Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
A song that insults the singer, in a coat that is plainly too small, performed to cheer up a friend: it is Tommy's whole character in a chorus, goofy, self-mocking and loyal. The bit escaped the film because Farley's physical commitment is the joke, and fans now sing it at anyone squeezed into anything. It also doubles as a tribute to Farley, who died in 1997.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Tommy BoyShow the scene
On the road trip to save the Callahan family's brake pad business, Tommy Callahan (Chris Farley) tries to cheer up the sulking Richard Hayden (David Spade) by singing this line, and ends up in Richard's too-small coat, straining to rip it. The bit was an old joke Farley used in the Saturday Night Live offices. Director Peter Segal says Farley bored off camera while Spade's coverage was shot and began singing, which the editor noticed on the soundtrack. A friend of Segal's who became a Top Gun pilot told him pilots sang it putting on flight suits. Tommy Boy opened on 31 March 1995.
Sources (3)
- Wikiquote: Tommy BoyTommy Callahan sectionReference checked
- SlashFilm: Chris Farley getting bored off-screen led to Tommy Boy's most famous scenePeter Segal account (from Deadline)Reference checked
- Wikipedia: Tommy Boy (film)Intro and infoboxReference checked
Context reviewed
