Tommy Boy made Chris Farley a movie star. It is best remembered for physical comedy like “Fat guy in a little coat” and trying to change suits in an airplane bathroom. But, when Paramount studio chief Sherry Lansing first saw the final cut, she cried.
“Sherry actually looked at me with tears in her eyes because she was moved by the ending, not because she didn’t like the film,” director Peter Segal says in his director’s commentary.
Indeed, Tommy Boy does have heart. Tommy (Farley) loses his father (Brian Dennehy) and steps up to save the family business. He makes friends with Richard (David Spade) along the way and finds peace with his father’s memory in the end.
“She said, ‘That’s not the movie I bought,’” Segal continues. ”I was concerned at first but she loved it. She said, ‘No, you added a heart to it and a sensibility that went far beyond the initial pitch.’ I took it as a big compliment.”
The film, that commentary and all the 10th anniversary bonus features are included in the new 4K UHD. The 4K edition of the movie evokes the crisp midwest winter, though it was Toronto doubling for Ohio. But Farley pratfalls through those clear, vivid scenes and deep night with the cow tipping stampede and subsequent cleanup.