story, and the guarantee fairy sales pitch.


This movie became funnier as I got older because I finally got some of the jokes. For example, I had no idea that Herbie Hancock was a band. I laughed initially because it looked so ridiculous as an answer. When Bo Derek comes out of the pool and Tommy says, “She’s like a ten!” I was unaware of the movie "10" starring Bo Derek that introduced her in the exact same way until my dad told me when I watched it with him. It got funnier once I saw the actual scene too.


I love this movie and give it 5 out of 5 stars. I’m going to make a bold statement that this is the comedy of my generation and one of, if not the, funniest movies I have ever seen. Just about everyone that I know that has seen this movie thinks it is hilarious. And the ones who didn’t had no sense of humor to begin with (no offense to those people).

Mark -
It’s sad that it sometimes takes rewatching (I’m not sure it’s a word either) a film like this to truly remember and appreciate how funny someone like Chris Farley is/was. I don’t usually enjoy the over-the-top type of comic performances (i.e. Jim Carrey or Robin Williams), which Farley could be construed as, but the way everything seems so natural to Farley allows it to become realistic rather than reaching.

The film portrays the story of Tommy Callahan (Farley) who has just graduated from college after 7 years, and returns home to work at the family owned Callahan auto parts. When Tommy’s father Big Tom (Brian Dennehy) suddenly passes, its up to Tommy to try and save the company and keep the jobs of the current employees. The only problem is that to keep the company from having to be sold, Tommy must sell half a million orders using his father’s reputation. While Big Tom could "sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves", Tommy unfortunately "ate a lot of paint chips as a kid." Joining Tommy on his journey to save the company is Richard (David Spade), who could best be described as the polar opposite of Tommy.

The duo of Farley and Spade truly make for a surprising and hilarious combination. Spade offers the obvious/sarcastic arrogance of a character who is very intelligent, yet feels spited for not being allowed the luxuries of someone like Farley. Farley has lost so many brain cells that he simply doesn’t know whether he is being complimented or criticized.

This movie has so many memorable parts about it, and I doubt that anyone who may have watched it as a teenager didn’t go around saying "Son of a" and "holy schnikes" for at least a month afterwards. I loved Saturday Night Live back in the early 90's when it had a great cast including Farley and Spade, and would invite anyone who hasn’t watched the best of Chris Farley to do so. This movie was actually funnier than I remembered it being, despite the fact that some of the supporting cast isn’t very good, and the plot is really just something to allow a reason for Farley to be seen. 3 ½ out of 5 *’s.

My Random Thought For Tommy Boy: Callahan auto parts is located in Sandusky, Ohio, and I’m just curious if 1) anyone actually reads this blog, and 2) if anyone knows what else Sandusky, Ohio is famous for.

Saving Silverman (2001)

Amanda Peet, Jack Black, and Steve Zahn

We watched another comedy for this one: Saving Silverman. It was originally rated PG-13 when released in theaters for language and a bunch of sex jokes. A subsequent DVD release (that we watched and review here) was rated R. For those interested, the difference between the two is adding some of F-bombs and a few gratuitous shots of some boobs.

Mark-
In the words of Bill Murray’s character Bob Wiley, "there are two kinds of people in this world, those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don’t" well the three main male characters take liking Neil to a whole different area. Wayne (Steve Zahn), J.D. (Jack Black), and Darren (Jason Biggs) are your stereotypical losers who have a love for Neil Diamond, which includes there own tribute band to him. Their obsession of Diamond goes so far in this movie that there is a restraining order against them, and in behalf of Diamond. That’s pretty much the highlights of the film as the rest just becomes a mess. Darren falls in love with Judith (Amanda Peet), who begins to control Darren and make him believe that she is his one true love. Wayne and J.D. decide they have to try and save Darren, their brilliant idea being to kidnap Judith and fake her death, hoping that Darren will fall back in love with Sandy (Amanda Detmer) who used to be his one true love, but that he never had the chance to ask out because her family went to join the circus (unfortunately Sandy’s brother, the dog-face boy, had to later be put down because of rabies). Are there a few laughs along the way? Sure. Have you seen a variety of this movie too many times before? Of course. Will you shake your head while watching? Often. It’s far from the best movie, but it’s hard to find many comedies that really are. 1 ½ out of 5 stars.
My Random Thought For Saving Silverman: Why is/was Amanda Detmer in so few movies?

