THE REWATCHABLES · April 3, 2020
A 1995 comedy / buddy directed by Peter Segal, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The credits double as comedy, showing young Tommy running and growing up instead of using static title cards.
About 24 minThe movie quickly establishes family dynamics and Spade's dismissive attitude toward Tommy.
About 24 minTommy gets heckled on the water, escalates into threats, and Warner interjects with a tough comeback.
About 16 minTommy's reenactment of the car accident and the 'new guy' line ruin the pitch in a classic Farley blow-up.
About 16 minThe Carpenters sing-along, the car accident, the fight outside the diner, and the diner scene are treated as one great stretch.
About 16 minA recurring office bit becomes an on-screen chant and an emblematic Farley humiliation gag.
About 16 minTommy catches Richard watching a woman in the pool and turns it into repeated 'Buddy whack it' jokes.
About 16 minTommy closes the big deal and the factory celebrates, giving the movie an underdog victory ending.
About 24 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsIt is not literally based on an SNL character, but it feels SNL-adjacent and belongs with SNL comedies.
Cousin SalIt should be counted among the best SNL-type comedies because of the cast and office-relationship origins.
Sean FennesseyIt is strongly SNL-coded through cast, crew, and comic style.
Bill SimmonsThe first sales meeting or the model-car fire sequence are strongest.
Sean FennesseyThe diner scene is his pick, with the brake-pad ending close behind.
Cousin SalThe model-car fire sequence is his choice, though he likes the Carpenters stretch too.
Sean FennesseyYes; he doesn't understand broad comedies and is wrong here.
Bill SimmonsYes; the review is a horrendous take.
Cousin SalYes; the movie's fat jokes and Farley's physicality are part of the appeal.
Bill SimmonsHe is not evil enough and sits in no man's land.
Cousin SalHe is weird but works, though the movie lacks a clear villain.
Sean FennesseyHe is useful as an evil-corporation face, even if over-the-top.
Bill SimmonsYes, he believes the boat chemistry supports it.
Sean FennesseyYes, though the scene is more about Tommy's sweetness than a real romance.
Cousin SalYes, and he thinks the size mismatch is part of the joke.
Calls it one of the most successful comedies of the last 40 years and says it only grew in cultural importance over time.
Opening minutesSays Farley first hooked him on SNL and describes watching him as the experience of hearing a pop song you already know by heart.
Opening minutesArgues Farley is even funnier than Belushi and embodies the ideal chaotic comic presence.
Opening minutesSays the movie works because Farley is unleashed regularly while Spade delivers acerbic lines between the bits.
About 16 minCalls the opening credits a perfect comedic setup that avoids the usual dead stretch of title sequences.
About 24 minRanks the boat scene as a personal favorite because it balances tenderness, heckling, and escalating Farley rage.
About 16 minSays the sales meeting collapse, especially 'new guy's in the corner puking his guts out,' is one of the great comic sequences.
About 16 minLikes the road-trip string of bits, especially the Carpenters sing-along, for its perfect song choice and rhythm.
About 16 minSays Lowe's comic side has aged very well and that his performance here is excellent.
About 32 minThey argue Farley is not just loud and physical but also likable, emotional, and rooted in sincere underdog energy.
About 8 minThe movie is treated as SNL-adjacent, with sketch timing, recurring bits, and cast/creative overlap from the show.
About 16 minIts popularity is framed as a home-viewing phenomenon more than an immediate theatrical hit.
Opening minutesThe movie is read as sincere about manufacturing, sales, and working-class identity rather than purely silly.
About 32 min · medium confidenceThe movie grossed about $32.7 million on a $22 million budget.
Opening minutesThe movie gained much of its popularity through rentals, DVDs, and cable rotation rather than immediate theatrical success.
Opening minutesBill says Farley did all his own stunts.
About 40 min · medium confidenceBo Derek was nominated for a Razzie for the film.
About 40 minRob Lowe was uncredited because he was shooting The Stand and initially felt strange about doing another movie.
About 40 min · medium confidenceThe working title was discussed as Billy III, a Midwestern, with Fat Chance and XL also mentioned.
About 40 minLori Bagley played the woman in the pool and reportedly dated both Spade and Farley.
About 40 min · medium confidenceZach Grenier is identified as the board-member 'that guy' with the line about Beverly.
About 32 minThe movie was envisioned by Lorne Michaels as a Farley project that might originally have starred Rob Lowe opposite him.
About 40 minSean says Farley went to rehab about 12 times and people tried to help repeatedly.
About 8 minUsed as the launching point for Farley's fame and the sketch-comedy style of the film.
Opening minutesCited as one of Farley's most iconic SNL moments.
Opening minutesReferenced as a legendary Farley talk-show entrance while promoting Black Sheep.
Opening minutesUsed as a comparison for Farley's comic lineage.
Opening minutesUsed as a comparison point for SNL-adjacent comedies and credited writers.
About 16 minMentioned as another major SNL-related comedy but one that has aged less well.
About 16 minReferenced as another Turner-written comedy and as part of Aykroyd's career arc.
About 16 minNamed as a later Turner creation to establish their comedy credentials.
About 16 minNamed alongside other Turner projects as evidence of their comedy background.
About 16 minMentioned as another Turner comedy credit.
About 16 minUsed to illustrate how comedy scenes can be audibled in production.
About 8 minCited as a tonal and structural cousin to Tommy Boy.
About 32 minUsed in a side conversation about Rob Lowe's filmography.
About 32 minReferenced as another Turner-written comedy credit.
About 16 minSean uses it to describe Aykroyd's ability to play a serious villain/cameo role.
About 32 min · medium confidenceA repeated office bit becomes a full movie gag and later a quarantine-era joke about everyone gaining weight.
About 16 minThey repeatedly joke about how strange Spade's hair looks in the movie.
Opening minutesThe hosts keep returning to Farley's body, sweat, and physical comedy as part of the joke machine.
About 16 minSal repeatedly drifts into Mets and gambling analogies while rating the movie and comparing Farley to sports figures.
Opening minutes · medium confidenceThe episode culminates in ranking Farley, Spade, the Midwest, and brake pads at their peak in this movie.
About 40 min“Chris Farley blows John Belushi away.”Opening minutes
“new guy's in the corner puking his guts out”About 16 min
“Fat guy in a little coat”About 16 min
“I can get a good look at a T-bone”About 40 min
“That's when I blow it.”About 40 min · medium confidence
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Tommy Boy, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Sean FennesseyThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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