I Am Chris Farley

source: I Am Chris Farley

Moving from beginning to end. I grew up watching SNL and Farley's films, and this documentary truly moved me. Other reviewers criticisms of this film seem to mainly be that his addictions and death did not get the time it deserves is silly to me and misses the point entirely. Just because it is a documentary, does not mean that it needs to be half positive and half the negatives to balance things out. This was made as a love letter to the man that touched so many of our lives in his short time on this earth and nothing more. It is said best towards the end of the film, that Chris was always hard on himself and never really saw what we all saw in him. This film seemingly is trying to say to Chris today, you WERE that amazing, and genuine, and hilarious, and here is how WE all saw you since you could never see it yourself. To add more about his death and dark moments would take away from this primary goal, and turn it into more of a tragedy than the celebration it was meant as. Great work, great documentary, and a great comedian lost too soon.

This was an overall well done documentary on the life of Chris Farley one of the most talented comedians who left this earth far too early. However his true fans really should read the biography written by his brother called The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts. Granted this documentary at the same time had some nice things that the book did not. I especially loved seeing interviews from Christina Applegate, Bo Derek, Mike Myers and Adam Sandler that the book did not have. However most of the documentary while well done and worth watching, had a rushed feeling about it. I know movies tend to do that more than books but this documentary was only an hour and a half long. A two hour minimum running time I think would have made this a bullseye. I felt more time should have been spent on Farley idolizing John Belushi and a little more time as to the cause of his extremely premature death and all the projects he was considering before he left us. I felt not much time was spent on the latter because you can see Sandler, Saget and Tom Arnold are genuinely trying not to burst into tears, at times while being interviewed. Still any fan of the late great Chris Farley should see this, as it does have many excellent interviews and insight into the fated stars life, and you can't help but wonder after watching this all the great things and roles that were yet to come for Farley if only he knew how much all of us loved him, that he should have loved himself just as much.

7 out of 10 may seem like a good rating for I Am Chris Farley, and on the whole this is a documentary worth watching, primarily for those who have seen Farley's work back in the 90's (I want to see more of the perspective of someone who isn't a fan, or was too young to see the impact at the time). And for myself the work of this man has resonance from a specific time; as an adolescent, Farley came at just the right time in my life via his work on SNL and movies like Tommy Boy and Coneheads, and I even found as an overweight kid that he was kind of an odd role model. Here was a guy acting like a silly fool on TV and in movies, but in the roles he was committed completely, without any equivocation, while also having a pure, kind spirit about how he related to other actors and characters: a man-child in a way that wasn't stupid in an obnoxious way (a danger with comedian stars today). Among the sort of BIG comedic stars of his time he went even BIGGER than someone like Belushi (maybe slightly less, uh, nuanced if that's possible as comparison), and with a drive all his own. His death was a shattering moment in my life, though I wonder what would've happened had I grown up more with him around - but for a 13 year old, he was just about perfect. This documentary looks at his life from start to end, from his childhood and early years gaining his footing as someone who just liked to perform for people on stage (from small clubs to Second City), to SNL and stardom. There are plenty of talking-heads to keep it all moving, plus photos and selected clips from when he was on stage at things like the small club in Milwaukee where he got more focused as a performer, and it's his family that sheds light on a man who was loaded for bear with passion for being silly and making people laugh (sometimes to borderline dangerous results - an anecdote about taking out his * in a high school typing class is very funny and could only work with Farley and the context of the place). There might have been a slight quality to some of this first half, and I think it's simply because the directors are making something for TV; this was shot for the Spike TV channel, and the filmmakers use light, bouncy (but very generic) music to move parts of it along, and the same type of generic music over sadder/darker moments when they pop up (mostly near the end of the movie). I also wish that the filmmakers, for all of the clips from SNL (of course) and Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, got other clips were featured to see his different roles (Wayne's World, Coneheads, Airheads, the final performances in Almost Heroes or Dirty Work), or even the audio for certain clips from his very early stage work. But most of all I wish the documentary were longer, and that the filmmakers went more in depth about the dark side of his life; it's not that it isn't touched on, and it's seen how he slipped off into despairing situations in addiction, but it's not given equal weight, and his final year is mostly skimmed over. And yet the clips that are featured are wonderful, and the anecdotes from certain people like Bob Odenkirk (you can tell Farley was so important a person, nevermind talent, to him), Lorne Michaels, and cast from SNL like Myers and Sandler and Spade make for shaping up Farley as this genuinely good person who was just genuinely uncontrollable as a comic talent and (unfortunately) as an addict. I found myself laughing, big belly laughs I mean, for scenes from SNL that I've seen many times. Something about Farley was so genuine as a performer, there was no real BS about him, and he would go for a joke even if it wasn't there (the skit on the show where he's in the beard at the restaurant) which just shows his total tenacity. And yet it's also revelatory to how he was a solid Christian man in spirit. What's most fascinating about I Am Chris Farley is seeing a man who's own love of excess as an actor and as a man was his own undoing. I wish there was more detail.