Dan-
I'll be the first to admit that this movie seems to be better remembered than it actually was. Who knows, maybe I'm (shudder) growing too old for this kind of movie. There were times when I laughed, but then found myself feeling stupid for laughing. Other times I wondered to myself why I thought this movie was so hilarious when I watched it the first time.  Mark explained the plot rather well in the above paragraphs, so I won't worry about getting into it. Gotta love the Neil Diamond tribute band.

This is one of three movies I watched in relatively short time period that introduced me to Jack Black and his style of comedy. The other two are Shallow Hal and Orange County, with Orange County being the best of the 3. Jack Black is similar to Ben Stiller when it comes to comedy. They always seem to play some version of themselves and therefore the characters all seem about the same. Come on, Ben Stiller in Night at the Museum is not that different from Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents/Fockers. Similarly, Jack Black's performances are none too different in Orange County, Saving Silverman, Gulliver's Travels, School of Rock, etc. with a possible exception for the amount of drugs he consumes in each movie.

This also solidified how funny I think Steve Zahn is. He is criminally underrated when it comes to his talents and abilities to make people laugh. Ever since I first saw him in That Thing You Do, I've laughed at him. He also gets the best lines in the movie. For example when arguing with Judith he resorts to name calling and finishes off by calling Judith: "Stealer... of my best friend!!!!", as if it's the worst insult she could be given, but at the same time it's the best thing he can come up with. And his idea to arm wrestle Judith, and the winner gets Darren (see picture above) sounds eerily like something I might say or do in a similar situation. Anyway, check out some of his other cool/funny movies like Happy, Texas, Out of Sight, and Sahara. I'll agree that he may not be leading man material, but maybe if he got the right material...

All in all I'd give this movie 2½, maybe 3 stars out of 5. If it's on TV and you've got some extra time, watch it and laugh at the ridiculousness. And I also echo Mark's random thought about Amanda Detmer.

Wayne's World 2 (1993)

Dana Carvey, Mike Meyers, Tia Carrere, and Christopher Walken

So here's the sequel that probably no one needed, but was made anyway: Wayne's World 2. It's rated PG-13 for "ribald humor". Whatever that means. After watching it, there was a bunch of sexual innuendo and some bad language observed.

Dan -
Was this sequel unnecessary? Yes. Does the entire movie basically parody/steal ideas from other movies? Yes. Did it make me laugh out loud more than the original? Yes. After watching both of them, I realize that I may have been confusing some parts of the original and the sequel with each other. Please disregard the comment on the first movie that I made about yelling "Schwing!" to every hot girl that walks by.

The plot is simple: Wayne tries to put on a concert to prove he can do something with his life. Meanwhile Cassandra is now on the verge of selling out to and marrying her manager Christopher Walken (I know!). Ok, ok, it's a super lame plot borrowing not least from Field of Dreams, The Graduate, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and An Officer and a Gentleman just to name a few. But the best part has got to be Kim Basinger's role as Honey Hornee (and it's pronounced 'Hor-Nay' you pervs). I think what makes most of the silly comedy so funny is that with the exception of Wayne and Garth, everyone plays the jokes straight. Especially Christopher Walken and Kim Basinger. Her seduction of Garth to get him to kill her husband is probably the funniest sequence in the movie.

This movie, even more so than the first one, is one you watch for nostalgic purposes with a group of friends to get a laugh, preferably after watching the first one so, or if, you're still in the mood for the type of comedy. May I also add that it's good to see Chris Farley again. I miss him. Not that I ever knew him personally, but he is a hilarious dude. I can guarantee that "Tommy Boy" will be a future review on this site. He made a memorable character out of someone that could have easily been forgotten among the other metal-heads following Wayne and Garth throughout the movie: "I'm gonna go pick a fight!"

