DVD Review: I Am Chris Farley

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Good. Great. Grand. Wonderful

I used to think I was the perfect age for Chris Farley's audience at the height of his career. I was in grade school and thought he was hysterical. I loved any kind of physical comedy. After watching this doc, I realized there was no perfect age for Chris Farley. Everyone thought that guy was funny, no matter what age you were.

Being a fan of his, I was bummed when I missed this when it initially aired on FX, so I'm glad the DVD release came quickly. We hear from Chris' family, his former SNL friends/costars like David Spade, Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, Dan Aykroyd, Bob Odinkirk, etc. It's clear they all thought he was a genius comedian. 

It was nice to hear them talk. It could've easily been a rehash of his SNL skits, and while some of those are peppered in while they're talking about them, just listening to these people talk about his process was interesting. They don't hold back. They're quick to say how funny he was, but how he wasn't exactly a good writer when it came to skits. It's obvious that talking about his drug addiction is a sore spot. They feel defeated. 

As for new insight on Farley, there were a few things I didn't know that they talked about, like how Black Sheep was kind of a sore spot and put him into a relapse. That in particular stung for me because I fucking LOVE Black Sheep. It's nice to see a doc surrounding him as he really was larger than life, and someone I frequently watched when I was younger.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: B

Memorable Quote: "He'd say, I don't want to play the pussy...but he really was a pussy." Tom Arnold

Comments

  1. BirgitNovember 4, 2015 at 9:03 AM

    I am one of the few, I guess, that never found him funny. I like just about all types of comedy-slapstick, satire, screwball, etc... but I found him frantic and irritating. The only skit I liked was the SNL skit with Patrick Swayze.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 4, 2015 at 9:33 AM

      I know a few that never got him either. It's okay. I've never found Billy Crystal funny, and apparently that's a big deal. lol

      Delete
  2. thevoid99November 4, 2015 at 8:03 PM

    He was one of my favorites as a teen as he made me laugh as I just loved what he was doing and I loved his films. Even the bad ones.

    ReplyDelete

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