I Am Chris Farley (2015) *** (out of 4) Nice and touching documentary about the short life of comedian Chris Farley who found himself skyrocket to fame very quickly but it all came crashing down when he died at the age of 33. Adam Sandler, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr, Jon Lovitz, Bob Saget, David Spade, Bo Derek and Lorne Michaels are some of the famous faces who share their memories of Farley but we also get interviews with two of his brothers who discuss his early life. If you're a fan of Farley then you'll really enjoy this documentary that plays more like a tribute than anything else. We see a lot of footage from his Saturday Night Live days and we also get to hear some nice stories about what he was like as a child as well as his days in college where it seems his addiction to alcohol started. The documentary spends the majority of its time looking at the various highs that Farley had in his life while it pretty much skates around his addiction and early death. I think what I was most disappointed in is that the film really didn't shine enough of a spotlight on his death and it's really just mentioned in the passing moments. People talk about a dark side of Farley and the torments of fame but it pretty much is mentioned and the movie is then over.

The Documentary, despite it being seemingly rushed a bit, is a nice touch to just give a final respect to a guy, who just couldn't help himself being nothing else but The Clown (in good sense). I will always cherish, as an European here in Hungary and Slovakia, his natural, raw talent of being The entertainer of his time, I have been and will always laugh at his great sketches and funny movies like Beverly Hills Ninja, which is really close to my heart to this day. He was simply a good-hearted guy who, with his purity, had to face with the classic enemy in the show business: To live up to his self image anytime he could, and was doing it with everything he could pull out of himself. We get you Chris Farley, and we love you for it. RIP! "As I stumble through this life, help me to create more laughter than tears, dispense more happiness than gloom, spread more cheer than despair. Never let me become so indifferent, that I will fail to see the wonders in the eyes of a child, or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged. Never let me forget that my total effort is to cheer people, make them happy, and forget momentarily, all the unpleasantness in their lives. And in my final moment, may I hear You whisper: "When you made My people smile, you made Me smile."

I am Joel "Meeza" Mesa (also known as a Lobsterman in a little boat) and the following is my review on the insightful documentary on the legendary late great comic Chris Farley entitled "I Am Chris Farley". Brent Hodge and Derik Murray, who collaborated in writing and directing the documentary, interview Farley's comic collaborators including SNL peers: Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, David Spade and others; and they provide their enlightening stories on their work & experiences with Chris on the SNL set. Chris Farley's brothers also put their ten cents in the pleasure of having Chris as a brother. Sure, the doc does present on Farley's drug addiction & low self-esteem which ultimately led to his death; but Hodge & Murray prioritized more the lively, generous, caring, and vivacious talented comic that was Chris Farley by celebrating his life. Farley was not just a Chippendale, I mean chip of the old block. Even through his depression, Farley had so much life in him; and it's very disheartening that his life was short lived. So that was me, Joel "Meeza" Mesa, telling you all Tommy Boys & Girls to see the entertaining documentary "I Am Chris Farley". ***** Excellent

I quite like Chris Farley but I haven't seen enough of him to call myself a fan. From clips and bit parts, I've gathered what he's about, but it's a shame he's not starred in a more tempting film to watch him go full throttle. Nevertheless, his death is still a moving tragedy of a talented comic's life cut short. I Am Chris Farley is a passionate tribute to him that struggles to get passed its mourning, but with fair reason. Outside of clips of Farley making humorous but contextless noises, the documentary is never funny, but it doesn't have to be and it's moving where it counts. Generally taking the film in chronological order, it frames the film about a David Letterman interview that feels inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but perhaps they didn't have the biggest wealth of material to delve into. The doc's biggest strengths naturally come from Farley's Saturday Night Live heyday which are a pleasure to watch. Despite the film's shortcomings, it's most interesting in the idea that someone as beloved and chaotic as Chris Farley would still concern himself over his craft being perfect and the film is most poignant when it acknowledges that anything less than perfection is still worthy. I Am Chris Farley is far from perfect but certainly worth the watch for anyone with at least a casual interest in the man. 7/10