I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars because it made me laugh more than it should have.

Mark -
Sadly this movie is another example of why sequels very rarely work. The original was fun and had some memorable moments, but it was hardly successful to the point of warranting a sequel. My main criticism of this movie is its lack of originality. There are few and far between moments of new material, but the majority of this film involves mocking/mimicking of other films, or simply recycling material from the first movie with an ever so slight change. I have to admit that the only memorable thing that has stuck with me about this movie, from the first time I saw it, is that Kenny G will always be referred to as dentist music. I appreciate the realization of the writers that Dana Carvey’s character Garth needed a larger role than in the original movie, but it seems as though they diminished his original character by trying to make him assume too much of the role of Wayne, and not enough of the role of Garth. If I want to watch Wayne’s World I’ll simply stick with the first movie, and not give a second thought to the sequel. *1/2 stars out of 5.
My Random Though For Wayne’s World 2: Perhaps my favorite part of this movie is that in the credits it indicates that neither Kenny G’s name or music is used with his consent.

Wayne's World (1992)

Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey

So we're starting with Wayne's World for no particular reason other than it's the most recent movie that we watched. It's rated PG-13 for some sexual humor/innuendo, and some foul language.

Dan:
It's been over ten years since I have watched this movie. It is just as funny as I remember it from my teenage years. There have been some movies I've seen as an adult that didn't appeal to me as much as when I was a kid (i.e. Independence Day), and I was afraid that might happen with this movie. Luckily for me this movie did not fall into that category. I still crack up every time I hear them yell "Schwing!" to a hot lady that walks by them.

Several parts seem pretty dated, for example: Wayne puts a CD into a portable CD player on his dashboard that has been plugged into the car stereo, a far cry from today's digital music age (although I proudly admit that I still listen to CDs in my car stereo and at home). And the head-banging heavy metal seems a bit outdated as well, which may be due to the fact that I no longer like heavy metal. But still, it's memories from my youth and I appreciate it. Side note: I'm finally old enough to understand the "Stairway to Heaven" joke. Classic. I suppose the novelty of producing your own cable TV show is entirely gone also thanks to Youtube and the internet in general, where anyone who feels the urge can create their own website to do whatever they please. Kind of like this blog.

The plot is nothing special in all honesty, and we all know it: Wayne's homemade TV show is taken to the big time to be exploited for profit, and he loses the creative control and hates it. You gotta love Rob Lowe playing the villain as he kisses everyone's butt in order to eventually end up screwing them over. That he plays the role with a straight face and just goes along with the outrageous statements/situations he comes across is hilarious. I've been watching Rob Lowe on the TV show "Parks and Recreation" and although the character is completely different, he is still absolutely funny. Who'd have thought that Rob Lowe had such comedic chops?

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. Clearly a movie that is great for repeat viewings and for groups of friends who all grew up on it.

Mark:
This movie is clearly the winner of all the SNL sketches that were made into movies. It’s hard to believe that next year will mark 20 years since it’s release, but maybe the more unbelievable concept to grasp is how often references are used from this movie. This movie introduced me to Bohemian Rhapsody, and who doesn’t love that scene. You can’t tell me that you haven’t replicated singing along in your car the same way that the characters in the movie did. I have no doubt that if you asked anyone who’s seen Wayne’s World to name the movie with "a gun rack", "car...game on", or "camera one...camera two" more than the vast majority of people will know exactly what you are talking about. Even though Mike Myers as Wayne is the star and creator of this movie, Dana Carvey and his character Garth make this movie a success. Carvey is a great example of an actor that can make you laugh so much by doing so little. The small cameo appearances of actors and musicians is fun, my personal favorites being Chris Farley and Meatloaf. Although you may be able to quote half of the movie without realizing it, this is still a fun movie to watch, and in the words of Wayne Campbell "that’s what she said." *** out of 5

Check back later for a possible review of the sequel: Wayne's World 2