History Film / TommyBoy

* RantInducingSlight: Richard doesn't have much patience towards Tommy, but after the hood of his car flies open while they were driving on the highway because Tommy left a can of motor oil on top of the engine, he tears Tommy to shreds.
-->'''Richard:''' Hey, I was just thinking, when we stopped for gas this morning, I think it was you who put the oil in.
-->'''Tommy:''' Hey, if you're gonna say I didn't put the right kind, then you're wrong. I used 10W-30. And besides, motor oil would have nothing to do with this accident.
-->'''Richard:''' True. But you can't latch the hood too well if you don't take the can out, you no-selling waste of space! I swear to God you're worthless!

* OhCrap: In an attempt to find where in the building Zalinsky is, Tommy goes to a bank located in the same building and loudly shouts "Listen up! This only take a second!" which results in everyone standing in line, including the security guards, immediately dropping to the floor, all of the tellers holding up their hands and the security guards toss-sliding their guns across the floor to him. Realizing it looks like he just attempted a bank robbery, he says "Oh, geez!" and quickly runs away.

* BenevolentBoss: Big Tom Callahan. Tommy becomes this by the end of the movie. In between them is Frank Rittenhauer, chairman of Callahan's board of directors, who keeps the company going while Tommy and Richard are on the road.

* BookDumb: Tommy isn't exactly the most well read person, as evidenced by the fact it took him seven years to complete college with a D+ in History. It's shown that it's not so much an issue of intellectual capacity, but rather because he didn't feel motivated thanks to his dad's pampering, as Richard points out:

** This later comes up in his sales work. He fumbles basic facts about the product and mangles attempts at metaphor, usually due to nerves, but he eventually relaxes and shows himself to be outstanding salesman.

* CarRadioDispute: Tommy at one point gets into an argument over the radio with Richard, until they land on "Superstar" by the Carpenters, which they both try to talk one another into switch away from. A GilliganCut later, they're singing along, tears streaming down their faces.

** The con artists expected to simply bleed Big Tom dry for like a year before Beverly divorced him and got a big payday. Then he immediately died and were put in a situation where they could make more money by selling the company.

* FanserviceExtra: The gorgeous blonde woman who only appears in a single scene so she can go skinny-dipping.

-->'''Tommy''': Richard! Were you watching, "Spank-tra-vision?" Maybe you were watching a movie with that funny comedian! Oh, whats his name? [[Creator/BuddyHackett Buddy]]... ''Whack''-it? Say! [[FanserviceExtra That's a pretty girl down there]]! Gee, I wonder if she goes out with one of the ''Yank''ees!

* MissingMom: Tommy's mother passed away at some point between Tommy's childhood and adulthood, and Big Tom's admission that he'd been lonely without someone her is what led him to marry Beverly.

* BreatheOnTheFan: ''[[Franchise/StarWars Lalalala-Luuuke! Luuuuuke... I am your fa-ther!]]'' (also a BeamMeUpScotty)

* RantInducingSlight: Richard doesn't have much patience towards Tommy, but after the hood of his car flies open while they were driving on the highway, he tears Tommy to shreds.

* RantInducingSlight: Richard doesn't have much patience towards Tommy, but after the hood flies open on the highway, he tears Tommy to shreds.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Tommy (a guy almost everyone expects to fail) endures one misfortune after another, but he saves the company in the end and is hailed as a hero.

* VillainyFreeVillain: Zalinsky may not be a crook or a monster, but he's willing to throw Callahan Auto's employees under the bus for the bottom line, and he admits to Timmy that he views the American public as sheep he can exploit. [[spoiler: When Tommy outsmarts him and proves that Beverly has no rightful claim to her shares of the company, Zalinsky is more than a bit annoyed than he won't be able to buy Callahan Auto, but he accepts his defeat with dignity, wishes Tommy the best, and has Paul locked up for fraud]].

** Young!Tommy's mother calls him into the house because he'll be late to school - and he promptly runs face-first into the sliding glass door.
** As Young!Tommy is running to catch the bus, Young!Richard appears next to him riding his bike to school and calls him pathetic for being late again.

The movie was panned by critics (Creator/RogerEbert put it on his Most Hated Film List), but it was a success commercially and was Chris Farley's StarMakingRole.

* NoodleIncident: The movie never says how Tommy and Richard get their flight attendant uniforms or how they manage to replace the real flight attendants. In the airport, Tommy asks Richard if he has any money, and then the movie immediately cuts to them aboard the plane in uniform.

The movie was panned by critics (Creator/RogerEbert put it on his [[RogerEbertMostHatedFilmList Most Hated Film List]]), but it was a success commercially and was Chris Farley's StarMakingRole.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Zalinsky. In his commercials he presents himself as a good guy who cares about the common man. In reality he's a ruthless, pragmatic businessman who doesn't care about putting thousands of people out of a job as long as it means more profits for the shareholders. Althought, as shown below, he's far more nuanced than that.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: When they need to change clothes on the airplane, Richard steps into the bathroom first, and emerges fully changed ''two seconds'' later. Then, while Richard explains to Tommy what they need to do when they get to Chicago, Tommy is looking back and forth from Richard to the bathroom, utterly perplexed.

** This later comes up in his sales work. H fumbles basic facts about the product and mangles attempts at metaphor, usually due to nerves, but he eventually relaxes and shows himself to be outstanding salesman.

* HiddenDepths: Tommy seems lazy and immature, but it's shown he sincerely wants to help keep his father's company afloat and make his dad proud. He also cares very much about the workers, to the point that he's willing to put up his entire inheritance as collateral in order to save everyone's jobs.

* NiceGuy: Tommy was doted on by his rich father and never truly had to work for anything in life. With that said, he's also one of the friendliest guys you could meet and cares about the workers at Callahan Auto Parts so much that he's willing to risk his entire inheritance so they won't lose their jobs.

* RealityEnsues: A guy of Chris Farley's size changing clothes in a tiny airplane bathroom? Tommy even tries to protest (maybe he can change at the airport?) but Richard won't have it. RuleOfFunny in effect here. This is even set up by Richard going into the bathroom before him...and emerging fully changed ''two seconds later''.

-->'''Zalinsky:''' (''to an assistant'') "Find out where they're taking him, send over a bucket of bubbly and a note. Have it read: 'Tough break. [[DrowningMySorrows Get drunk on me]]. Use the bucket to ice down your marbles. Yours, Z.'"

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Zalinsky. In his commercials he presents himself as a good guy who cares about the common man. In reality he's a ruthless, pragmatic businessman who doesn't care about putting thousands of people out of a job as long as it means more profits for the shareholders.

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Zalinsky. In his commercials he presents himself as a good guy who cares about the common man. In reality he's a ruthless, pragmatic businessman who doesn't care about putting thousands of people out of his job as long as it means more profits for the shareholders.