Growing up, there was no actor that I loved more than Chris Farley. I watched Tommy Boy and Black Sheep more times than I can count, and I was probably the only person who loved Beverly Hills Ninja when it came out, seeing it twice in the theater. Even today, I can watch any movie with Chris Farley at any time and still laugh out loud. And while some of Farley's movies don't hold up as well as others (the aforementioned Beverly Hills Ninja is downright embarrassing at times), it's still always a treat to watch Farley's performances over again. I Am Chris Farley was made for hardcore Farley fans like myself. It's a movie made by those closest to Farley for people who grew up with, or were influenced by, the comedy legend. From the opening scenes, it's fairly obvious that I Am Chris Farley is a biased film. As the film is executive produced by Kevin Farley, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. With this in mind, I Am Chris Farley is best viewed as a tribute film to Farley rather than a fully detailed, definitive documentary. Almost everybody interviewed pretty much concedes that they think Farley was one of the funniest, sweetest people who ever lived. If I remember correctly, Mike Myers is the only person who even brings up having an argument/fight with Farley at any time (although fights between Farley and David Spade are brought up by other people). There is nothing inherently wrong with presenting Farley in such a positive light, but it also seemingly makes the one sidedness of the whole thing quite transparent at times. Farley's alcoholism is discussed several times, although explicit discussion of his use of hard drugs is skimmed over almost entirely. This fact is obvious and distracting at times, but it is also understandable given how upset friends like Adam Sandler, Bob Saget, and Tom Arnold appear when talking about the darker aspects of Farley's life towards the end. Sandler, Saget, and Arnold give incredibly insightful and powerful interviews. Out of everyone, these are three that seem the most vulnerable on screen. This is especially true of Arnold who comes across as the most introspective, sympathetic, and relateable out of anyone interviewed in the whole film. It's a bit surprising that there isn't more focus on David Spade given how close they were, but between his interview segments and the multiple clips from Tommy Boy and Black Sheep, the bond between Farley and Spade is still strongly represented in the film. I Am Chris Farley is very, very clip heavy. There are a great number of clips from Farley's most famous SNL sketches, his appearances on David Letterman's show, and video footage of him performing at Second City. While this might be annoying in other documentaries, it's never particularly bothersome here. Almost all the clips show Farley at his best, demonstrating what a unique and interesting talent he was. There are nitpicks that I could make about how Almost Heroes and Dirty Work clips are missing, or how there is slightly too much of this or that, though ultimately it doesn't matter as the final credits roll. I could have watched a four-hour documentary on Farley and still been glued to the screen. I Am Chris Farley is a 94-minute tribute that does what it sets out to do, and does it extremely well. While not perfect, this is the best movie about Farley that fans are likely to ever get. 8.5/10

A documentary on the comedian Chris Farley's life with interviews with fellow comedians and friends like David Spade, Christina Applegate, Mike Myers, Tom Arnold and Dan Aykroyd and others. It also has Chris siblings, most notably Kevin Farley in it to provide stories of what Chris was like growing up. Although it entertains and occasionally gets emotional when you see a hardended cynic like David Spade become emotional and having a hard time speaking it does feel like a very sugar-coated version of Chris' life. It doesn't really speak much of Chris' hardships and why he became an addict and any real bad things that he did (which I imagine he did do as we all do) and it pretty much paints him out as a saint clown with self esteem issues. Now I'm not saying that he wasn't a lovely guy, I'm sure he was, but there is a constant sense of "they're holding something back to save the memory of Chris Farley". It's also very simple in it's structure, it has a couple people talk about Chris as a child to Chris getting into acting and Chris on the set etc etc, no fancy cuts or effects, more like a memoir collection than a full on documentary where you get to know the man up close and personal. But still, worth the watch for sure, especially if you're a Chris Farley fan.