Comedic actor and Saturday Night Live alum Chris Farley was not around for a long time, but he made quite an impression nonetheless. He died tragically too young and this is a documentary on his life directed by Brent Hodge and Derik Murray. Both are experienced documentary filmmakers with Murray having directed several docupics including I Am Evel Knievel, Anne Murray: The Music of My Live and Life and Times of Mario Lemieux.
The story (screenplay written by Steve Burgess) of Chris Farley’s life is told by the people who knew him best – including his friends, co-workers and family. He is depicted as a gentle giant and truly hilarious human being. A sensitive kid from Madison, Wisconsin that just wanted to fill the void in his life by making others laugh. It is not all hearts and flowers here, though. There is an examination of what ended up killing him. His low self-esteem is linked to his drug abuse and it was the drugs that took him in the end. Eerily he died at the age of thirty-three which was the same age his comedic hero John Belushi died at.
Chris Farley had an almost unstable comedic style in that it was big, loud and never subtle. All he truly wanted was to make people laugh and he would go to any length to accomplish this. This is in juxtaposition to the big heart his friends and co-workers like Adam Sandler, Christina Applegate, Tom Arnold, Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz, Molly Shannon, David Spade and SNL creator Lorne Michaels talk about.
There is an overriding sense of loss and sadness that comes with watching this documentary. We see his childhood and hear his siblings speak of the man he was and how they miss him. It totally makes his death not just another Hollywood drug overdose but a concrete and tragic thing. The directors make sure that this is not just another exploitative documentary about a celebrity that overdosed; it is handled with respect for the man. It makes sense that you will laugh a lot while watching this Chris Farley docupic but you may be surprised that you will shed a tear or two.
Special Features: The Farley Brothers…(And Sister), Photo Gallery
